OOA + Gear Failure in Cozumel

[SteveAD]

I know a couple, good divers, with glaringly different sac rates. When they're diving at home she uses 72s and he uses 95s and she still ends the dive with more air than him. When they're on vacation and the op doesn't have ideal tanks for them they "equalize" by him breathing off her tank for significant portions of the dive (both dive long hose, side by side air share is a non event). They keep their individual reserves adequate at all times and are rarely sharing during an ascent (if they are sharing during an ascent it is for practice, not need).

This works for them. He would never get into a situation where he was relying on her air for a safety stop. The couple referenced by the op need to rethink their modus operandi.

 

[jjhill]

Devils Throat?

No, it was Columbia Deep. I actually brought up buddy breathing with the couple also. His response was that he panicked and it never even crossed his mind as an option.

From what I gathered from my brief discussions with them on the boat afterward but is that he was monitoring his air but felt too shy or embarrassed to admit to the DM he blew through his whole tank in only 20 minutes of dive time. Also he wasn't too concerned because he knew his wife had plenty of air and that he could breath off of her tank for the ascent. But when he finally ran his tank dry (at about 20 feet en route to his safety stop) he switched to his wife's octo only to find it not working. Where at this point he panicked bolted for the surface dragging his wife with him by the octopus.

The part about it being planned to share air to extend the dive is speculation on my part and may not be true, but through the discussion with them they mentioned they have in the past shared air to extend his dives as they knew he was an air hog. They seemed so nonchalant about this fact that it seemed it played a decision in his not leaving the dive earlier and breathing down to low levels assuming he would just breath off his wife's tank for the ascent.

 

[DeltaWardog]

Hmmm... when I dive with my buddy (and wife) we both breathe off each other's octo as part of the predive check. Every single time. I want to know hers is working and vice versa!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Hmmm... when I dive with my buddy (and wife) we both breathe off each other's octo as part of the predive check. Every single time. I want to know hers is working and vice versa!

With an "insta-buddy", I will usually press the purge button on the octo as part of my check of their equipment. Rarely will I actually put the octo in my mouth to breath as a check. I know I might get an octo that is tough to breathe but knowing it provides air is good enough for me. I always breath off mine as part of my pre-dive no matter who I am diving with.

 

[Rainer]

With an "insta-buddy", I will usually press the purge button on the octo as part of my check of their equipment. Rarely will I actually put the octo in my mouth to breath as a check. I know I might get an octo that is tough to breathe but knowing it provides air is good enough for me. I always breath off mine as part of my pre-dive no matter who I am diving with.

If you don't breathe them in the water, you might not catch a torn diaphragm.

 

[NudeDiver]

I agree. Not much use having an octo unless you know it works. I always breath off them on the boat, and usually I'll check it again when I first get under water. But then, I also practice mask removal and replacement on almost every dive too. Silly me, I know.

 

[InTheDrink]

With an "insta-buddy", I will usually press the purge button on the octo as part of my check of their equipment. Rarely will I actually put the octo in my mouth to breath as a check. I know I might get an octo that is tough to breathe but knowing it provides air is good enough for me. I always breath off mine as part of my pre-dive no matter who I am diving with.

How so? Are you worried about germs or is it something else? Part of my buddy check is always breathing from all 4 gas sources. But then again, no self respecting bacterium would dream of invading so inhospitable a host. Curious if you're worried about hygiene, and if not, why two extra breaths wouldn't be worth it.

 

[wve]

With an "insta-buddy", I will usually press the purge button on the octo as part of my check of their equipment. Rarely will I actually put the octo in my mouth to breath as a check.

I always check my own alternate by breathing from it, and my wife (my usual buddy) always checks hers. We watch each other do so.

These days, I might be reluctant to breathe off an insta-buddy's octo -- especially if s/he just finished breathing off of it. Seriously. There are viruses that can be passed that way.

How about just asking the new buddy to demonstrate to you that it works? Or at least let the ocean wash it off, and ask to try it in the water before the descent?

Would that work?

 

[NudeDiver]

These days, I might be reluctant to breathe off an insta-buddy's octo -- especially if s/he just finished breathing off of it. Seriously. There are viruses that can be passed that way.

Well, next time I am diving with you and you have an OOA, I will keep your virus concerns in mind and be sure to prevent you from picking up any viruses from my octo - as it will be kept well beyond your reach...

 

[InTheDrink]

I'm with NudeDiver on this one. If you don't like my viruses, you don't get to breathe my air. Seems very 21st bull***** century over caution. FFS, it's a regulator. I'm sorry, I hate this 'disease-lurking-around-every-corner' attitude.

Get real.