"Out-of-air" and "share air" signals

[miketsp]

Now there's a resolution to a problem I've never thought of !!!!
That's thinking outside of the box, Mike !!!!

I can't claim any credit, it's a standard method taught by many CMAS courses. It has to be the HP hose because the pin-hole at the 1st stage limits the bubbling to a comfortable flow.

 

[jonnythan]

Dennis,
as donating diver, in most cases you will be calm and quite capable of going without breathing for at least a couple of minutes, plenty of time to get the OOA calmed down and to look for your alternate - after all it's yours and you know where it should be.
If at the end of those 2 minutes you haven't been able to use the alternate and the OOA is still panicking and refuses to share the primary just whip out your knife, cut the SPG off the HP hose and breathe off that.
Mike.

I'd whip out my knife, but I wouldn't use it on the HP hose.

 

[jonnythan]

I can't claim any credit, it's a standard method taught by many CMAS courses. It has to be the HP hose because the pin-hole at the 1st stage limits the bubbling to a comfortable flow.

Strange that they teach that.. seems like using the BC inflator would be a much better option, don't you think?

 

[Marek K]

There may be other reasons to share air, besides being STUPIDLY, UNFORGIVABLY OOA.
The speaker may think his air is tainted.
The speaker might want to practice air sharing.

Very good points... I think those at least validate the existence of the "share air" clenched-fist signal -- at least in your example of tainted air.

But as far as practicing OOA... as the military says, "the way you train is the way you fight"... er, dive. That extra signal shouldn't be there for practice, if you establish that it's not necessary in case of the real thing.

--Marek

 

[The Kraken]

I suppose one could press both buttons on the B/C inflator/deflator and breathe through the manual inflation orifice, also.

 

[miketsp]

Strange that they teach that.. seems like using the BC inflator would be a much better option, don't you think?

Have you ever tried coordinating both valves simultaneously?
It's not as easy as it sounds. You are likely to end up doing a ballistic ascent by overfilling the BC.
I know some people say they can do it but when they are dedicating 100% of their attention to the task. Not likely to be easy with an OOA hanging on to you.

 

[The Kraken]

Agreed . . .

 

[The Kraken]

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming . . .

 

[jonnythan]

Have you ever tried coordinating both valves simultaneously?
It's not as easy as it sounds. You are likely to end up doing a ballistic ascent by overfilling the BC.
I know some people say they can do it but when they are dedicating 100% of their attention to the task. Not likely to be easy with an OOA hanging on to you.

I've tried it, and it sucks, but it gets the job done.

Have you ever tried cutting your HP hose apart and sucking air out of it?

 

[knotical]

The PADI standard is to turn off the tank in order to begin an OOA practice?

That can't possibly be correct, can it?

PADI now has instructors turn student air off twice.
Once in confined water dive two in which the student reacts by giving the out of air signal, and again in confined water dive three, during which the student also switches to his buddy’s alternate air source.
btw, in the second scenario, PADI also recommends the student not be allowed to see their gauge. I don't show it to them in either exercise.