Out of air! Wireless pod

[davehicks]

Personally I'd have more trouble completing a dive if I lost a fin then if my SPG failed. I dive without a SPG when I use my double hose. Diving without a SPG isn't hard or unsafe one just has to pay attention to time and depth and know one's SAC rate. Who carries a redundant pair of fins?

And then you are going to start the next dive with no pressure gauge? If you are on a multi dive or multi day trip you are done unless someone else had the foresight to bring a redundant pressure gauge. Why make yourself a burden on your buddies in such a stubborn manner when it's clearly useful to have a backup.

I've seen these transmitters snap right off the 1st stage before as well as beating their heads on the deck try to get one to sync. It's a pretty common failure...

 

[AfterDark]

And then you are going to start the next dive with no pressure gauge? If you are on a multi dive or multi day trip you are done unless someone else had the foresight to bring a redundant pressure gauge. Why make yourself a burden on your buddies in such a stubborn manner when it's clearly useful to have a backup.

I've seen these transmitters snap right off the 1st stage before as well as beating their heads on the deck try to get one to sync. It's a pretty common failure...

On the next dive I reach into my dive bag and pull out my spare regulator set that lives in my dive bag and is identical to my "out of service set", including another analog SPG. I don't use AI and probably never will. I'm 100% sure I'll never buy one. I'd dive solo rather than ruin someone's dive. You make a lot of assumptions don't you? I mostly do one dive per day anyway. If I where on a diving vacation then I'd be doing 2 dives on a daily charter. Never did a liveaboard, that's way beyond my income bracket.

 

[Diving Dubai]

The debate about AI vs SPG comes down to redundancy. You have two 2nd stage regulators because one may fail, or you need to donate to a buddy. If you only have one and it free flows, loses it's mouthpiece, etc you are in big trouble. Same with a pressure gauge. You can't dive without it safely. If your AI fails or even breaks on a trip, your diving is over. If as in this case the readings don't seem valid, the SPG is your reality check. You can easily add a small SPG to any reg on a thin braided hose and you won't even notice it. Velcro it down to your BC strap to keep it out of the way until needed.

Personally I don't buy into this argument, because both systems are pretty resilient, and with a bit of basic care and maintenance all should be good. Many, many people dive quite successfully with only one pressure gauge, and only one regset. What happens for instance on a multi day trip if one of their regs goes out of tune and constantly leaks are (more common occurrence)

Now that said, on all my sets, I have a conventional SPG, my transmitters have a QD onto a small hose to easily swap between rigs.

I look at my AI as a convenience only. I use my SPG when setting up my gear, and for the idiot breaths before I splash (AI doesn't react fast enough). I'd personally dive without an AI Tx but not without an SPG

Yes of course on multiday local trips I have a spares box, and for vacations I take a complete spare reg set, because that's just prudent. But these discussion often morph into hyperbole of additional failure points and the rest of the nonsense, which in the real world are very infrequent incidents

The OP has acknowledged main issue was to allow someone else to set up their gear, then to not properly functionally check the gear. Finally they weren't self aware enough (lack of experience) to question their abnormal gas consumption

 

[Lostdiver71]

I have an SPG and a spare battery kit in my dive bag for emergencies (I have never needed the SPG but I have loaned it to another diver who's SPG failed). I also do all of my diving within driving distance (I live in South Florida) and I dive with a 19 cu. ft. pony bottle. If I do go on a live aboard or to a remote location I will bring a second set of gear in case of a failure with my primary set!

 

[84CJ7]

I think you have the failure and its solution covered already, but I disagree on one major point with some of the other posters.
For a recreational dive I feel there is no need to have a backup pressure gauge in the water.
Maybe I am spoiled now or just lazy but having a modern wireless air integrated wrist computer constantly recalculate things based on my current tank pressure is just too convenient you never need to remember to look at your gauge because its right there on your wrist along with all the other info.
If the computer fails the dive is over anyways since the computer is critical for other information as well and its not worth having the extra hose on every dive. You don't need to know how much air you have on a straight abort unless you stayed to long already which is a different issue.
I do have analog backup equipment for everything in my dive bag for a computer failure along with spare batteries for both the transmitter and wrist unit since I wouldn't want to lose all the subsequent dives but I have yet to need it.

 

[scubadada]

I think you have the failure and its solution covered already, but I disagree on one major point with some of the other posters.
For a recreational dive I feel there is no need to have a backup pressure gauge in the water.
Maybe I am spoiled now or just lazy but having a modern wireless air integrated wrist computer constantly recalculate things based on my current tank pressure is just too convenient you never need to remember to look at your gauge because its right there on your wrist along with all the other info.
If the computer fails the dive is over anyways since the computer is critical for other information as well and its not worth having the extra hose on every dive. You don't need to know how much air you have on a straight abort unless you stayed to long already which is a different issue.
I do have analog backup equipment for everything in my dive bag for a computer failure along with spare batteries for both the transmitter and wrist unit since I wouldn't want to lose all the subsequent dives but I have yet to need it.

Dive some more. In nearly 1400 dives with fully redundant gear, I have used a backup computer and SPG on 2 dives, and a backup SPG on an additional 9 dives. Personally, I'm glad there was no interruption in any of my dives. I have also learned a few things and believe that I will require even less backup in my next 1400 dives.

 

[84CJ7]

I am thinking you are a more responsible diver than I am who plans their dive and dives their plan.
If my computer fails I am pretty well done on that dive anyways because I never have a plan, just a turn pressure if I am shore diving and plan to return to my entry point under water and a pressure to head towards the surface at which could change depending on depth and that's where the computer makes up for my irresponsible lack of planning.
I couldn't switch to tables mid dive even if I wanted to.

 

[Steelyeyes]

I am thinking you are a more responsible diver than I am who plans their dive and dives their plan.
If my computer fails I am pretty well done on that dive anyways because I never have a plan, just a turn pressure if I am shore diving and plan to return to my entry point under water and a pressure to head towards the surface at which could change depending on depth and that's where the computer makes up for my irresponsible lack of planning.
I couldn't switch to tables mid dive even if I wanted to.

Switching to tables on anything but a square profile dive isn't something I'd recommend. Terminating the dive safely is the best option, unless you have a backup.

 

[FinnMom]

Maybe 3 times my pod has suddenly decided not to work, or to stop working mid-dive. I always have a normal gauge as well because it has never failed.
To make better use of pod + backup (I wear doubles), I keep my pod on the right post 1st stage gauge hose on the left post 1st stage. This way if one fails I have the other, and if I ever need to close the connecting bridge, I can still read pressure on each side.

 

[DrMack]

What a great community! Here is what we have done in light of the experience itself and what we have deduced is a better way to do this, and with the help of all of the excellent advice presented on this board:

• All of our gear is now tagged with our IDs with tags from yourbagtag.com. Mine are yellow and my wife's are bright pink. The tags are attached with crimped stainless leaders so they are as permanent as a tag can get.
• We personally rig our own tanks and politely decline the offers to do so by the dive crews.
• I have memorized the last four digits of the serial number of my pod and check both of our computers to verify that we are both sync'd to the correct pod.
• As a double check, we now open the tank valves one at a time exclusively, to verify the tank pressure on our respective computers.
• Our faith in the buddy system is reaffirmed. We are each now aware of how many kicks we are from our respective backup air sources, keeping in mind that we may have to do it AFTER exhaling our last breath. I recommend that instructors enhance the drill by making the students exhale before taking their second stage out of their mouth.