power inflator/octo?

[NAVYman]

hey
i was wondering about these power inflator/octos everyone around me has been using. I think they are kind of cool and i might actually buy one. time to scrap the old school octo that always falls out of place and can be hard to find. i was just wondering if you can MANUALLY inflate your bc with one of these units. i have never used one so i dont know. i think manually inflating your bc is an important feature because it can help you in a equipment malfunction and it doesnt take air away from your supply if you manually blow into inflator. can anyone out there answer this questions for me. thanks.

 

[scubatoys]

Yes, you simply blow into them while holding the button... much like a standard inflator. If you look at the picture of the Tusa IR-3 you will see 2 buttons. The smaller one is to power inflate, the larger one is deflate. To orally inflate, you blow in the mouth piece while holding the large button down.

 

[rescuediver009]

Also in case you thought ahead, you would wonder about purging, there is usually a third button. If you are still debating, there is a thread that discusses this item in great detail.

 

[realdiver7]

Never had any problems with my Tusa DuoAir or my Scubapro Air2. The only time I use an octo is when I teach recreational diving so students can learn how to use the traditional octo setup (and so I can "feed" the longer octo to them quickly if they need air fast while learning skills). For technical diving, I have heard that the octo is the best way to go, but I'm not a technical diver. I enjoy the streamlining effect of reduced hoses.

 

[nategasser]

Hi,

I was wondering if I'd get flack from, say an instructor or a DM for having one of these things. I was trained to grab the yellow reg from the other guy's chest, and I can imagine a DM wanting everyone to have a "traditional" octo for the safety of all.

Not that this happened to me, just wondering if this sentiment is out there? I guess DIR folks wouldn't approve of these, huh?

Thanks,
Nate.

 

[SubMariner]

Hi,

I was wondering if I'd get flack from, say an instructor or a DM for having one of these things. I was trained to grab the yellow reg from the other guy's chest, and I can imagine a DM wanting everyone to have a "traditional" octo for the safety of all.

Not that this happened to me, just wondering if this sentiment is out there? I guess DIR folks wouldn't approve of these, huh?

Thanks,
Nate.

No, we won't give you flack, we'll just shake our head & tell you to try using one first, then decide.

First of all, you have to use that one & donate your primary. Which, unless you have a long hose, makes for VERY close quarters when trying to ascend.

Secondly, it's not exactly easy to breath off it while trying to keep it high to purge your BC.

Stick with the octo & primary setup. It works much better.

 

[bcsean]

if you do decide to go with this setup, no DM or instructor should give you a hard time. As with any other setup, it's about making your buddy aware of your setup and vise-versa before getting in the water. When problems arise, no big deal because you both know what to do.

Personally as a DM, I'd be happy to see it on a student so I can show them other options that are out there and explain how and why they're used.

 

[realdiver7]

I'm an instructor, and you wouldn't get any flack from me. Divemasters and instructors are getting used to seeing all kinds of different configurations these days. That's why we shouldn't be narrow-minded about other people's personal choices. I might ask you if you'd practiced using it, and if your buddy and you know the procedures for using it in an out of air problem, but that would only be for safety, not for giving flack. It's just another one of those personal options. I train with and use both methods, traditional and inflator/octo for recreational diving. Like I mentioned before, I would go with the traditional octo for technical diving though.

 

[rescuediver009]

Pretty much what everyone else said. I think that some people are so facinated (not necessarily yourself) with the thought of having one less hose that they do not think of the cons of the situation as mentioned above like the weight of the thing, having to give out your primary, and compensating for buoyancy changes at your mouth.

 

[nategasser]

Thanks for the feedback. I just spent several hours basically reading all of the accidents/incidents forum.

-Shudder-

So, I think, no newfangled combo dealie for me. Think I'll stick with what I and what everyone else is used to and expects. Also of concern is that I will probably do a lot of diving alone, not as in solo, but as in showing up at the boat and looking for another buddy-less diver to pair with. So I can't really practice and familiarize my buddy with my rig, since I don't have a full-time buddy.

As others mentioned, I would never condemn someone for using a combo, but for me I feel the traditional setup has some saftey advantages.

Cheers,
Nate