Pros vs. Cons: Alt air on BC inflator?

[Stealth Turbo]

When I have to teach basic skills, I attach a Sherwood Minimus as a standard octo. It's the same reg as the Shadow, but not configured as an alternate air regulator. While the Minimus is very compact, it IS most definitely an octo reg. It's not as easy breathing off of as the AIR2. I'm also afraid I'm going to break the little thing someday!

I was actually impressed with the ease of breathing compared to past octos.

 

[love2godeep]

I must say (LOL) I lost some respect for you when you mentioned that you dove with your AIR2 without knowing it. How did you adjust your buoyancy without cluing in?

Ha ha I lost some self-respect myself. It was a while ago! . . . . I adjusted the buoyancy the way I usually do--with the dump valves on my LadyHawk. I rarely add air once I'm down, so it wasn't a problem. LOL

 

[tboxcar]

They way it's been explained to me is that in a OOA situation the panicked diver will go for the first REG he sees (the one in YOUR mouth), as things can happen fast he may grab it out of your mouth before you can even reach down for you octopus, so the natural progression would be for you to grab your AIR2 source? These are just the opinions of several divers I talked to at several LDS I go to.

 

[Boogie711]

There are two irrefutable facts about Air2s...

a) They are not as superior as having an octo bungeed around your neck and donating the primary. I think just about everyone, minus a few sticklers, will agree with me.

b) If you have a runaway inflator and have to disconnect it during a dive, you have just disconnected your alternate air source as well.

Furthermore, I find the argument about one-less-hose a non-starter - so what? Does it decrease your drag? Not when you consider the clunky reg attached to the end of your inflator hose! If less hoses is a good thing, I've pointed out in the past how you're always welcome to fill an ammo belt full of spare airs and go completely redundant and hoseless, all at the same time.

 

[rescuediver009]

They way it's been explained to me is that in a OOA situation the panicked diver will go for the first REG he sees (the one in YOUR mouth), as things can happen fast he may grab it out of your mouth before you can even reach down for you octopus, so the natural progression would be for you to grab your AIR2 source?

Then perhaps you can explain why divers are taught to give their octo in all basic training classes as opposed to giving away their primary?

 

[archman]

Then perhaps you can explain why divers are taught to give their octo in all basic training classes as opposed to giving away their primary?

I'm preaching to the choir with this...

A. Irrefutable proof has not been demonstrated that panicky divers usually do this.

B. If they do, it would require significant changes to the established recreational diving rig, as well as training procedures by the recreational agencies.

The standard jacket BCD with "normal" regulator configuration has worked just fine for many years, and countless thousands of divers. Few would argue it being unsafe for recreational diving needs, at any rate. Different hose and regulator configurations may be shown to be somewhat safer and/or more comfortable, but that difference has not shown itself to manufacturers or training agencies to be significant.

 

[Quarrior]

An expensive cure to a non-existent problem.

 

[bergersau]

I havn't read every post in this thread but my 2c is that when using an AIR2 setup you are limited in options on the dive boat if your regs play up, because your regs and BC are now one system. With a conventional rig you may be able to swap regs OR BC and save the dive. With an Air2 you'd need to swap both regs AND BC or get out the spanners...

 

[archman]

I havn't read every post in this thread but my 2c is that when using an AIR2 setup you are limited in options on the dive boat if your regs play up, because your regs and BC are now one system. With a conventional rig you may be able to swap regs OR BC and save the dive. With an Air2 you'd need to swap both regs AND BC or get out the spanners...

Fortunately, this isn't really a problem. Regs fail very rarely, and most BCD issues relate to tank straps. And if you do get a reg problem on the boat or on-site, few divers carry spares.

The AIR2 is very solid and dependable. One problem it WILL have is with inflator hose incompatibility. You can't hot-swap regulator packages and BCD's between AIR2 and non-AIR2 setups. This really only becomes an issue when divers start swapping gear with one another, and you typically only see it with rental equipment.

Other alternate inflator regulators do not have non-standard LPI hoses anymore, so incompatibility isn't even an issue.

 

[MSilvia]

Then perhaps you can explain why divers are taught to give their octo in all basic training classes as opposed to giving away their primary?

New divers are also taught to calmly give the "I'm out of air" and "Let's share air" signals, but in real life a person at 80 feet with nothing to breathe is likely to act with more urgency.