Question about air2's

[cavelez]

well today i tried my instructors reg setup with the 7 foot primary and the bungee octo, and i've got to say i really liked it. he did surprise me with an OOA symbol, but i did get it to him in time. lol always training. It definitely suited me, im just glad to know what it feels like before i made the commitment to getting either the air2 or the bungee octo.

 

[LowDrag]

FYI - You do not have to cover the exhaust outlet on the bottom of the Air2 in order to orally inflate the bcd/wing.

I don't have to cover mine either. When I was doing my OW cert's last year I was able to manually inflate my BC at the surface without issue.

 

[Crass3000]

I think the Air2 is a bad idea. It would be confusing for a new diver to take your primary 2nd as they would be confused to see you breath off what could just be your inflator to them. Air2 also puts things together that could end up hurting an over-tasked new diver. I had a guy try to brag about how great his rig was because I just happened to be his woman's dive partner during her training while he was already trained. It was a case of a guy with little confidence who talked to much and was pretty annoying. He was also bragging about his transmitter and watch computer. Good luck with how safe that is diving wrecks.

 

[redacted]

I think the Air2 is a bad idea. It would be confusing for a new diver to take your primary 2nd as they would be confused to see you breath off what could just be your inflator to them. Air2 also puts things together that could end up hurting an over-tasked new diver. I had a guy try to brag about how great his rig was because I just happened to be his woman's dive partner during her training while he was already trained. It was a case of a guy with little confidence who talked to much and was pretty annoying. He was also bragging about his transmitter and watch computer. Good luck with how safe that is diving wrecks.

Do you think that new divers are also confused by a long primary hose & bungeed alternate? Do you think they may also be confused about where to find a conventional Octo - somewhere in the triangle or maybe just floating around behind or below the donating diver.

One really good thing about donating your primary regulator is you & the recipient both know it is working. Whatever one decides, practice will create familiarity and confidence.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I think the Air2 is a bad idea. It would be confusing for a new diver to take your primary 2nd as they would be confused to see you breath off what could just be your inflator to them. Air2 also puts things together that could end up hurting an over-tasked new diver. I had a guy try to brag about how great his rig was because I just happened to be his woman's dive partner during her training while he was already trained. It was a case of a guy with little confidence who talked to much and was pretty annoying. He was also bragging about his transmitter and watch computer. Good luck with how safe that is diving wrecks.

The OOA new diver isn't going to give a rats ass what you're breathing off; they're going to be focused on getting the reg you handed them into their mouth.
I've dove with an AirII. My wife still does. I wouldn't hesitate to dive with an AirII again. It's no more confusing than any other setup.

 

[saudio]

Combo inflators are great. Unless you actually have to use one in an emergency. Then, not so great.

There is one, and only one advantage to a combo. One less hose.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Combo inflators are great. Unless you actually have to use one in an emergency. Then, not so great.

There is one, and only one advantage to a combo. One less hose.

Someone here before me said something along the lines of the following, and it stuck with me:

A pony setup is like a full-sized spare.
An octo is a small-sized spare.
An air2 is a can of fix-a-flat.

When I read this I had the Mares version of the Air2. I've since taken it off and I run identical primary and octos and have a pony rig (although I have yet to dive it).

 

[lowviz]

...//... I've since taken it off and I run identical primary and octos and have a pony rig ...//...

Try same on an "H-valve". Play with a long hose. Leave the old Air2 connected, no added overhead -just another option...

pony rigs are wonderful. Totally independent...

 

[saudio]

Someone here before me said something along the lines of the following, and it stuck with me:

A pony setup is like a full-sized spare.
An octo is a small-sized spare.
An air2 is a can of fix-a-flat.

When I read this I had the Mares version of the Air2. I've since taken it off and I run identical primary and octos and have a pony rig (although I have yet to dive it).

I'm not really sure that people who decide on a combo inflator have carefully thought through the realities of an out of air situation at depth and have considered the advantages and disadvantages of a combo vs a plain old octopus.

To state it simply, most people panic when they can't breathe. You can train and rehearse and think it through, but at the end of the day, when you inhale and nothing happens your brain stem usually takes over. At that time, both an out of air diver and a donor need to have the simplest, easiest, most natural method of sharing air, and afterwords getting safely to the surface. If you think that removing a regulator from your own mouth, thus creating a situation where both divers momentarily do not have an air source, then breathing from the same device you need to safely control your ascent while closely attached to a diver who is probably wanting very badly to get to where all the free air is as fast as possible, is a better way of handling this type of emergency than simply handing the OOA diver your octo, then you might want to run the scenario through a few more times.

Real emergencies don't often happen like you expect them too. When a car pulls in front of you, you want to have the brake on the left and the gas on the right. You don't want to, nor have time to think about it.

 

[lowviz]

I'm not really sure that people who decide on a combo inflator have carefully thought through the realities of an out of air situation at depth and have considered the advantages and disadvantages of a combo vs a plain old octopus. ...//...

My experience is that the octo is clipped off and pretty much forgotten over time. The combo is usually in a newbie's dominant hand. In a "brain-lock" emergency, the more options you have, the greater your chances of a good outcome.

---------- Post added May 19th, 2013 at 10:34 PM ----------

I donate the primary and my backup is bungeed around my neck. Mine alone. There are agencies that see a clipped-off octo as sub-optimal.