Scubapro Air 2 octo

[iAmLevis]

Anyone using the Air 2 octo? http://www.scubapro.com/consumer/products/regulators/octopus/air2oct/air2oct.html

I'm slowly amassing my own equipment. I have a Seaquest Pro QD+, and it's time to get a reg/octo setup. I thought the Air 2 might be an alternative to a traditional octo, but I'm looking for opinions first. Is the unit akward to handle when inflating/deflating the BC? Does it provide a "fine" enough control of air into the BC? And how does it breathe?

Thanks!

 

[jonnythan]

A lot of people feel very strongly about the Air2, myself included. Personally, I think it's a bad idea and you would be better off with a real backup bungeed around your neck, and your primary on a long hose.

That being said, if you decide for the Air2 anyway, there are some things you should keep in mind. First, if you have an Air2, you *will* donate your primary in an OOA event. This means you need to have your primary on a hose longer than a standard primary hose... a 4 foot hose routed under your right arm to a swivel on your second stage, or a 5-7 foot hose passed behind your neck would be ideal.

Second, if you have an Air2, *practice* with it. This really goes for any setup, but since using an Air2 is quite different from what you did in OW class, it's essential. Do drills with your buddy, have your buddy surprise you with OOA drills at depth.

 

[DennisW]

Many people have differing thoughts about the Air 2. I like mine. Other people think they are terrible. IMHO, in an out of air situation, you will be donating your primary anyway. The person that is out of air will take it out of your mouth. Been there.

My reason for having the Air 2 is that is gets one more piece of equipment out of my way. It does not breath as well as my primary. I don't care, it doesn't have to. It breathes well enough to get me and a OOA person to the surface. I practice with it nearly every dive. I want it to work when I need it. For my dive purposes, it is a great set up.

 

[iAmLevis]

And does it give you fine enough control of air into the BC, or does it come out in bursts?

Know what i'm sayin'?

 

[MikeFerrara]

IMO, We want emergency procedures that are simple and fool proof (as much as possible). That does not always mean simplified equipment. With the air 2 you get rid of a hose, but does the procedure get simplified? I have only seen them used in a real situation twice. Once, I know for sure, was a diver who practiced with it. I watched carefully and it didn't work for beans. Your bc control does not belong in your teeth. Even if you pull it off there is no way I can believe that it is a simplified procedure.

 

[redacted]

iAmLevis once bubbled...
And does it give you fine enough control of air into the BC, or does it come out in bursts?

Know what i'm sayin'?

The BC control side of the air2 is the same as the Scubapro inflator. They are two seperate circuits inside the air2. No problem giving small bursts once you get the feel.

I particularly like my air2 since I often also use a pony tank where a seperate octo would really be too much. It does limit head movement when you go to the air2 but that shouldn't be a problem in open water. If you are looking to do wreck penetration of caves it mayu not be appropriate. With the SQ pull dump valve on the BC, dumping air from the BC while breathin the air2 is not a problem (as it might be with no pull dump capability). I stayed with the standard length primary hose. When an OOA diver is on your primary, it is tight, but quite manageable for a controlled trip to the surface.

 

[leadweight]

IMO, the Air 2, and other devices like it, are no more than a way of satisfying the requirement of dive operators that all divers have a safe second regulator on them when the user has no intention of ever sharing air. I even know some divers that use integrated octopus-inflators and they put a sea-cure custom mouthpiece on their primary, which makes it evern more difficult for a diver under stress to breathe off the donor's primary reg.

Do yourself and anyone else you might dive with a favor and use a conventional octopus. Special hoses are not necessary IMO, although a lot of people around this forum think otherwise.

 

[JDostal]

I have an Air2, but will probably adding an actual octo to my setup...the air2 is great for a bc inflator. It adds air, it dumps air, i've never had a problem putting too much into my bcd.

They don't really breathe that well, in my opinion. Not as nice as my poseidon, anyway. You're head movements are very limited when you are using it..due to the extremely short hose that it's on, it kinda pulls on your mouth. I used it once in an OOA situation, and that is what made me decide to purchase an actual octo.

 

[DennisW]

The Air 2 works as well as any other power inflator. When I am surfacing, I am letting air out of my BC, not adding it. I do not use my Power inflator for that. My Scubapro Sport BC has a dump valve that works extremely well and it is controllable. So, in an OOA situation, my Air 2 is in my mouth, the Primary is in the mouth if the guy that swam up and pulled it out of mine, and I am ascending slowly. I control my ascent by using the dump valve on the upper right shoulder of my BC. The pull cord is right on the front of my BC and easy to reach. I've done it, it works, and it works well.

When this actually happened, I was surely surprised, because I had never seen the diver before in my life. It was off West Palm Beach several years ago and the guy just came up and took my primary. No signals, no looking at me, no nothing. When I turned the guy around to face me, his eyes were so wide they filled up the mask. He was scared, I was surprised, and I just pulled up my Air 2 and used it. I practice using my Air 2 so much, that I didn't even think about it. I made sure the guy was calm, then I made the OK sign to him, he OK'd me back and I gave him the sign to ascend. I had to slow him down several times, but since I was calm, he calmed down as well. I put him on our boat, told the Captain to find out where he belonged and I finished the dive. When I got back to the boat after the dive, he was gone. The Captain found out where he belonged and the other boat picked him up.

 

[iAmLevis]

Grrr.... I was hoping for either 20 "It sucks", or 20 "It's great" responses.

Well I like reading the stories anyway... Keep em coming =)