Sharing air to extend bottom time

[TonyErnst13]

That is not buddy breathing............ Buddy breathing is using ONE regulator. (Passing it back and forth, one person is breathing while the other person has no air source, and then switching back and forth) There are reasons in which this may need to be done.

You were just "Sharing Air". There are many reasons you could "Share air". I do agree that he could have explained it at the surface to prevent any confusion though.

 

[DevonDiver]

I've seen this happen on a few occasions and I absolutely disagree with it. Air-sharing is an emergency technique, not a matter of convenience. Divemasters, in particular, should be setting an example of good diving technique, as role-models - and this behavior certainly doesn't fit that bill.

Added to that, there's a bunch of stuff that can go wrong with air-sharing. Such behavior erodes the best practices taught on scuba courses, negates the buddy system and generally prostitutes dive safety for the sake of dive-pro laziness or money grabbing.

'Short-cut' mentality is never a good thing. Such decisions slowly chip away at safe diving practices, reinforced by the absence of 'murphy' on a given occasion, leading divers to assume 'safety' just because nothing went wrong for them before.

We have a bunch of discussions here on Scubaboard that address the existence of bad divemasters, who put customers at risk... to me, this air-sharing for bottom time issue is just another obvious symptom of that. It's nothing more than ego over-riding prudence. If something went wrong... the liability would be horrendous. That's why I've always had a zero-tolerance policy about such short-cuts and improvisation, for non-emergency issues, when I've managed dive centers.

What I'd prefer to see is these 'dedicated' dive pros actually addressing the root of the problem - working with their customers to ensure effective gas planning and management...and helping divers improve their air consumption through mentoring the better application of technique. At the very least... ensuring that a range of cylinder capacities were available, so that divers can be matched with appropriately sized tanks - enabling a roughly equal dive duration to their buddy.

Sorry, but there's just no excuse for sloppy diving.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I've seen this happen on a few occasions and I absolutely disagree with it. Air-sharing is an emergency technique, not a matter of convenience. Divemasters, in particular, should be setting an example of good diving technique, as role-models - and this behavior certainly doesn't fit that bill.

Added to that, there's a bunch of stuff that can go wrong with air-sharing. Such behavior erodes the best practices taught on scuba courses, negates the buddy system and generally prostitutes dive safety for the sake of dive-pro laziness or money grabbing.

'Short-cut' mentality is never a good thing. Such decisions slowly chip away at safe diving practices, reinforced by the absence of 'murphy' on a given occasion, leading divers to assume 'safety' just because nothing went wrong for them before.

We have a bunch of discussions here on Scubaboard that address the existence of bad divemasters, who put customers at risk... to me, this air-sharing for bottom time issue is just another obvious symptom of that. It's nothing more than ego over-riding prudence. If something went wrong... the liability would be horrendous. That's why I've always had a zero-tolerance policy about such short-cuts and improvisation, for non-emergency issues, when I've managed dive centers.

What I'd prefer to see is these 'dedicated' dive pros actually addressing the root of the problem - working with their customers to ensure effective gas planning and management...and helping divers improve their air consumption through mentoring the better application of technique. At the very least... ensuring that a range of cylinder capacities were available, so that divers can be matched with appropriately sized tanks - enabling a roughly equal dive duration to their buddy.

Sorry, but there's just no excuse for sloppy diving.

To be honest, a divemaster IS compromised in his ability to respond, if he has to carefully "disconnect" the air recipient before helping someone else. I could see a situation, where a reg is yanked from a customer's mouth unexpectedly and this precipitates a problem.

On the other hand, if it is just two buddies who have no other extraneous "supervisory" responsibilities to other parties, I don't see a big issue.

I allowed an inexpereinced buddy to run to zero air with me on a 100 ft dive once..... anyway, when she showed me zero air, I swore and handed her the octo. She immediately ascended above me and hung onto my tank valve.... It was not really a good move because I couldn't really see her or manage her and I felt if I spun around too hard she might lose the reg.

So I ascended slowly and prayed she vented her BC and didn't float off the octopus and carefully listened to her breathing cycle to reassure myself she was ok. I would occasionally hold the SPG up to her so she could possibly see it.

When we got on the boat, I asked why she did not get face to face like we were supposed to do? She said she never really learned that ffrom the dive course and since she had shared air with me on several occasions, riding above me holding the tank valve... that is what she was comfortable doing and did it in a reall emergency. She told me that if we hadn't "practiced" air sharing like this on a few earlier dives she would have panicked and would not have been able to manage the situation.

So for me.. the air sharing is not so black and white.

 

[DevonDiver]

On the other hand, if it is just two buddies who have no other extraneous "supervisory roles" to other parties, I don't see a big issue. .

If the stated goal - briefed, agreed and planned for - is to practice a technique, then I don't have a problem either. Of course, such practice would occur when both divers had ample supplies of air, little saturation and were in shallow water to conduct skills. Also, the critical attributes of the skill - signalling, donating, receiving, reg-swapping and propulsion/ascent whilst sharing...would be the key issues focused upon.. and improved through the controlled repetition of the skill.

Sadly, that's not really what we're talking about on this thread.

The correct and prudent response to a low-on-air diver incident is to end the dive, ascending in close communication with your buddy to the surface.

The funniest (in a cynical and ironic way) thing I've ever seen on this subject was a dive operator that had a "strict" policy about returning to the boat with a minimum reserve of air preserved in the tank. You know the scenario... divers get a lecture about being back onboard with 500psi/50bar etc etc. However, in order to ensure THAT safety policy, their divemaster put a customer onto their AAS for the end-phase of the dive... an action contrary to every 'safe diving practice' taught.

 

[supergaijin]

It seems there is a bit of 'Do as I say- don't do as I do' on this thread already. If a diver doesn't have enough gas to do the dive plan, I think it's better to change the plan.

Again, individuals can do what they like. I think it's bad form for DMs to be doing it whilst 'on the job'. I used to see it a bit in the Red Sea with the added twist that the LOA diver was on a long hose octopus and swimming above and behind the DM.

 

[Hatul]

I've done air sharing the same as scuba_noob when diving with an air hog. On the way back from the shore dive when he got down to 1000 psi he shared my air, and when I got down to 1000 psi we ended sharing. The SAC calculated by the AI software was of course all off. It's also a way of practicing air sharing.

I should add that this was preplanned and discussed before the dive.

 

[gcbryan]

To the original post...I wonder if the DM only saw you signal or did your husband signal as well?

If you are the only one who signaled the DM might have thought that your husband had plenty of air.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

As long as both divers maintain an adequate reserve air sharing is a reasonable thing to do. After all if you lost the donor you just switch back to your supply.

I do wonder how the original posters husband fared on the dive however. If either member of the buddy team is low on air you should both be heading up. It sounds like the OP had enough gas to do the dive due to the helpful intervention of your hired guide, but that your buddy did not. Of course if you had two DMs...

 

[KD8NPB]

With an AL80, you have at least 13cf of gas remaining at 500 psi...more than enough for a lazy ascent and short safety stop.

 

[t4e]

To the original post...I wonder if the DM only saw you signal or did your husband signal as well?

If you are the only one who signaled the DM might have thought that your husband had plenty of air.

the plan was that he would lead the way and we would stay together following him and once low on air we would go up
we kept each other updated throughout the dive on our air level and the DM too once in a while
when i signaled to the DM that i was at 700 my husband had about 200 more so he didn't say anything to the DM because the assumption was that we are going up

As long as both divers maintain an adequate reserve air sharing is a reasonable thing to do. After all if you lost the donor you just switch back to your supply.

I do wonder how the original posters husband fared on the dive however. If either member of the buddy team is low on air you should both be heading up. It sounds like the OP had enough gas to do the dive due to the helpful intervention of your hired guide, but that your buddy did not. Of course if you had two DMs...

as i said above he had about 200 more, back up on the boat we both had about 200 left in our tanks
to my knowledge the other diver that joined us was not a DM and all that was talked about before the dive was that she is a good diver, the DM will stay with me and she will buddy up with my husband
during the dive we were all in close proximity to each other at all times

My wife and I have both breathed off the divemaster's long hosed reg in Cozumel. It's called " The Leash of Shame".

i'm a noobie diver, i don't see it as the "leash of shame" until i am experienced enough to have a good air consuption