My son just got certified, so he's aquiring gear. Some of mine, some new, and I've been planning to get him a Spare Air. I just read most of this three year long thread.
Man, there's a whole lot of outright contempt out there for divers who have the nerve to make mistakes at some point in their diving lives. Or to have a buddy you were assigned to dive with on a trip who drifted off and isn't be there when needed.
You guys who are so critical must be very comforting after car accidents and other human failures of judgment.
Me- I watch my gauges like a hawk. I've never come remotely close to running out of air, and don't plan to; I'm teaching my son the same thing. But geez, to say that because of this, I'm not going to bring along an extra few breaths of life in case the worst happens...are you kidding?
My Zeagle Ranger BC has a zip on accessory sleeve for a spare air that tucks out of sight and out of the way, so only the regulator/head of it sticks out where the integrated weight pocket is on one side. I fill it when I get to a destination, slide it in, and forget about it, but I know it's there.
How will I use it? I hope I never do, but:
1. If another diver comes at me in a total out of air panic, I'll give him my spare air first, to calm him down, before he lunges at my octopus and endagers me in his panic. Then he can have my octo.
2. If there is a freak event that causes an out of air event at depth, I'll swim to my buddy with the comfort of a few more breaths than I would have had without it.
3. If all else fails, I'll do the same for a controlled ascent. I don't know about you, but unless you think they shouldn't bother teaching emergency ascents in OW class because no one has any right to ever run out of air, I'd rather have a few more breaths on the way up than not.
What, you say? You'll NEVER have an out of air emergency? How nice for you. I, on the other hand, am only a mere mortal, and real life things happen in my world. And that includes the unexpected.
So I'm getting my son one too.
I sincerely hope you are all as accident free as your sternly judgmental attitudes suggest. But I think the many of you who are hyper critical about carrying one of these are coming out to a to a really weird place on this. Are you also chopping the air bags out of your cars?