Spare Air: some thoughts

[cbrich]

At least they didn't make Trimix Spare Air, or Heliox Spare Air...yet...

Just wait.

I have avoid the threads with Spare Air because IMO are a waste of money and it shows me the person who uses them was not taught correct about gas management.

I would even go the same as saying the same thing about a small pony bottle. I use a 40 cf cylinder as a deco bottle, but that is based on my dive profile whether I take it or a larger cylinder.

 

[Diver0001]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Spin off thread merged back. One Spare Air thread at at time is more than enough (unlike the amount of gas in a Spare Air)

Carry on.

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[Herk_Man]

No one is saying that. In fact no one is saying that people who carry SpareAir have poor gas plans/buddy skills/are irresponsible.

What those of us who are SpareAir naysayers - based apparently on our rigorous, elite levels of tech training and mystical powers - are saying is that evaluating redundant gas needs is no different than evaluating ANY possible dive gear need for a specific dive:

1. The primary approach to avoiding potential problems is through proper dive planning, gas management, situational awareness, and effective team diving skills.
2. Carry only that gear indicated for those specific problems that, despite step 1 above, might still reasonably be expected to occur.
3. If you are going to carry extra gear based on Step 2, ensure that it is suitable to the need.
4. If you do not have suitable gear available in Step 3, go back to Step 1 and revise the dive plan accordingly.

In that context, a Spare Air doesn't really fit in anyplace in my mind. In all cases - even if everything goes wrong - either the dive doesn't require 3.0cf of contingent gas, or if contingent gas is required...3.0cf is not suitable to the need. And I'm not talking 180ft wreck penetration dives with mandatory deco, etc. I'm talking recreational "pretty fishy" vacation dives.

"But Ray," many will respond. "A few more breaths is better than nothing, right?"

So too...

- a nail clipper as a backup cutting device is better than nothing
- a key-fob flashlight as a backup light is better than nothing
- a pair of swim goggles as a backup mask is better than nothing
- a ball of yarn as a safety spool is better than nothing
- a cardboard kazoo as a signaling device is better than nothing
- a paper towel and crayon as a dive slate is better than nothing
- a sand-filled hourglass as a backup timing device is better than nothing

Carrying gear that is either not required or is not suitable for the planned dive can result in...

- task loading
- poor streamlining
- entanglement hazard
- potential failure points
- lowered situational awareness
- increased cost

When planning a dive, if the idea ever crosses your mind that some piece of gear is "better than carrying nothing" you need to re-plan the dive until you get to the point that "carrying nothing is better."

I'm sorry. Your posts are usually pretty much spot on. But your logic chain has some serious flaws here. If I'm on a low risk dive (but obviously some risk involved in any scuba profile) at a relatively shallow depth, having a spare air with me as a solution to an OOA situation that for whatever reason can't be resolved by my buddy (or in the case of a solo diver) is a good thing. I mean, I can do a CESA from 60' on one breath exhaling. But many times you don't discover your OOA situation until you blow that breath out. So wouldn't it be nice to be able to take a chug off of that spare air, get your bearings, maybe signal your buddy who got a little too far away when you were focused on something else, and then do a nice calm ascent with maybe even an abbreviated safety stop? I sure think so.

 

[redacted]

How are you going to unflood them?

Put then on and, looking down at about a 45 degree angle, expel air from your nose as you lift the bottom of the goggle (I do 1 lens at a time) away from your face to catch the air inside the lens. With a little practice (maybe a lot) you will trap enough air to see your gauges and surroundings. Only goo9d for holding depth and ascending but it works. It does however require some practice, but so do so many things in scuba.

 

[idocsteve]

Laugh if you will, but more people have success stories with their Spare Air than you hear of accidents being caused BY HAVING one.

Maybe they won't get you out of a deep cave penetration or from 400 feet inside a wreck, but no matter how you slice it. Extra gas is better than no extra gas. If your dive plan sends you 400 feet inside a wreck, and your backup plan is "spare air" - then you deserve whatever comes your way.

Cyber Divers - poke fun at things they either

a) Don't understand
or
2) Read on the internet.

It's an easy target.

Realize that 90% (or more) of divers are diving AL80's on shallow reef dives, and looking at pretty fishes.

Thank you Howard, for being the voice of reason in a sea of confusion and misinformation.

+1

 

[Blackwood]

Laugh if you will, but more people have success stories with their Spare Air than you hear of accidents being caused BY HAVING one.

I will laugh, not because I doubt the validity of your statement, but because I recognize its value (or lack thereof).

That there aren't accidents caused by having a Spare Air is a gee whiz conclusion. It's like saying that there are more success stories with seat belts than car collision caused by having them.

A mroe worthwhile figure would be how many accidents have been resolved by Spare Airs that could not have been otherwise resolved, but that is impossible to determine.


At the end of the day, if you want one, get one. Personally, I won't.

 

[tomfcrist]

My 2 cents about spare air.........Great for Hookah rig divers, if on scuba use a pony. And not a 13cuft one, go 19 or nothing.

 

[RJP]

I don't know if I've just been lucky or what but in over 500 dives I've never had a single problem to occur.

Luck favors the prepared man! I'm betting you're more "good" than "lucky" in this regard.

So for me, I don't know that I could ever reasonably expect a problem to occur.

What I meant by "resonably expect" is not about "predicting the future" but rather about anticipation and planning for what could realistically happen given the dive and the environment; as opposed to planning/gearing for every possible eventuality

• If there's strong current, we might reasonably expect to get blown off the line despite our best efforts, so we better carry a spool. lift bag, and dive-alert in case we need to ascend away from the boat.
• If we're diving on a wreck that gets fished a lot, we might reasonably expect to encounter monofilament, so we better bring multiple cutting tools even though we plan to be vigilent about not getting entangled.
• If the viz is poor, potential for lost buddy contact is reasonably expected, so we better use lights as locator/signalling devices, even though we plan to stay withing contact range.

I would not...

• Bring an 11" dive knife on the outside chance a great white shark attacks me in a quarry.
• Carry a 50w can light on a 30ft reef dive at noon in Bonaire on the outside chance that a freak eclipse happened out of nowhere.
• Wear a helmet on a drift dive just in case part of a satellite hits me in the head while waiting for the boat to pick me up on a drift dive.

 

[RJP]

Do you not think swim goggles will work to safely get you to the surface employing an acceptable ascent rate and a recommended rest stop?

That's not the question.

The real, analagous question is...

If you think you are going to run into a problem requiring a back up mask, why would you choose to carry $12 swim goggles as the solution given the ready availability of a $19 scuba mask?

 

[HowardE]

I will laugh, not because I doubt the validity of your statement, but because I recognize its value (or lack thereof).

That there aren't accidents caused by having a Spare Air is a gee whiz conclusion. It's like saying that there are more success stories with seat belts than car collision caused by having them.

A mroe worthwhile figure would be how many accidents have been resolved by Spare Airs that could not have been otherwise resolved, but that is impossible to determine.


At the end of the day, if you want one, get one. Personally, I won't.

Believe me... I laugh at a lot of things posted here. People who cite certain untested theories as the gospel because it's the flavor of the month or what have you.

Anyway...

For me. A spare air is not the right tool for the job. For you maybe not as well. But to declare them invalid tools for those who use them is baseless.

I've heard over the years many people who found that when they needed their spare air, it did just what they claim it would do. Provided them with enough breaths to survive their "incident".

Of course, the simple answer to running out of air is

1) dive with a buddy
2) read your gauges
3) dive your plan

My initial response was to the "other thread" that was summarily merged into this one. However, my point is as valid as the criticism which is posted by armchair cowboys and cyber divers who feel empowered by jumping on the bandwagon.