Spare Air: some thoughts

[DCBC]

Many of my comments were already posted in the Spare Air / Pony debate to which the OP referenced. The selection of diving equipment a diver elects to use, is dependent on the dive which is about to be undertaken. Spare Air is not a universal piece of gear. It was specifically designed as a means of providing a few extra breaths of air to a diver who experiences an OOA emergency. Obviously this is to aid the diver when s/he finds themselves in a CESA/free ascent situation.

This is exactly what happened to Larry Williamson, the creator of Spare Air. He ran out of air and had to do a free ascent. He told me that all he could think of on the way to the surface was what he would give for only one more breath of air.

Many recreational divers will not go to the trouble of carrying a pony bottle and extra regulator with them, especially when traveling. The Spare Air does the job for which it was designed very well.

If you are diving shallow, without an overhead and in a no decompression situation, Spare Air is a viable alternative to have as a back-up. One should understand the design envelope of a piece of equipment before saying anything against it.

 

[idocsteve]

Spare Air is not a universal piece of gear. It was specifically designed as a means of providing a few extra breaths of air to a diver who experiences an OOA emergency. Obviously this is to aid the diver when s/he finds themselves in a CESA/free ascent situation.

Many recreational divers will not go to the trouble of carrying a pony bottle and extra regulator with them, especially when traveling. The Spare Air does the job for which it was designed very well.

If you are diving shallow, without an overhead and in a no decompression situation, Spare Air is a viable alternative to have as a back-up. One should understand the design envelope of a piece of equipment before saying anything against it.

This is sound logic right here and there's nothing anyone can say to effectively dispute it.

Especially assinine comments such as "A Spare Air is like a tire with no tread or "it's like a keychain fob light in place of a dive light" or "it's like replacing a bottom timer with an hourglass" or "Paper towel and string" are suitable items for First Aid".

Do these divers expect to be taken seriously?

- 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

- a few threads on your tires is better than nothing
- a worn belt is better than nothing
- a single set of working brakes is better than nothing
- a map of the world is better than nothing
- a cardboard kazoo as an emergency signaling device is better than nothing
- a paper towel and string as a first aid kit is better than nothing
- a sand-filled hourglass and the stars as a backup GPS device is better than nothing

 

[RJP]

This is sound logic right here and there's nothing anyone can say to effectively dispute it.

Especially assinine comments such as "A Spare Air is like a tire with no tread or "it's like a keychain fob light in place of a dive light" or "it's like replacing a bottom timer with an hourglass" or "Paper towel and string" are suitable items for First Aid".

Do these divers expect to be taken seriously?

No more so than folks who don't understand what metaphors/analogies are...



I'm not saying that a SpareAir is as worthless as a keychain backup light or ball of yarn safety spool. Rather I'm using ridiculous examples to highlight the foolishness of the "it's better than nothing" argument for their use.

If it's a useful tool, great! Say so. But please don't tell me "it's better than nothing" and expect me to get on board.

If I was a spectacle lens manufacturer and came to you with lenses that I touted as "better than nothing" and asked you to recommend them to your patients you'd laugh me out of your office, no?

 

[watboy]

Out of curiosity, the majority of spare air users fill it from their scuba tanks? If you use that same tank as your back gas, then in terms of total air available, its a wash (first order approximation, yes ambient pressures etc). Considering the narrow case where you just ran out of air and not some sort of reg failure, you could further refine the product then by integrating it with your tank. And when you're out of air, instead of grabbing a spare air, you could like... flip a lever on your tank valve releasing a reserve.

Or maybe best to just fill your spare air off of someone else's tank.

 

[DCBC]

But please don't tell me "it's better than nothing" and expect me to get on board.

Not to get in-between your discussion RJP, but if:

1. CESA / free ascent training is worthwhile (which most certification agencies believe is valuable); and

2. Most divers are diving deeper than the maximum depth where they can do a CESA / free ascent.

It seems logical that a bit more emergency air would (and has) saved lives. This equipment provides an excellent backup those diving in a no-overhead environment.

 

[DCBC]

Out of curiosity, the majority of spare air users fill it from their scuba tanks? If you use that same tank as your back gas, then in terms of total air available, its a wash (first order approximation, yes ambient pressures etc). Considering the narrow case where you just ran out of air and not some sort of reg failure, you could further refine the product then by integrating it with your tank. And when you're out of air, instead of grabbing a spare air, you could like... flip a lever on your tank valve releasing a reserve.

Or maybe best to just fill your spare air off of someone else's tank.

I wouldn't say it's a wash. You don't have more air (on your first cylinder anyway), but its in two separate sources. You could dive with a J Valve, or pony bottle, but traveling divers don't normally take this equipment with them. A Spare Air is just a couple of pounds and provides a back-up regulator.

 

[Arizona_SVO]

Out of curiosity, the majority of spare air users fill it from their scuba tanks? If you use that same tank as your back gas, then in terms of total air available, its a wash

True, they do fill them off of their tank - the first time - and then use it for however long they need to. So, on the first dive, it is a wash, but the second (and subsequent dives over a defined period) it is just that pinch more air to provide that one or more breath that may be needed.

I happen to agree that it is a tool that can be useful in some situations and not so useful in others.

These analogies and metaphors are great though. Keep em coming.

 

[idocsteve]

Out of curiosity, the majority of spare air users fill it from their scuba tanks? If you use that same tank as your back gas, then in terms of total air available, its a wash

When I carried the Spare Air I would fill it off the tank I'd be using on the second, shallower dive.

 

[idocsteve]

If I was a spectacle lens manufacturer and came to you with lenses that I touted as "better than nothing" and asked you to recommend them to your patients you'd laugh me out of your office, no?

If the price was right I'd buy a bunch and I'd give them to the Medicaid patients.

They're not paying for them anyway.

 

[Cave Diver]

I remember when I used to keep one of these in the trunk of my car, because it was better than having nothing:

It was something I never wanted to have to use, it was a pain in the :mooner: to deploy and it was a far from optimal solution.

But it was better than carrying every tool needed to replace every belt on the car for a trip around the block and it was better than sitting on the side of the road with an overheated radiator.

It also wasn't what the deciding factor on whether I would plan to take a 1500 mile cross country trip either.