spare air

[SparticleBrane]

Any chance the picture was rotated counter-clockwise 90-degrees?

 

[SteveAD]

A few people have said a spare air is better than no air, that is like comparing a T-shirt with a bullet proof vest or a padded steering wheel to an airbag, sure it's something, but if it's not enough to do the job it may as well be nothing.

One more vote for a properly sized pony,proper training, and/or a buddy. And remember, you will usually meet other divers when taking further training.

 

[SteveAD]

Any chance the picture was rotated counter-clockwise 90-degrees?

NOPE! look at the bubbles and the lighting.

 

[The Kraken]

OK, sports fans, if you want to question his rig, do it in a different thread, OK?

Let's rein this one back in.

The Kraken

 

[SparticleBrane]

NOPE! look at the bubbles and the lighting.

I was kidding.
Alright, back on topic now.

 

[Adobo]

Yeah I could do a CESA but what if I am tangled in something and don’t have that extra air?

Then having a Spare Air or a pony bottle might only delay the inevitable.

Not every buddy in the world sucks. There are many who do but there are also many who don't. If you choose accept the risks of diving with a sucky buddy or choose to dive alone, then you have to think through not only out of gas situations but also every other problem you are likely to encounter because it might be only you who can solve those issues. You also have to bring a crap-load of redundant equipment. (What do you do when you bottom timer/computer happens to die during a dive? How do you know if you ascent rate is slow enough? How do you know if your safety stop is long enough?) I am not at all educated in what is involved in solo diving but from what I understand, it takes a lot of personal skill and knowledge to do effectively over a long dive career.

Diving with a reliable buddy allows you to have redundancy of just about everything. Gas, equipment, brains, etc. The nice thing about a good buddy is that if you have an entanglement somewhere that you cannot reach easily (fins or valve), your buddy can easily resolve the issue for you. A buddy is also good for thinking potential problems through. An example would be if you are in an area where navigation is a challenge. You can compare notes to make sure you make it back to the ascent point (anchor line). It sucks to have to do a blue water ascent when your buoyancy skills are not nailed down.

Anyway, there are several ways to skin the cat (please, no emails from you PETA folks). Just make sure to not reinvent the wheel yourself. Find the system that you agree with and get the veterans in that particular discipline to guide you through.

 

[Steve R]

OK, sports fans, if you want to question his rig, do it in a different thread, OK?

Let's rein this one back in.

The Kraken

Actually, that's how I used to judge whether to listen to someone or not.....looking at their gear set-up and watching them dive.

It speaks way more about what they know, vs. what they think they know, any day. :shakehead

 

[Warren_L]

A few people have said a spare air is better than no air, that is like comparing a T-shirt with a bullet proof vest or a padded steering wheel to an airbag, sure it's something, but if it's not enough to do the job it may as well be nothing.

One more vote for a properly sized pony,proper training, and/or a buddy. And remember, you will usually meet other divers when taking further training.

Even worse, it's like having a padded steering wheel and thinking it's as good as an airbag.

 

[redacted]

A few people have said a spare air is better than no air, that is like comparing a T-shirt with a bullet proof vest or a padded steering wheel to an airbag, sure it's something, but if it's not enough to do the job it may as well be nothing.

One more vote for a properly sized pony,proper training, and/or a buddy. And remember, you will usually meet other divers when taking further training.

Imagine yourself at 100 ft and an LP hose detaches from the fitting at the 2nd stage. You have no pony and your buddy in not to be found!!!! Its time for a cESA. Would you rather do it with a spare air or without one?

I agree, a spare air is a rather poor choice given the other redundency options. But your comparisions are simply wrong.

 

[Trickie Dickie 99]

Dude, are you trying to sell him on the idea, or disuade him?

That rig, and it's attachment is horrible.

Works for me "Dude", (I hate that word), although I will admit that I don't much like that bloody great knot on the end of the handle, and in truth it's not really needed as the line is turned at least three times around the hose clamp and then trapped under it when tightened.