Spreading communicable diseases via regulator

[saxman242]

I have been party to six or more out of air situations

Why so many?

 

[kelemvor]

Unfortunately, those mean the casualty has the buoyancy controls of the rescuer.

The diver with the air2 is the one who uses it. You can't really turn it around to face another person so they'd almost have to put their back to you in order to use the thing.

The idea is that you use the air2, and the victim uses your primary. On the upside, the air2 breathes just as good as a normal second stage. Although mine does have an ever so slightly higher cracking effort (on purpose).

I have been party to six or more out of air situations

Holy cow! That's got to be some kind of record!

 

[Bigbella]

Why so many?

Years ago, I worked on some boats in Queensland; and it was all too common for the tourists -- especially the photo-bugs, from half a world away -- to lose track of time; not be conscious of their depth in the all-too-clear water; or even to check their gauges regularly. Others went into obligate decompression without any thought or plan to make requisite stops -- that sort of thing . . .

 

[saxman242]

Years ago, I worked on some boats in Queensland; and it was all too common for the tourists -- especially the photo-bugs, from half a world away -- to lose track of time; not be conscious of their depth in the all-too-clear water; or even to check their gauges regularly. Others went into decompression without any plan to make requisite stops -- that sort of thing . . .

I think given those circumstances, I'd always dive with a pony.

 

[Bigbella]

I think given those circumstances, I'd always dive with a pony.

I typically did and do, while on my own; and occasionally gave the set-up to those who required its use. I particularly recall a woman who spent a ridiculous amount of time photographing an enormous gorgonian, in the Coral Sea, about the size of Caroline Jones' rattan chair, from The Addams Family -- all below forty meters; didn't heed an audible computer alarm; was unaware of the depth and its implications; and she had just about drained her tank, then and there.

She also smoked plenty of weed . . .

 

[TMHeimer]

To paraphrase one of the US's Founding Fathers.......

"Give me a Virus or give me Death"

That is the choice. There are not all kinds of options. You have to choose between taking the risk of some type of virus/disease or being okay drowning. I know what I would do every single time...no question.

With that said this is, imo, a silly conversation anyway when you think about it. All the things you touch everyday you know nothing about, the trust you put in others when driving 70mph down the road in a 1/2 ton vehicle, etc etc. The minuscule chance of an issue from an OOA situation pales by comparison to the life changing risk you take every single day just by walking out of the door.

Agree. Touch something nasty, scratch your nose. Now, I use a paper towel to open a restroom door when leaving--or my shirt if there is no towel (but now_____ is on my shirt.....).

 

[Edward3c]

The diver with the air2 is the one who uses it. You can't really turn it around to face another person so they'd almost have to put their back to you in order to use the thing.

The idea is that you use the air2, and the victim uses your primary. On the upside, the air2 breathes just as good as a normal second stage. Although mine does have an ever so slightly higher cracking effort (on purpose).


Holy cow! That's got to be some kind of record!

During the time BB was being replaced by an Alternate Source (AS) regulator, I used an AIR2 as mine. Everything was fine until the dive where my hp hose failed [i didn’t know then how slow gas would be lost]. My buddy was diving the same setup, but didn’t respond to my OOG signals; so I took their Air2 - I now had their buoyancy control as we were in wetsuits.

 

[Angelo Farina]

I disagree most strongly!
In an out of air situation, the standard of care is to give the regulator that has been working perfectly (your primary), and then take the spare reg that is hanging around your throat for yourself, since you checked it at the start of the dive it should still be working 30 minutes later.
What the panicked out-of-air diver doesn't need is problems with the donated reg!
If you are not willing to assume buddy duties for others, dive alone!
Michael

I have heard this many times, and I know that it is what is taught under the GUE-DIR method.
My training as a firefighter is the opposite. The first rule for an helper, who provides assistance to some one in danger, is not to place your self in danger too. So I will never give away my working reg, already in my mouth, HOPING that the Octopus will be working...
And also if it is working, still the manoeuvre is more complex as two guys, simultaneously, have to place a reg in their mouth and purge it from water before inhaling air.
Add to this that the main reg, if donated, is typically attached to a long hose which turns around your neck, and you have to unroll it for giving to your buddy a proper length of hose. This is another additional manoeuvre, which in risk conditions is unsafe for you and for your buddy.
Add to this the hygienic problems, and you see easily that the best choice is to have ready your Octopus, with a nice yellow hose, longer than the standard ones, and properly placed in a quick-release rubber band keeping it always at hand on the right of your chest...
All this for normal rec divers.
When I was working as professional instructor in diving resorts, I always employed:
- a cylinder having 150% of the capacity of the clients / students and a double valve
- a standard reg with octopus (on the right), plus a second complete reg on the left post, on my left shoulder. This reg was "wrong" for me and was there for being donated more easily.
And yes, it happened me (just once) to give air simultaneously to TWO clients, but it was no problem, as I had three second stages. But my main reg never moved from my mouth!

 

[Angelo Farina]

I'd be more worried about the immediate threat of a non-working octopus (how often do you see oblivious divers dragging them through the sand?) than the ridiculously small chance of COVID transfer.

Which is exactly the reason for which I keep my primary straight in my mouth. If the alternate does not work, better that this occurs to the stupid buddy who remained without air than to me. If it happens to me, then we have TWO divers in distress...

 

[saxman242]

Which is exactly the reason for which I keep my primary straight in my mouth. If the alternate does not work, better that this occurs to the stupid buddy who remained without air than to me. If it happens to me, then we have TWO divers in distress...

Of course, you could just make sure you don't drag your octopus through the sand if you know you may have to use it.

That and those that do primary donate generally keep their octopus on a necklace. Hard to drag it through the sand there.