What is your OOA escape plan?

[ScottB]

Thanks for the replies so far =)

The reason I asked, is I am piecing together a very minimalist system...
Mark Meadows Low Profile Backplate, DSS Hog Harness, Poseidon Xstream Reg.
No Buoyancy Compensator.
Oh.. and free diving fins

I know that to a large degree this is taboo, however, I am thinking about forgoing the Octo.. making sure my buddy knows how to buddy breath, and staying within NDL/shallow enough to do a CESA (with this particular setup)..

That would reduce me to absolute minimum points for failure of equipment, reduce my danglies and weight to a bare minimum, making it a little easier for me to travel through the water, and hopefully feel more 'free'

This would also become my warm water travel no overhead environment setup..

 

[jbd]

OK, my last post was idiocy. Of course you're going to CESA. What else, hail a cab?

Sorry!

Nothing idiotic about your question at all. Yes CESA is an actual part of my plan. It is something I used to practice regularly from around 30 to 40 feet deep. I don't practice as much since I feel comfortable with it now. I usually practice it when solo diving.

 

[mirrocraft]

if i screw up so bad i cant get my self out with my pony or insolator with doubles and im solo diving or my buddy is and idiot depending on the dive ill go for broke or spend what little time i have left writing on my slate

 

[Ice9]

I use a SpareAir(dont flame me)

Hahaha! "Just enough time to say the Lord's Prayer..."

 

[dive_lover88]

yea...never stop breathing

 

[in_cavediver]

Just out of curiosity, what is YOUR Out Of Air escape plan? =)

Do you have a Pony bottle for yourself?
Your own octo incase your normal secondary regulator fails?
Do you rely on your buddy's Octo or Buddy Breathing?
Do you stay within the No Decompression Limits and shallow enough that you can do a Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent?

My gas plan varies a bit but generally is something like this:

1) Isolated doubles
2) Any stages left (mine or buddies)
3) Buddies backgas
4) Surface (or next depth where I have dec gas available) - if possible
5) Any breathing gas I have (ignoring oxtox issues) if the suface isn't available
6) It really wasn't my day

The main idea is I go to my own personal gas, then use any 'leftover' gas, then hit my buddy. If that fails, the surface beckons or first deco stop I have gas for. If that not posssible, due to a rock cieling for instance, I breathe whatever I have on the way out.

The only variation would be in the 2-3 if there was a point where I'd want to ensure I had independent gas (such as a restriction), then I'd keep a stage available using my buddies backgas first. The reason I would use stages first is that if my buddy had a failure as well. (realize, we are well into murphy here), they'd still have some self rescue,redundant gas available as well. Of couse, at this point, we are talking significant mulitple failures and the goal is purely survival

 

[Brewone0to]

I use a SpareAir(dont flame me)

I sorry, did you say you do most of your diving in a pool?
Which brings about another question. Do you log them?

Oh and to answer the original thread question.
Sidemounted independants when I can.
If not,Octo-Buddys primary-passerby's rig.
In classic Sea Hunt style if need be. jk......ok,sure whatever it takes

 

[jeckyll]

First of all I rely on my gas plan.

Second, I practice gas sharing on every dive and choose my buddies carefully.

 

[Meng_Tze]

First of all I rely on my gas plan.

Second, I practice gas sharing on every dive and choose my buddies carefully.

Yes.

Every dive a gas plan should exist, a sharing should be practiced before the dive and a sound buddy needs to jopin.

Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Darnold9999]

Octo - buddy - passerby - pony - surface pretty much in that order, but it is a gestalt. While I am reaching for my octo to see if the problem is 1st or second stage I am on my way to my buddy and turning on the pony while swiming to buddy, if buddy has magicly disappeared, am on my way to the surface while switching to the pony.

All this is purely theoretical as I always know how much gas I have and have yet to suffer some sort of equipment failure that would require these procedures.