To shop owners or owners of spare air tanks

[wetb4igetinthewater]

You might as well save your breath. They would rather have nothing than have a little.

Rather than nothing or close to nothing, why not get something useful? I fail to understand the resistance to sufficient redundancy.

 

[lowviz]

You might as well save your breath. They would rather have nothing than have a little.

Don't appear to be an idiot. You splash with what you need for a good shot at survival. Redundancy.

I can't breathe water, I've tried.

 

[BRT]

Rather than nothing or close to nothing, why not get something useful? I fail to understand the resistance to sufficient redundancy.

We seldom see anybody diving in the PNW, and almost never in Mexico with redundancy. Seems to be too much trouble. And those people with nothing laugh at my Spare Air. Kind of like the guys with the full size 1911's at home in their gun safes laughing at the guy with a .32 in his hip pocket. It takes almost no effort to carry it. Just check the pressure before a dive. I can fill it any place I can dive. It breathes really hard, but not as hard as water. If you ALWAYS carry a pony then you can laugh. If you sometimes don't, then I think I get the last laugh.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

We seldom see anybody diving in the PNW... with redundancy

Are you joking?

and almost never in Mexico with redundancy. Seems to be too much trouble. And those people with nothing laugh at my Spare Air. Kind of like the guys with the full size 1911's at home in their gun safes laughing at the guy with a .32 in his hip pocket. It takes almost no effort to carry it. Just check the pressure before a dive. I can fill it any place I can dive. It breathes really hard, but not as hard as water. If you ALWAYS carry a pony then you can laugh. If you sometimes don't, then I think I get the last laugh.

I dive sidemount now when I travel. No silly little bottle for me, but real redundancy.

 

[lowviz]

...//... And those people with nothing laugh at my Spare Air. ...//...

You miss the entire point. This is "Basic Scuba Discussions". People searching for a clue.

[OPINION] No, Spare Air is a monstrously dangerous mental crutch for newbies. [/OPINION]

 

[EricTheDood]

So as a new diver not yet certified it sounds like if I mistakenly find myself at say 80 ft and ooa BUT I have a 3cf spare air BUT not a 19cf minimum pony, I might as well just take in a big gulp of sea water and be done with it.

The problem isn't that a 3CF Spare Air is useless. The problem is that, as you've demonstrated, new divers choose it over a pony.

The reality is that 3CF is good for CESA assistance, and a CESA can get you bent. Even a 13CF pony can give you enough time to make a gradual ascent with a safety stop.

Also, you might need to switch to a redundant air source after inhaling seawater. A few coughs at depth and you're OOA on the Spare Air. Then you're SOL.

So you need to ask yourself, if you're going to go through the hassle of buying, maintaining, and carrying a redundant air source, why choose the half-assed method? Cost is comparable. You can move your octo to the pony, so you're only buying a bottle and an extra first stage. Bulk for traveling? You're adding single digit pounds for both 13CF and 19CF ponies, and less than 2 lbs in buoyancy characteristics.

 

[Bob DBF]

IF you go OOA at 100' and you are relying on a Spare Air, you deserve to be in deep crap. No one in this thread advocated using one that deep. Not only that the thing has stamped all over it not to be used that deep. Do you normally ignore safety rules put on to dive equipment by the manufacturers? I don't.

That must be new, when I purchased mine there was no such warning, of course that was when they first came on the market. Sold it a while back so I can't take a photo.


Bob

 

[tursiops]

My problem with the spare air is that it is like trying to jump across a chasm in 2 or 3 jumps. If there is not enough air in it to get you to the surface, how does it help? If you need (say) 10 breaths and you only get (say) 3, are you really better off? The spare air give the illusion of redundancy, when it fact it is not sufficient. Yes, of course, if you are 15 feet from the surface and run out of gas, then it might help. But you don't need it if you are 15 feet from the surface. Yes, i believe in redundancy; but a spare air is not redundancy, it is a fantasy.

 

[BRT]

My problem with the spare air is that it is like trying to jump across a chasm in 2 or 3 jumps. If there is not enough air in it to get you to the surface, how does it help? If you need (say) 10 breaths and you only get (say) 3, are you really better off? The spare air give the illusion of redundancy, when it fact it is not sufficient. Yes, of course, if you are 15 feet from the surface and run out of gas, then it might help. But you don't need it if you are 15 feet from the surface. Yes, i believe in redundancy; but a spare air is not redundancy, it is a fantasy.

I wonder how deep I would have to be to only get 3 breaths out of my 3 cubic feet? Ahh! Yes! Deep enough so I would only get 26 breaths out of my AL80. Somewhat beyond recreational limits. You guys are talking about something you know nothing about.

Edit: Obviously 77 breaths not 26 breaths. Still well beyond rec limits.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I wonder how deep I would have to be to only get 3 breaths out of my 3 cubic feet?

About 80 feet to the surface. - no safety stop and ascent rate of 60 ft per min - with a SAC rate of 1.0 - it will take you about a minute and 20 sec to hit the surface.