I am a little nervous

[SelkieDVM]

I had an Air2 for a while and then ditched it (after taking Rescue) for a standard octo. Now I am going to the long hose. I think the Air2 could be ok for shallow reef diving but you have to cover it's use thoroughly with your buddy. Also you should practice buoyancy adjustments (and ascents) while breathing from it on a regular basis. But IMHO more potential trouble than one less hose is worth.

Cheers,
Lilla

 

[rstofer]

Some people assume that the AIR II is the octo you will give an OOA buddy. That's just not a good way to use it. You take the AIR II and give away your primary - make that clear with your buddy up front. Now the long hose folks are happy because it was always the assumption that your OOA buddy will TAKE your primary whether you offer it or not. I use an Oceanic Omega regulator so there is no 'right side up' problem with handing off the primary and my primary hose is short. My OOA buddy will have to stay close. But that's the way it was taught, way back when.

The only remaining issue revolves around trying to breathe from the AIR II while controlling your buoyancy (and your buddy's) with the BCD. This is clearly a much bigger problem in cold water than warm. To be honest, most of the dives on which I used the AIR II were in warm water. Buoyancy control was never much of a consideration. Basically, you have to remove the regulator from your mouth to vent the BCD and this MAY cause you to hold your breathe on ascent which is why you're venting in the first place. This one problem is probably sufficient reason to relegate the AIR II to warm water.

Some people will tell you the regulator is ineffective at depth. That is nonsense. Sure, it doesn't breathe as well as a high end regulator but I have used it at 113' with no problems whatsoever. In fact, I made it a practice to use it on every dive. Maybe not for a long period but for a minute or two. After all, I wanted to know that my backup was functional and effective.

If I am breathing from the AIR II for real, the assumption is that I am on my way to the surface. How good does it need to be? Remember: I'm recreational diver with no mandatory deco stops (this is a Basic SCUBA forum). If I were a deep diver or doing some other advanced technique, my gear would be somewhat different. And it probably wouldn't include a BCD in any event.

In cold water, I am beginning to think that the octo on a necklace is the way to go. You always know where it is! A long hose, or not, for the primary which you give to the OOA buddy. That frees up the inflator for the job of venting the wing on ascent.

But, choosing an AIR II is your choice. You can't expect every buddy you come across to understand its' function and there are too many varieties for the agencies to get involved with training. You should either be prepared to teach them or get rid of it.

Richard

 

[ucfdiver]

It amazes me that so many ppl here are so against AIR II's because they are non-standard but are for long hose which is also non-standard.

I haven't dove with anyone who doesn't have a 7ft hose in almost a year.

 

[scubadobadoo]

My opinion is to also ditch the air 2 AND the classic $99 octo and buy a real (secondary) regulator that was built to be used in a primary manner. Cheap octos and air 2's feel like breathing out of a snorkel or a toy compared to breathing out of a nicely built primary regulator. Poorly breathing toys don't inspire panicking divers to relax.

 

[Sas]

I would rather have my AIR2 then have another hose. Teach your buddy to use it in pre-dive and you are done. I love my AIR2 and would not trade it for anything. Everyone has an opinion and AIR2 always gets slammed by some and loved by others.

In an out of air incident they get my main and I breath on the AIR2. Could not be easier. Usually in a panic situation the OOA diver will grab what is in your mouth. You just put the AIR2 in your mouth and boom done. You go to the surface. Dives over.

My training included using the AIR2 so it is a non-issue for me.

How many times have you had to share air in a real (ie. non training) OOA? Also how many other hose configurations have you dived with?

Also would like to see a source that states that a panicked OOA diver will be more likely to grab what is in your mouth...

 

[bamamedic]

I think the use of air 2 should be covered more in your cert and rescue diver classes to help prevent this problem!

If you're going to have a "non-standard" gear configuration, whether its' a 7 foot primary hose/necklaced backup, an AIR 2, or even a double hose regulator, it's your responsibility to brief your new dive buddy on any differences between it and a standard configuration. I don't think it's possible for any standard OW curriculum to cover all of the possible gear configurations that may be seen out there!

For example, when I dove an AIR 2, I always mentioned to a new buddy that I would be breathing off the AIR 2 and donating my primary. Now that I have a long hose configuration, I always make sure to mention that I'm going to be donating the regulator out of my mouth and breathing the one around my neck in an emergency.

During the pre-dive briefing, just make sure to go over your any details like that...it really should be part of your pre-dive checks anyways

Hopefully, you took away a good lesson from your rescue class, mainly, the importance of a good pre-dive conversation with new buddies

 

[sabbath999]

OK, I am sure I am going to get flamed for this... I am a complete NOOB... but I don't understand why AIR2's are so horrible.

I have one, and the way I was trained to use it was simple. In an OOA situation, I give up my primary and use the AIR2 for myself. My buddy doesn't need to know how to use it, I am the one using it. I was trained how to control my buoyancy, and how to make controlled ascents while breathing off the AIR2.

In use, how different is it than putting a bungied octo in my mouth and passing my primary? The panicking OOA diver is sucking off of a S600... if that can't deliver enough air to him then... well... he's in real trouble.

My BC has 4 dumps on it, 3 of which are not the AIR2... I can reach them with either hand, so it really doesn't matter which hand I am using to hold on the the OOA diver...

What am I missing here?

 

[NudeDiver]

I have been diving for 7 years and I recently became a rescue diver. During the training, my buddies needed to inflate and deflate my bcd....

Wish I had never bought that Air2. I suckered myself into it because if the slickness factor. One less hose, more streamlined, etc. Later I came to the conclusion that it wasn't a great way to go.

Many months ago, I decided to get rid of my air2 (the only octo I have ever used until now) because of its non-standardness and difficulty in trying to use it during an OOA ascent when I am the one donating air. It's something I had been thinking about doing for a while (FWIW, most of my dives are very cold water drysuit diving), but taking the Rescue Diver course was the impetus I needed to get off my ass and make the switch.

I replaced it with a standard octo with short hose on a necklace and put a 5' hose (the one that came with the octo) on my primary. Maybe I'll upgrade it to a 7' hose at some point, but it is fine for now.

This is my intermediate step. My next step is a 19cf pony bottle with its own reg. I have to wait a while before I take that cost hit though. I already have the reg - I just need the bottle and quick release bracket. I think this wil be just what I need for the cold water diving that I usually do.

 

[ocean walker]

I agree about the quality of an Air II. But having said that I use a safe second air source from Atomic called the SS1 and it is a great piece of gear. I have many dive hours logged. I have buddy breathed out of a cave with a double hose regulator (yes along time ago). My training paid out for my panicked buddy. It was really a cavern dive as we were less than 100 feet from the mouth. I still had to rip the reg out of his mouth every two breaths so I could take one. Training is everything. At the time cave training did not exist. I have buddy breathed, once again my buddy's air ran out, on an ocean dive, on single hose regulators. This led me to train in redundancy and bouyancy control, taking cavern and becoming a PADI Dive Master. One of my early instructors was a guy named Tom Mount. He taught us basic cave before it was a course. Ultimately I became a solo diver.
Taking the long way around I believe that it is the Air II at fault and not the concept in general. How many of you have really ever had to buddy breath in a real situation? Serious question. The fear most of you live under never happens. Let me hear your real stories. I can't stand normal octo rigs. What a pain in the rear they are. All those freaking hoses drive me nuts. Clipped to you or not. I am a minimalist and less is more. I have always gotten myself out of challenging situations through excellent training and great instructors. Perhaps I am just lucky.
I say it is the Air II and not the concept that is flawed. And if you love your gear I am not trying to convince you to my way of thinking. You may think I'm a lousy buddy but at least one guy is alive because of my being there. And I think the buddy system is flawed. I choose mine much more carefully these days. Usually they dive with someone else. They are my favorite buddies.

 

[ocean walker]

The best solution during the pre-dive is to make sure you don't have a buddy. That solves all these problems.