Sharing air to extend bottom time

[tracydr]

My ex-husband was a terrible diver and an air-hog. He was unsafe and would get us into horribly unsafe situations by breathing his tank completely dry and than grabbing my octo. He'd actually force me to stay down until he had my tank completely dry as well, which wouldn't take long since I dive an AL 63. He learned this unsafe practice from a Cuban DM in Cozumel.
i don't know how many times we had to go swimming straight to the surface from 60-80 feet or more but it was enough to scare the crap out of me.
He was not a nice person, not somebody I could talk to and discuss this unsafe situation with. You did it his way and t,hat was that.
Since then, I've learned so much about diving from my new husband, who is an instructor, I still have a slight fear of people grabbing me to use my octo. Yesterday, we were doing my drysuit class and my husband was helping me with buoyancy. He was physically manipulating me, putting my body in a ball, flipping me upside down,etc. he was also using my octo since we were in the pool and he was just using a snorkel for most of the class. There was a few times when I had to calm myself when he grabbed my octo and I realize that this is part of my PTSD from all the traumas associated with my ex-husband.
i would highly recommend not ever getting in the habit of sharing air with anyone. If you do share air, make sure that both of you still leave at least enough air for emergencies and a safety stop. Personally, I think this is just a really bad habit to start.

 

[finbob]

Although I have only dived with my daughter about 18 times, we often share air. She has gills, I do not.
However, this is usually done midway in the dive. I may take her Octo when I am down to 1,000psi, while she is around 1,800psi.
Once her air approaches 1,200- 1,000psi we separate. Sharing air is a non-issue earlier on in the dive as long as both divers
have sufficient air to handle contingencies.

Really sorry to hear about your experiences tracydr. I would have PTSD as well if that consistently happened to me! I would label
that as abuse, rather than bad habits. Great to hear you are working through the issue!

 

[Edward3c]

Got to page 15, then I just scanned the rest.

My personal view is the act of using another person's gas supply to extend dive time is not good practice. We teach OOA drills for a reason; that is when - not if – an OOA situation happens there is a near 'automatic' response by both receiver and donor.

If individuals get used to using another person's gas supply for other reasons then that's what they 'will' do. There is at least one reference in this thread to a receiving diver moving behind the donor, is that the position your agency recommends for an OOA activity? It certainly isn’t mine.


---
Off on a tangent:

I used to think litigation was rife in the US, from this thread the activity seems common with DMs and instructors, maybe I'm wrong.

In the UK both the buddy and the trip (private of commercial) organiser have a Duty-of-Care. A UK coroner will review the certifying agency(s) training syllabus for confirmation of when specific activities should be taught. Who the instructor was that signed-off the respective lesson(s) and when. If the activity isn’t part of the certifying agency’s syllabus the coroner may accept non-formal training, again from an instructor, who should have signed-off the dives. This instructor may also be called to confirm how they were ‘taught’ the activity. The coroner will want to see the trip organiser’s Risk Assessment (training or fun dives makes no difference).

It was because of negative comments from Coroner Courts that could have resulted in BSAC being corporately liability for future fatalities, where Buddy Breathing was a significant factor, that the activity was withdrawn from training.

With the exception of BSAC, SSAC and SAA Branches (not clubs) all other diving bodies that provide recreational scuba training in the UK fall under the Health & Safety Executive’s jurisdiction as the instructors are ‘At Work’. Instructors/assistants who allow practices not sanctioned by their certifying body might place themselves in breach of the UK’s Health & Safety legislation. It is illegal for a paid instructor to work alone in the UK, some have gone to jail following fatalities.

Interestingly, Charter boats in the UK have no liability as they are only providing a taxi service to/from the dive site. They have no responsibility for the conduct of divers once they leave their boat.

 

[Ron Quido]

I have done it quite a bit with my DM to even out time with others that consume less air. It allows us to stay down together as a goup. But I know him and it works fine. He has a long ocotopus for this very reason. He keeps 700 in my tanks for the safety stop and waiting for the boat. We even went through a short dive through. I do have to keep my eyes open for overhanging coral.

 

[halocline]

My ex-husband was a terrible diver and an air-hog. He was unsafe and would get us into horribly unsafe situations by breathing his tank completely dry and than grabbing my octo. He'd actually force me to stay down until he had my tank completely dry as well, which wouldn't take long since I dive an AL 63.


i would highly recommend not ever getting in the habit of sharing air with anyone. If you do share air, make sure that both of you still leave at least enough air for emergencies and a safety stop. Personally, I think this is just a really bad habit to start.

I have to say, if the guy's on-land behavior was anything like his dive etiquette, its no wonder you're divorced....I'm sorry you were in that sort of situation and I hope your dive (and on-land) interactions are happier now!

I'm not sure how that experience translates into not ever sharing air, though. There are many situations in which it's not the least bit dangerous, and of course it's something everyone should practice frequently. I'm really surprised that this has turned into a 20+ page thread, maybe someday I'll read it!

 

[Peter Guy]

I'm really surprised that this has turned into a 20+ page thread, maybe someday I'll read it!

Don't bother -- it isn't all that interesting!

Summary -- some people, who might be considered dangerous divers by those who disagree, believe there is nothing wrong with "borrowing a cup of air" as long as all involved are skilled. Others, who might be considered uptight and anal by those who think this is OK, believe an air share is for one purpose only and that is to go to the surface. All people seem to think that "the average recreational diver" shouldn't do this since their skill level sucks. All people seem to think that DMs doing this for the purpose of keeping the dive mob together is not a good idea!

 

[redacted]

Bottom line: A basic emergency skill designed to get a diver through an OOA situation is too dangerous for most divers to attempt for such a non-emergency purpose. Just think of the havoc that might ensue if all divers were able to accomplish such a skill with confidence.

 

[supergaijin]

Another bottom line: Do as I say- don't do as I do.

 

[RTee]

...or refrain to think out of the box until I say it is OK to do so.

If folks had espoused such an ideology for Nitrox, tech diving (deco), sidemount, rebreather and cave diving, all these areas of scuba diving would still be at the very early stage of their infancy and not where they are presently.

 

[DevonDiver]

...or refrain to think out of the box until I say it is OK to do so.

If folks had espoused such an ideology for Nitrox, tech diving (deco), sidemount, rebreather and cave diving, all these areas of scuba diving would still be at the very early stage of their infancy and not where they are presently.

Are you suggesting that "air-sharing for bottom time" is likely to become a common-place scuba technique, taught and advocated by the scuba industry/community?