Real tech divers use the Spare Air doubles.
Brilliant ha ha
Spare air - or not?
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Brilliant ha ha
fdarden
Contributor
They make great pool toys. I know, I own two of them. Skip the Spare Air and save your money. If you want backup gas, buy a pony bottle and sling it. Thats what I have chosen to do. Its not that much more expensive, and now you have REAL backup. The depth you will using it with is important and will dictate the size. If you just cant stand the thought of not owning a Spare Air, then PM me, I will be happy to sell you one or both of my Spare Air units cheap. Dont get me wrong, they work well, and probably at 40 feet would better than nothing, assuming there isnt a better alternative, but there is. I personally would never feel right relying on these things to save me. They simply do not have enough volume to help me out.
BDSC
Contributor
I agree that good buddy skills are very important and you really shouldn't find yourself OOA and your buddy is too far away. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with having a Spare Air with you in case of an emergency if that's what you want. It's my understanding it was designed to be used in an emergency where a few more breaths of air could make a real difference. It serves that purpose.
As much as folks will come on this thread and bash the concept of the Spare Air, given a choice of being at depth in an OOA situation and either having a Spare Air or not, they'd gladly take the Spare Air.
dumpsterDiver
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I agree, 40 feet for a spare air??? That is as stupid as a tech diver using helium at 115 feet!
fdarden
Contributor
Mine are now up for sale. Gittem while they last!
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...2-two-used-spare-air-systems.html#post6094181
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...2-two-used-spare-air-systems.html#post6094181
The problem with this line of thinking ("if you were in situation X you would be happy to have gadget Y") is that you can construct a thought experiment with unusual circumstances to support the use of almost any device. Spare Air provides such a minimal margin of safety for the remote possibility of being in a situation where you couldn't get to your buddy and you had not done gas management (or you had a rare first stage failure). Even then, the spare air really isn't marketed for use beyond CESA depths. Ah, but what if you had a virtual or physical ceiling, and couldn't CESA, but the ceiling would be gone the few minutes that the SA would last? What if you were solo diving AND entangled AND OOG, but you could clear the entanglement in a few minutes? Yeah, I guess in those situations a SA would be great.
At home, I sling a 30 CUF pony, and I don't even notice it. In the Caribbean, I don't (too hard to bring it logistically), but I'm almost never below CESA depths.
Another thing to remember is that this is a scuba tank and regulator, so it's not the kind of thing that you can just throw in your bag and forget about. Like all tanks, they need to be visually inspected after being emptied, which is what you would need to do if you were to fly with them. And like all regulators, they require regular service even if you aren't using them.
Two more points: I frequently see someone post a question, receive some mixed responses, and then see negative responses criticized as "bashing". If all one wants to hear is "yes, that's a great idea", then why ask the opinions of experienced divers? One diver's bashing is another diver's constructive criticism. Sure, if people just wrote "Spare Air Sucks!" that wouldn't be helpful, but looking at this thread, I think that people have tried to explain their objections in a logical fashion.
Another pet peeve of mine in these forums (as long as I am taking the time to write) are phrases like "ultimately, it's up to you, it's a personal choice". This implies that all approaches are equally valid, and that no external input, data analysis, etc.. should bear on them. Of course everything we do in diving and life is a personal choice, but the point of asking for advice is that we want to make good choices based on solid reasoning
Finally - they don't really sell a Nitrox model, do they? Is that so you can get an extra few seconds of bottom time before your emergency ascent?
My 2 psi...
Bob DBF
Contributor
(actually) An instructor who is using a tried and true sales tool to maximize store profits.
Bob
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I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night.
Bob DBF
Contributor
I read the phrase more like:
If you don't want to listen to reason dumba$$, do whatever you want and I hope you don't screw up one of my dive trips with your stupidity.
Sadly they do. Spare Air NITROX Package 3.0 cu. ft. - CrazyScuba.com
I believe the store name is appropriate.
I have one from way back when. I dove with it but found the conditions I was in would crud up the reg and although it was never used, except as a pool toy, I had to service the reg every time out, after a very short time it found a place in a drawer. I'd sell it but my conscience would bother me.
Bob
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I may be old, but Im not dead yet.
GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
One of my thoughts before I purchase any gear is to consider how big the operational envelope is because as you dive more, you will want to dive in different conditions, depths, temperatures, sea states, visibility, currents, etc.... Purchasing any gear with a small operational envelope is likely a wast of money.
Spare Air proponents will point out there are some specific times where is might come in handy, and in a very small envelope this may be true. The problem is you will quickly outgrow that small envelope and either need to develop better skills (CESA or buddy) or get a reasonable sized redundant air source. Just the simple skill of monitoring your SPG will keep you out of most types of trouble the spare air can "rescue" you from.
Spare Air proponents will point out there are some specific times where is might come in handy, and in a very small envelope this may be true. The problem is you will quickly outgrow that small envelope and either need to develop better skills (CESA or buddy) or get a reasonable sized redundant air source. Just the simple skill of monitoring your SPG will keep you out of most types of trouble the spare air can "rescue" you from.
DevonDiver
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