Spare Air: some thoughts

[Papa_Bear]

That's an attitude asking for trouble. What should happen and what does are two different things. Someone has never heard of Murphy's Law.

Adam

It is the attitude that will keep you safe as apposed to a crutch! In almost 5000 dives I have been with Murphy more times than I like! I can't think of one where a SA would have helped in the lest! I am old school with intense training of the harassment type and have learned that I can breath off the bottle if the first stage fails, I can ascend safely from 60 plus feet, and I use full cave in over head! I have a number of pony bottles I would use long before a SA! I also always know where I am and what gas supply I have! Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance! So I like the 5 Ps better than Murphy! Spare air is for timid divers who need a crutch!

 

[StreetDoctor]

That's an attitude asking for trouble. What should happen and what does are two different things. Someone has never heard of Murphy's Law.

Adam

and I believe you fall into section 2 part 1... papa_bear is right on. Plan your dive, dive your plan. It's all about gas management, which sadly most newly minted (and some that have been around awhile) OW students I've encountered don't have the slightest clue.

 

[idocsteve]

what I want to know is how everyone out there is recommending using a pony 19cf bottle over spare air. How do you travel with gear and a pony bottle if you are a vacation diver?

Unscrew the valve and throw the cylinder in your checked luggage. It does weigh something over 10 lbs so you do have to watch the weight of your bags when you carry dive gear. Carry on the regs, computers, mask, and check the BCD, wetsuit, knives, and other cutting instruments. It helps to have one of those mini scales that you can use to check the weight of your bags and keep it under the airline's limit, usually 50 lbs.

Screw the valve back on when you get to your destination. Leave a bit of extra time to get the tank refilled before the first dive of your trip. If it's out of visual then you'll have to allow time for that as well. I have found local dive shops to be very accommodating in that regard.

 

[Tanked]

OMG NOT AGAIN!! :crash::sos::voodoo:

Seriously. Do we really need another one of these threads? I'm afraid to log on here any more.
If you want to use a spair air then use one. Who cares what a bunch of faceless internet posters think.
I use a 30cf pony, and (gasp) i strap it to my main tank. I'm not going to change what i do just because a bunch of people i'll never meet told me that slinging it is better. Dive how you want as long as you have fun, and stay safe.
I'm sure i'm going to get blasted for this, but i just had to get it off my chest I feel much better now.
If anyone needs me i"ll be in one of the nonsense threads.

 

[idocsteve]

Seriously. Do we really need another one of these threads? I'm afraid to log on here any more.

Yeah me too.

I need to take a xanax before I click on "new posts" because I just know I'll see a Spare Air thread and go into a full fledged panic attack.

Seriously who cares how many times a common topic is raised?

Always something new to learn, always another perspective or another opinion.

Regarding what faceless internet posters think? I know that I come here to see what I can find out that I don't already know. If someone provides useful information, then I take it. If I don't agree with it, then I move on.

 

[halocline]

But it's still better than nothing.

I have to disagree with this statement. The problem with saying that "its better than nothing" is that the choice to use one clearly indicates a perceived deficiency in alternative strategies for OOA emergencies, because the device itself is inadequate for dealing with those emergencies. Spare air does not substitute for problems in gas management or buddy skills, or simple responsible diving. Of course no one will admit that they're using the spare for those reasons, but in fact that's exactly what they're doing. The spare air is a false solution which by it's nature provides a false sense of security. This is not safe diving. It's far safer to dive fully knowing risks that you might be taking, and modify your behavior accordingly.

Diver behavior and judgment is always the foundation of safety in scuba, whether it's OW or cave diving. Using poorly designed equipment to substitute, even if it's intended as an augmentation, is always a bad idea. People argue that using the Spare Air will not change their dive behavior or judgment, but IMO it already has as soon as you choose to use it, for the reason I just mentioned.

If you are in a situation in which you have a legitimate need or desire for a completely redundant air source, use one that works.

Or, put another way, any diving situation that would be dangerous to do without a fully redundant air source is still dangerous with a spare air.

I can't believe that I can't resist posting about this for the millionth time. I suppose it's because I have a chip on my shoulder about the way the recreational dive gear industry sells equipment using 'safety' as a sales tactic. Usually it's just an issue where someone spends too much money (on a high end reg for example) but in this case I think it's outright dangerous.

 

[TSandM]

I really do empathize with people who travel alone. I can't imagine, honestly, what I would do if I were to arrive in Indonesia without a dive buddy. I'd have a couple of options -- keep the dive shallow enough that I was sure I could self-rescue from anything that might happen, try to cobble together an equipment configuration that would ensure I could self-rescue, or try to identify a buddy in a group of unknowns that I felt I could count upon as a teammate.

But honestly, the dives I would do with 3 cu ft of extra gas fall into the first category -- they are dives where I felt confident of self-rescue, no matter what, and without the extra gas. So I would have hauled a cylinder and a regulator to a remote site for essentially no real benefit. Any dive where I wouldn't be sure of self-rescue, 3 cu ft would not be enough gas to make me feel any better.

I don't have a good solution, which is why I'm happy I don't travel to expensive, remote destinations without a known diving companion.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

The Spare Air is a tool.

Yep, just as well-suited for a tough job as a FisherPrice toolset.

 

[idocsteve]

Spare air does not substitute for problems in gas management or buddy skills, or simple responsible diving. Of course no one will admit that they're using the spare for those reasons, but in fact that's exactly what they're doing.

No Matt, in fact that is not necessarily why one might carry a Spare Air.

Can you count how many other reasons there are in the "21 ways you can run out of air" in the list below that have nothing at all to do with poor gas management or buddy skills?

Good boy.

1. Forgetting to watch the time and staying down too long.
2. Using air quicker than planned due to overshooting depth, getting caught in a current, getting lost, nitrogen narcosis, diving in cold water, getting caught in kelp or fishing line.
3. Sudden regulator malfunction due to corrosion or too much time between overhaul.
4. O-ring failure on any of the First stage regulator ports.
5. Regulator stuck in "free-flow" due to foreign particles or sand.
6. Regulator "freezing up" in cold water leaving you suddenly without air.
7. Stuck Pressure Gauge reflecting incorrect pressure in your tank.
8. Air cut off due to tank valve not turned on all the way.
9. Rupture of SCUBA tank o-ring due to misalignment or wear.
10. Second stage regulator diaphragm develops a tear or slips out of place.
11. O-ring failure on BC air inflator or valve stuck in the open position.
12. Burst disc failure on SCUBA Tank valve due to corrosion or age.
13. Clogged filter on first stage regulator due to sediment or rust from tank.
14. Leak develops at any one of the High or Low pressure hose fittings.
15. Mouthpiece on second stage suddenly coming off regulator.
16. O-ring failure on pressure gauge.
17. Rupture of either High or Low Pressure hoses.
18. O-ring failure on Octopus regulator.
19. Rental tank not filled completely.
20. Damaged First stage regulator due to falling object / impact.
21. High or Low pressure hose cut or severed on sharp rock / impediment.

 

[Atomic_Diver]