Ari
Moderator
It is easy enough to have an Octo, so why should I settle for less?
Ari
Ari
Would you dive with buddy with no Octo?
- Thread starter mr_jmac
- Start date
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brendanrtw
Guest
I just can't understand why someone would decide NOT to have an octo. It not like it's going to break the bank.
FredT
Guest
I have several "octo's" that often stay in the bag. On many hunting dives the entanglement and drowning hazard of an extra "anything" far outweighs any possible safety benefit, including a necklaced second.
If you can safely swim up, less gear, in a free ascent from the maximum depth of the dive an octo is "extra gear" that is not necessary for a solo diver, and is unnecessary for a buddy team that is comfortable sharing a single reg.
On a dive in clear water without entanglement hazards and with a relativly untrained or untrustworthy buddy octos make sense.
FT
If you can safely swim up, less gear, in a free ascent from the maximum depth of the dive an octo is "extra gear" that is not necessary for a solo diver, and is unnecessary for a buddy team that is comfortable sharing a single reg.
On a dive in clear water without entanglement hazards and with a relativly untrained or untrustworthy buddy octos make sense.
FT
divrnr
Guest
I agree FredT! If I'm solo diving(which I do a lot) and I'm hunting I've even ditched all gear and straped a pony on my back when I'm in attack mode and use my snorkel on the surface when I'm glassing for critters...or freedive and find something them switch to my pony to attack. You just have to be totally neutral so you don't pop to the surface and embolize or dcs.
You did the right thing, but it's not so much an equipment question, as a matter of what YOU'RE comfortable with.
Take this to your grave: If you are not satisfied that the dive you're about to make is safe -- and this includes buddies, equipment, weather, etc. -- don't do it. If you are worried about appearances or insulting a potential dive buddy by having to tell him you think his rig is unsafe, use a little diplomacy, or feign sickness. Just tell 'im you pulled a muscle or developed a horrible pain in the gut ("Where is the nearest head, dammit? Must've been last night's fish!"). Later, at the bar or over the grill, you can discuss equipment philosophies.
The presence of an octo doesn't necessarily make a given dive (or buddy) is safe, just as its absence doesn't mean things are unsafe. You have to decide that for yourself and it's hard for a novice diver to do that.
Be honest with yourself and assess your capabilities. They will constantly grow over time and as they do you'll be in a better position to make informed calls.
Best regards
Doc
Take this to your grave: If you are not satisfied that the dive you're about to make is safe -- and this includes buddies, equipment, weather, etc. -- don't do it. If you are worried about appearances or insulting a potential dive buddy by having to tell him you think his rig is unsafe, use a little diplomacy, or feign sickness. Just tell 'im you pulled a muscle or developed a horrible pain in the gut ("Where is the nearest head, dammit? Must've been last night's fish!"). Later, at the bar or over the grill, you can discuss equipment philosophies.
The presence of an octo doesn't necessarily make a given dive (or buddy) is safe, just as its absence doesn't mean things are unsafe. You have to decide that for yourself and it's hard for a novice diver to do that.
Be honest with yourself and assess your capabilities. They will constantly grow over time and as they do you'll be in a better position to make informed calls.
Best regards
Doc
gentlegiant
Contributor
I had to do part of my OW checkout skills with a guy who was using one of the integrated inflator/octo rigs and I did not like it. When we did the OOA drill he donated me the inflator/octo rig instead of his primary reg. Apparently this is the way he was taught to do it by his instructor. Needless to say he and I were very close togetehr on ascent on that drill. After that I made it a policy to not dive with anyone who does not use a standard backup reg. Now that I have gone to a 7' primary and necklaced backup I am in the process of converting my dive buddy to that setup as well. To me not having a full backup reg is just not a smart thing to do.
Your buddy is your backup. Lack of an octo means less of a backup.
Gentlegiant, did anyone explain to your buddy that he was supposed to breathe off the Octo?
Gentlegiant, did anyone explain to your buddy that he was supposed to breathe off the Octo?
Definitely NOT !
It's even forbidden in the French Law !
I think it's a major safety equipment. On case of problem, do you imagine the safety stops with only half time air ? Would be a catastrophe for Decompression...
It's even forbidden in the French Law !
I think it's a major safety equipment. On case of problem, do you imagine the safety stops with only half time air ? Would be a catastrophe for Decompression...
ScubaBaby
Contributor
I'd ask him/her to use mine....see how comfy he/she is diving like that! If they are fine, you know your covered. If they kick up a fuss, I wouldnt dive with them and tell them if they're not happy diving without your spare - why should you be! Harsh, but fair!
....I do it all the time.... I actually prefer a buddy who is using a primary on a long hose and has a secondary bungeed under their chin... and... yes... I will even dive with someone who is using an octopus...
But what about someone who doesn't use either and octopus or a long hose primary with bungeed secondary???
No.... even though I used to be that person.... I don't think I would dive with them... their lack of a safe second tells me other things about them.
Back in the dark ages when I used to dive w/o a octopus I told all of my SOBs that self-help was the rule... don't bring me into your problem and I won't bring you into mine... of course we rarely saw one another during the dives anyway.
I had inherited this philosophy from my first dive buddy... an ex-navy diver.
When my youngest daughter took up diving I took up putting an octopus on my regulator when I dove with her.
One day I was diving with another fella and he begged me to leave the octopus on as he was a fairly new diver. I told him I would but that if he touched it he was dead. We proceeded to do a dive to 90 fsw and this fella turns to me and gives me the outta air signal... so I handed him my regulator and looked at his pressure gauge... sure enough the dunce was OOA. Well I took my regulator back and thumbed the dive (seemed prudent at the time) and gave him my octopus to suck on during the trip up.
Instead of killing him my charitable side stepped forward and the very next day I went down to the LDS and bought him one of those new-fangled Spare Air gizmos... and took the octopus back off of my regulator. He faithfully carried that SA on every dive after that and never bothered me again... and never ran OOA again either... good thing too... because I don't think that SA would really solve much in the way of an OOA situation in real life.
Anyway... we have come along way since those days... I still don't use an octopus and he doesn't carry the Spare Air anymore.... several years ago we took a DIRF along with some of our other wayward SOBs (same ocean buddies) and saw the light so to speak. We all do the long hose thing and practice good buddy skills.
Now I never solo dive... and try to do it right as I can. In fact... even though I had full dive gear on the boat last month and was cruising in prime dive country... the only time I got wet was a little snorkeling excursion to put zincs on the boat.... you see, none of my buddies were along on the trip.
This is longer than necessary for the topic but I wanted to give more that just a *yes* or *no* to the *yes or no* question asked....
I suppose a simple NO would have sufficed.
And then I had to come back and edit out most of the spelling and gramatical errors.
But what about someone who doesn't use either and octopus or a long hose primary with bungeed secondary???
No.... even though I used to be that person.... I don't think I would dive with them... their lack of a safe second tells me other things about them.
Back in the dark ages when I used to dive w/o a octopus I told all of my SOBs that self-help was the rule... don't bring me into your problem and I won't bring you into mine... of course we rarely saw one another during the dives anyway.
I had inherited this philosophy from my first dive buddy... an ex-navy diver.
When my youngest daughter took up diving I took up putting an octopus on my regulator when I dove with her.
One day I was diving with another fella and he begged me to leave the octopus on as he was a fairly new diver. I told him I would but that if he touched it he was dead. We proceeded to do a dive to 90 fsw and this fella turns to me and gives me the outta air signal... so I handed him my regulator and looked at his pressure gauge... sure enough the dunce was OOA. Well I took my regulator back and thumbed the dive (seemed prudent at the time) and gave him my octopus to suck on during the trip up.
Instead of killing him my charitable side stepped forward and the very next day I went down to the LDS and bought him one of those new-fangled Spare Air gizmos... and took the octopus back off of my regulator. He faithfully carried that SA on every dive after that and never bothered me again... and never ran OOA again either... good thing too... because I don't think that SA would really solve much in the way of an OOA situation in real life.
Anyway... we have come along way since those days... I still don't use an octopus and he doesn't carry the Spare Air anymore.... several years ago we took a DIRF along with some of our other wayward SOBs (same ocean buddies) and saw the light so to speak. We all do the long hose thing and practice good buddy skills.
Now I never solo dive... and try to do it right as I can. In fact... even though I had full dive gear on the boat last month and was cruising in prime dive country... the only time I got wet was a little snorkeling excursion to put zincs on the boat.... you see, none of my buddies were along on the trip.
This is longer than necessary for the topic but I wanted to give more that just a *yes* or *no* to the *yes or no* question asked....
I suppose a simple NO would have sufficed.
And then I had to come back and edit out most of the spelling and gramatical errors.
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