BC's With AIR 2 - Any problems?

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divebomb

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Location
B'ham - There's no ham like Birmingham
# of dives
50 - 99
I'm in the market for a new BC and I've been looking at Scuba Pro brand. I really like the idea of replacing my octo with the Air 2 system.

Does anyone have any reason why this is NOT a good idea?

I just like the idea of streamlining.

Thanks, Beck
 
There will soon be a storm of people telling you that the air2 and all its clones will kill you. That being said, I, and most of my buddies dive them and ain't dead yet. I practice with it frequently, and have never had an issue. Try to find one that you can try and make your own decision based on your own experience.
 
There will soon be a storm of people telling you that the air2 and all its clones will kill you. That being said, I, and most of my buddies dive them and ain't dead yet. I practice with it frequently, and have never had an issue. Try to find one that you can try and make your own decision based on your own experience.

Oh boy....OK ladies and gents...

Why will the air2 and it's clones kill me?

I'm ducking now...

Beck


:confused:
 
Try doing a controlled ascent while sharing gas.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but in situation that's already stressful, it's not the best way to handle the situation, IMO. This type of setup forces the donor to breathe off the Air2 while also trying to manage their buoyancy, and forget about staying in trim.

Even if you're able to practice to the point of proficiency (which can be done), has your buddy practiced with you, so they're proficient at it as well?

Also, in an OOG, eye contact goes a long way. This setup will force the donor to look to his left, since the corrugated hose is too short to allow him to look to his right, and since the donated reg is coming off the right, the OOG is not able to position himself in a way that he can see the donor's eyes, unless they are mask to mask.
 
Things I like ..
No octo
It's always where you left it and your hand knows just where to go to get it

Things I changed ...
went to a longer hose on my primary (42") to enable easier air shares (you will be mask to mask with the stock length primary hose and if you hold onto your buddy's BC straight armed, you'll be pulling the reg from his mouth) and for a more comfortable under arm routing for my primary

Things I don't like ...
It's heavier than a standard inflator and hangs down, and even if I use a bungee on my shoulder strap to help out, I still have to hold both hands on waist to keep it tucked in
I have not had the trim issues, because when I was going up, I was looking up and around to clear the area for traffic .. a longer hose will allow better trim I think too
 
I have one and I love it. I have also shared air with a diver who did not pay attention and I had no problems. That being said, I would not use it for anything but OW, not overhead or caves.
 
My son and I both use air2 and we both love it. I've practiced ooa and never any problems.
 
It's quite workable, I can't speak for the AIR-2 precisely, I've used several of the clones and they were all fine. I often use an Oceanic Omega II on a MARES adaptor:
DSCN1000.JPG

and it works well. I have my primary on a long hose and have no difficulty giving it up and moving to the Oceanic while maintaining buoyancy control with my left hand and contact with my buddy with my right. A drysuit can complicate it a dash, but the real problem lies, not in the choice of auxiliary, but in the loss of the use of the right hand ... that will make for a problem with any system and thus you must work your way through that and then drill your adopted solution. If you like the AIR-II, get one.
 
BC's that come equipped with an Air2 or it's "clones" typical have a corrugated hose long enough to facilitate a complete range of motion of ones head--so unless you're hooking it up to a BP/W that typically has a very short corrugated hose, you're not going to be locked in a left-ward gaze.

That being said, I wouldn't call them dangerous, just "un-ideal". It seems to me those devices are a poor solution to a non-existent "problem". Sure they eliminate a hose (which some people are just obsessed with), but they then require you to use a longer corrugated hose which in my opinion is more obnoxious than having an octo hose. If you're going to use one just be ready for the extra challenge of maintaining your buoyancy while you're sharing your gas.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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