Spare Air

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On the other hand, hard-core tec people like myself will often "dive doubles"...
new-film-1328.jpg

which are perfect as this configuration allows you to completely isolate one pencil in the event of a "catastrophic" failure...


:shocked2:

oh nooooo you managed to wake up a corner of my brain that I put to sleep many decades ago.

From 2nd to about 4th or 5th grade, the nuns at my catholic school took turns punishing me with assignments that required me to write thousands of times "I will not do this or that" or some other silly sentences. I became quite an expert writing with up to 5 pencils. Took some getting used to it, but they provided me with plenty of opportunities for practice.

wow,,,, that was sooo long ago.

ooopps yeah Spair Air is the subject, hmmmmmmm I guess is a cool looking gadget.
 
The only thing anyone really needs to know about the safety of a Spareair is that it is a TINY pony bottle. It's just a matter of capacity folks. You're likely going to need more than 3 cf of air to reliably get you safely to the surface from depths much deeper than 50'. For a dive of 40' or less however, where your nitrogen loading is minimal, it's more than enough to get you to the surface safely. Heck, I'm sure I could reach the surface with one from 100' or more too, but I might need a chamber ride afterward. There's just not enough air there to off gas.

I bought mine because I sometimes like to use vintage dive gear. For me it's that extra backup in case a J-valve fails or my double hose develops a problem, (Russians cutting my air hose or something like that). It tucks into my armpit and is hardly noticeable. I don't go deep when I do these dives and for my purposes a Spare air is perfect.

I've got a pony bottle as well and I use that for deeper dives or solo diving.
 
Holy cow! No matter how often this subject comes up, it always manages to bring out the best in people. :wink: The only thing that can save us now, is to start a mask-on-forehead thread. :rofl3:
 
I'm not sure why I'm bothering to respond to this beaten to death issue but I will. There has been lots of good info presented in this and the many other similar threads describing the very narrow range of suitability that Spare Air has. The OP wanted to know why so many peole hate Spare Air. I think one of the reasons is how it's marketed as having a much wider range of suitability than knowledgeable divers know to be true. Some might argue that all marketing exagerates and that's to be expected. I think many people find that particularly troublesome when it involves life saving claims. I don't think there would be nearly as much hate for the product if it was marketed differently, as having a very narrow range of use. But when it's marketed as being one of the best pieces of safety gear a diver could have, I think that rubs many people wrong.
 
After reading the older thread, which I found most of the posts annoying and not convincing either way, and this thread, which tended to REFER to that thread as well as re-emphasize the same tired arguments, I think the points that JaJaWarrior and Diverrex make pretty much cover it. I eventually decided to try out the 3.0 SA. Yes, it's a tiny bottle. Yes, it's about as basic a regulator as you could possibly imagine and it's like trying to suck air through a long snorkel trying to breath on the SA at 80ft or better. But after working through a number of crafted scenarios, I find that I can indeed use it effectively as a CESA-assist at quite a depth. And it showed itself to be quite adequate to the paces I put it through at shallower depths. So, as with any other safety device, you have to simply KNOW what the limitations are, PRACTICE the use so that you won't use the device for that which it isn't suited for.
I dive conservatively and I simply don't run out of air. But, while too many of those posting seemed to completely miss the possibility of a catastrophic failure instead of sticking to the "just don't run out of air", I happen to be among those who believes Murphy's Law exists. While I recognize, and prepare for, the however slight possibility that I could find myself needing to come straight up (I'm more treatable on the surface than on the bottom, whatever the damage), I'm under no illusion that my SA is a silver bullet. I simply choose use Operation Risk Management. Because the chance of that kind of failure is so minute given my typical diving profile, it makes no sense to me to carry a full-on pony or wear a double, not in terms of expense, weight or hassle of carrying it. FOR ME it is purely a last-chance bailout option. I have proven to myself I can CESA from a good depth using it, and that's enough for me. I wouldn't advertise it as a great choice for newer divers for whom the CESA itself is a pretty unnerving thing.
So, people will irrationally hate something like the SA because they consider it a "pony-wannabe" that gives a false sense of security. Viral proponents will no doubt not like to admit they've probably never actually tried to use it in an emergency situation. Bottom line is know your gear, know YOUR limits, practice your skills and practice using all your emergency gear (e.g., how many have actually pulled out their signal sausage and used it?). Don't use things beyond their design or capability. Simple enough.
 
ROBERTCF....thanks for a common sense post on the topic. I said essentially the same thing a couple pages ago, but was flamed because I acknowledged that I only have 30+ logged dives. Maybe since you are 200+ you will not get flamed.
 
Holy cow! No matter how often this subject comes up, it always manages to bring out the best in people. :wink: The only thing that can save us now, is to start a mask-on-forehead thread. :rofl3:

Leave my avatar aloooooone
 
Holy cow! No matter how often this subject comes up, it always manages to bring out the best in people. :wink: The only thing that can save us now, is to start a mask-on-forehead thread. :rofl3:

Oooohhhhh no! Pet peeve, don't get me started!
 
Debate on a diving specific website, leading to an informed consumer decision is one thing.

Miss-advertising your product and leading ill-informed customers into a situation where they have false expectations of the capabilities of emergency and/or life-saving apparatus is another thing completely. I believe that SA is guilty of this.

To me, at best it is just another pointless and uneccessary dive gadget at worst it could get someone hurt or killed. I've seen far too many divers taking stupid chances because of their ill-informed faith in the capabilities of these mini-bottles.
 

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