Air2 or Octo... or Both??

[loosebits]

I DM on a reef with 85 deg water - 100 + ft vis - When I'm not working I dive with an old HealthWays double hose reg and my Citzen watch...........

Drag doesn't have anything to do with it....

Why do people fly gliders when airplanes are so much better.................

Sorry I get confused sometimes - always thought this sport was suposed to be FUN..

Sorry, I figured your only-two-hose remark was because you thought it was about drag (that's the usual justification for the thing). Didn't want a diver thinking that an air2 was going to significantly reduce his drag in the water.

The biggest advantage I see to them (but hardy mentioned) is it's simply faster to gear up. I've got to throw a necklaced octo on my neck, wrap a long hose and ensure that nothing is sitting on top of it. You just plug in your octo/inflator and go.

 

[TheRedHead]

Don't you just hate when you scrap all this gear your orginally thought was the greatest? My buddy bought an Atomic SSI, the most expensive and best breather of the inflator hose octos and now it is relegated to the ebay pile. I have 2 BCs I no longer wear. And scubaboard is responsible for this. :lol:

 

[loosebits]

Yep, if people would stop reading this board, they would probably be a lot happier with their gear choices.

 

[HowieDean]

Air2's do not breath anywhere near a nice as octos....
Having your octo around your neck or on your right shoulder strap has to be the best way..... I agree.....

But - if you have seen all the loose OCTO's flying around that I have, dragging through sand - caught under the backs of tank - etc...........

You would see why I think ANYTHING is better then the traditional set up that most people use........

The main reason I tell people it's ok to have an air2 is cause they handle it allot in their normal dive - It's a programmed response - they know where it is -

 

[loosebits]

Yep, that's a good reason as well. I wish we could just insist on better divers instead of gear to keep bad divers from doing damage but you're probably right, if the goal is to protect the reef, the easiest way would be to stick them on AI computers and air2's.

Ok, let me qualify my recomendation, if you can't keep your stuff from dangling, go with either a long hose and a bungeed octo (no possible danglies there) or get yourself an air2.

 

[LavaSurfer]

Don't you just hate when you scrap all this gear your orginally thought was the greatest? My buddy bought an Atomic SSI, the most expensive and best breather of the inflator hose octos and now it is relegated to the ebay pile. I have 2 BCs I no longer wear. And scubaboard is responsible for this. :lol:

Yup, I WAS in Ignorant BLISS!

 

[ScubaMike14]

Air2's do not breath anywhere near a nice as octos....
Having your octo around your neck or on your right shoulder strap has to be the best way..... I agree.....

But - if you have seen all the loose OCTO's flying around that I have, dragging through sand - caught under the backs of tank - etc...........

You would see why I think ANYTHING is better then the traditional set up that most people use........

The main reason I tell people it's ok to have an air2 is cause they handle it allot in their normal dive - It's a programmed response - they know where it is -

I too am an active DM with almost 3000 dives. I have never seen a loose octo dragging on the bottom, but what I DO see is SPG's dragging. The SPG hose is longer than a second stage hose, it weighs more than a 2nd stage, so if it's not clipped to something it hangs lower.

Not sure where you are going with the "they handle it alot in thier normal dive"....why would you want to hang onto your inflator hose all the time? I try and teach new divers to leave the damn thing alone after adjusting thier bouyancy. The temptation of a new diver to press the "little colored button" is just too much.

As for the Air 2....I personally think it's a piece of crap. Why? .....

- Too many things in one unit. One goes wrong, they all go wrong.
- Ever try to service one? I find them to be a PIA
- You cannot use a standard inflator hose with an air 2. Cough up another $30 for a new inflator hose.
- If you break or forget your reg while on vacation you better pray that the dive operator has a hose that will fit it. Otherwise you get to use a rental BC.
- In the dreaded "OOA" situation you give your bouyancy and octo to a "panicked" diver. Great, now they are in my face, controlling my bouyancy and freaking out!!

Just my opinion.

Mike Rushton

 

[loosebits]

While I hate the things also, in an OOA situation, you would donate the reg in your mouth, not the air2.

Also, you've never seen a dangly octo? Ever?? Man, the divers that go to the Bahamas must be a lot better than the ones that go to Cozumel or to my local mud holes, I see them all the time.

 

[SparticleBrane]

You have almost 3,000 dives and you haven't ever seen an octo dangling?!

Unless I am doing something that requires the use of my hands (light, reel, etc) then I usually keep my hands on my inflator. I keep my hands tucked in close to my chest, loosely holding onto the inflator. Thus I don't move my hands the entire dive. If anything I like the idea of having new divers hold on to their inflators as long as they don't keep fiddling with the buttons--it keeps them from waving their hands everywhere.

 

[nerobanchee]

Yeah, I was assuming that the 2nd option I had was the most rational... I just wanted some other more experienced advise. The guy in the LDS was a little pushy about it... he was trying to get me away from the octo, this is the LDS that is built in with a sporting goods place... the other dive shop is only open once a week (the owner drives down from the main shop 1.5 hours away to help us divers in the outskirts) so it was closed the day I had time to look for a BC... go figure. I think I am going to go with what I was trained for, the longhose reg and octo.

BTW... anyone know where I can find a pic of how the octo is bungeed around the neck? Is it just by your mouth so you can get it easily? Cant seem to get the image in my mind from descriptions.

Thanks!!!