Equipment Compatibility

[Kevin Carlisle]

Time off. Yes. It's a PITA to get. I try not to complain though as I am lucky to have a job so...

Yep.. I was not one of the 200 we let go. I dont complain too much.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I use the Atomic SS1. It's guaranteed to fit any BC's corrugated hose. It's balanced so it breaths well at depth. It can inflate and deflate independently of the breathing process.

I have nearly 200-dives under my belt. Though I ain't no tried & trued multi-thousand dives diver, I have enough under my belt to make decision and judgment call based on MY OWN NEEDs. YMMV.

You are in the minority with your air source for a reason.

Again. It's not just your needs but the other person who demands your air and doesn't care about your needs or your life you should worry about. Do you want that crazy person off to your side with your primary reg attached to a short hose and therefore out of your site or on top of you, and in control of an out of control situation?

In fact this attention on "YOUR NEEDS" is part of the problem in this friendly debate IMHO. I have never heard any one say, "I chose an air source because it is safer." I usually hear, "I love having one less hose. It's convenient." Choosing safety gear to be used in an emergency solely based on it's convenience or lack of a hose is a strange thing to me. The only way an air source could be convenient enough for me to consider it is if it didin't exist until you thought of it and then it magically showed up in your mouth. This is convenience in my opinion. One hose less is merely a compromise over a more optimal system that makes the convenience an after thought.

I respect your opinion and your freedom of choice. I just don't personally think it is optimal gear for life saving. Possible yes, optimal, no.

 

[OldNSalty]

In most circumstances I would take the Hyundai - it has a better chance of starting immediately and anyone can drive it.

Actually part of Ferraris reputation is built on reliability. Enzo insisted on this. I don’t recall all the details but he lost a race once (and I think killed a driver) because one of his cars broke. He said, at that point, never again would this happen. Obviously sometimes they still break but his cars are not fragile. In fact, I think just a few years ago they had gone several seasons without a single mechanical failure during a race…and then there is that story of Ferrari pulling his cars in during the 24 hours of LeMons when they were in the lead, turned them off and WASHED THEM, so they would look good coming across the finish line. They started right up.
Their dead reliability and racing heritage is what separates them from other exotics like that Italian John Deer company Lamborghini.
Sorry for the highjack, just wanted to clear up a misconception.

 

[DevonDiver]

One less hose? If you want to adopt a K.I.S.S approach to the selection and configuration of your diving gear then do so, but do it properly - with an emphasis on safety and functionalty.

Experienced divers who have experience of AAS donation, for real, in worst case scenarios shudder at the thought of AIR2 systems. The preference is for longer hoses, regardless of whether primary or secondary is the chosen method of donation.

Keeping a panicked diver close to you is optimal - but with a tight grip, not because they are flailing at the end of a 2' hose having their incisors torn out in an effort to keep the AAS in their mouth every time they turn their head or move in a direction that does not allow them to be anything other than nose-to-nose with you.

Divers have drowned on AAS ascents due to losing regulators from their mouths. A shorter hose presents more risk of that than a longer hose.

Task loading is the biggest enemy in an emergency scenario. AIR2 and short hose donation offers more task loading than a conventional AAS with a longer hose.

 

[fnfalman]

You are in the minority with your air source for a reason.

Again. It's not just your needs but the other person who demands your air and doesn't care about your needs or your life you should worry about. Do you want that crazy person off to your side with your primary reg attached to a short hose and therefore out of your site or on top of you, and in control of an out of control situation?

In fact this attention on "YOUR NEEDS" is part of the problem in this friendly debate IMHO. I have never heard any one say, "I chose an air source because it is safer." I usually hear, "I love having one less hose. It's convenient." Choosing safety gear to be used in an emergency solely based on it's convenience or lack of a hose is a strange thing to me. The only way an air source could be convenient enough for me to consider it is if it didin't exist until you thought of it and then it magically showed up in your mouth. This is convenience in my opinion. One hose less is merely a compromise over a more optimal system that makes the convenience an after thought.

I respect your opinion and your freedom of choice. I just don't personally think it is optimal gear for life saving. Possible yes, optimal, no.

Optimal equipment rig-out? Does that mean every diver should be in DIR configuration?

I go diving for MY OWN ENJOYMENT. Not for everybody else's enjoyment. My configuration is for ME. If you or others don't like my configuration, you are welcome to find another dive buddy.

Apropos of nothing, plenty of experienced California divers have buddied up with me and none had ever had concerns with my equipment configuration.

 

[boulderjohn]

I find all the "most divers do this..." and "most divers do that..." comments interesting.

Does anyone know what most divers do or don't do? Are there any statistics published on how divers who use these devices feel about them over time?

Can I see recorded examples of divers who have drowned because their alternate air source came out of their mouths?

Personally, I switched from a conventional setup to a long hose and bungeed alternate, so I am not at all a screaming advocate for Air II type alternates. On the other hand, I know a lot of people who use them. I don't know of a single one that is unhappy with it. Admittedly, I don't know of any who have used one in an actual emergency, but I don't know any who have regretted the decision.

I think it's a personal decision. It is not one I would make, but I think all the "You are going to regret it--someone is going to die!" stuff is a bit over the top.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I suspect the reality of it is that most divers who use integrated air/inflator systems spend nearly all their dives with either an instructor or a dive guide in tropical destinations. I suspect it's fair to say that the views expressed on Scubaboard are not those of most divers, rather those of divers who want to spend time online talking about diving. That said i suspect it's also the case that those vocal members here are also more experienced that "most divers," as "most divers" take an OW class and a trip or two before leaving the hobby.

 

[OldNSalty]

I suspect that if the Air2 was as jacked up as some people would like it to be ScubaPro would have been out of business many years ago...or at least now owned by the widows of dead divers.

Seeing how this isn't the case, I suspect the Air2 is safe enough.

 

[fnfalman]

My requirements for buddies are very simple:

Have you had a good handle on your basic diving skills such as buoyancy control, body trim, weighting, kicking techniques?

Can you stick to the dive plan or are you going to wing it whenever you feel like it?

Inline octo or separate octo, or types of computers, or types of BCs are the least on my list of concern.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Optimal equipment rig-out? Does that mean every diver should be in DIR configuration?

Why does this silly comment always come up? I have nothing to do with DIR diving although I do agree with some small aspects of it.

Truth is I would LOVE to go diving with you. Honestly. You seem to be above the curve so to speak.

But that's besides the point and I think it's a given. We AREN'T talking about why I would or wouldn't dive with you. I'll dive with most anyone regardless of their gear as long as (like you said) they are competent. We are simply having a stupid hypothetical debate in an online forum built for this purpose. Bringing DIR into the debate is pointless. And furthermore, if a diver told me he/she chose an air source solely due to it's convenience then I would, I admit, have to question their competency in some small way but I would still gladly dive with them if they seemed to have all their marbles together. Now if you told me you chose the air source because it was safer then I would, I admit, consider finding another buddy. That math just doesn't pan out any way you slice it IMHO.

I think a long hose or a standard longer octo is more optimal that an air source and you disagree? That's cool if that's the case. So why did you choose the air source?

And I'll be honest with you, I thought I had this sport all figured out at 100 dives then I almost killed myself in a panic and this was after the rescue course. Now after 300+ dives I am just realizing I am still a novice. If it seems I take this subject seriously, well I guess I do (as seriously as it can be taken on the internet ) but that's because I have been a full blown panicking diver and I have dealt with them as well. I choose my gear set up to help diminish repeating some of the same mistakes I made.

On a side note, we are discussing panicking divers...IMHO MOST OF THE TIME if a diver has really entered full blown panic at depth, I don't care what hose you are using. It's highly likely that diver will bolt to the top and DM's all around the world have tried to prevent this and died doing it. Sometimes it's best to just let them go and rescue later.