Equipment Compatibility

[boulderjohn]

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?

Believe it or not, I think it might be possible to argue that the Air Source/Air II setup is safer than a conventional octo.

1. In a different forum (to which I cannot link here because it has limited access), I recently read a description of a drowning in an OOA situation. A diver was OOA and went to the buddy for air, but the buddy's octo had come loose from its holder and was somehow entangled behind the diver and unavailable to the OOA diver.

An AirSource/AirII is always where it is supposed to be and ready for action.

2. I originally had my gear in the traditional octo setup. I then started doing technical diving and used a long hose and bungeed alternate system on that gear. I did not change my recreational gear setup, though, figuring it was OK enough for that kind of diving. Before long I was part of a small team searching for a lost object at the bottom of a lake in near zero visibility, so we were diving inches from the bottom. I realized my octo was dragging several times, and it came loose several times and had to be replaced. When we surfaced, we saw that each of us had silt on the octos. Each of us except one, that is--the guy with the AirSource had no problem.

I realized this would not have happened with a bungeed alternate, and that is when I decided I should switch.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Believe it or not, I think it might be possible to argue that the Air Source/Air II setup is safer than a conventional octo.

1. In a different forum (to which I cannot link here because it has limited access), I recently read a description of a drowning in an OOA situation. A diver was OOA and went to the buddy for air, but the buddy's octo had come loose from its holder and was somehow entangled behind the diver and unavailable to the OOA diver.

An AirSource/AirII is always where it is supposed to be and ready for action.

2. I originally had my gear in the traditional octo setup. I then started doing technical diving and used a long hose and bungeed alternate system on that gear. I did not change my recreational gear setup, though, figuring it was OK enough for that kind of diving. Before long I was part of a small team searching for a lost object at the bottom of a lake in near zero visibility, so we were diving inches from the bottom. I realized my octo was dragging several times, and it came loose several times and had to be replaced. When we surfaced, we saw that each of us had silt on the octos. Each of us except one, that is--the guy with the AirSource had no problem.

I realized this would not have happened with a bungeed alternate, and that is when I decided I should switch.

John, I have to admit that your post made perfect sense to me and was the closest anyone has ever come to explaining why an air source could be safer than a regular octo config. When I first started diving it took me sometime to find a reliable clip for my standard octo. That said, I would say your description falls into the category of "user error."

I appreciate your well thought out post.