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Why give up my definitive (in my mouth) air supply to risk not getting my octopus and now I'm at risk of drowning too??
Right off the bat, you will be giving him a working regulator, always a good plan. In addition, the configuration you dive, such as an Air2 or bungeed alternate, may determine that you can not donate the alternate. When you are configured to donate an alternate do you insure that the alternate is working and in place during the dive? Without checking, one doesn’t know. I breathe my bungeed backup for a while each dive.
If you are at risk for drowning with a reg out of your mouth for a moment, you should work on your watermanship skills. If it’s because your alternate isn’t available or working, see my first paragraph. You will be in worse trouble if the OOA diver doesn’t get air immediately from your alternate.
For now, this is largely an academic question, as I cant dive for the time being (my county is on lockdown).
A few years back I swapped out my regs to a primary donate set-up. I had not done so previously, frankly, out of laziness, but finally decided the small amount of reduced risk was worth it. Also, I had never found an octo-holder that worked properly.
Should I go back? Are folks more worried about taking a reg from someones mouth now? I've never had to donate before, but we're talking about the weighing of small risks anyways.
I dont know whether the coronavirus can survive underwater the second it takes to donate. Nobody may know about this, since its a novel virus.
Speaking for myself, right now, I think I'd rather take the reg that wasnt in your mouth.
What do you all think?
I am pretty sure if anyone is OOA, they would not be concerned. I'm a pretty OCD person and I'm pretty sure getting air would be my only concern.Basically Im asking - in the off-chance that you need air - would you prefer to take a reg from someone's mouth, or hanging in the water on an octo-holder? I frankly would prefer the latter. And I know we're talking about a small risk.
For now, this is largely an academic question, as I cant dive for the time being (my county is on lockdown).
There are so many other bacteria and viruses in water, the particular pulmonary virus doesnt even rank. You are more likely to get cholera or dysentery.Given that the local dive shops are closed as non-essential services and probably won't reopen until coronavirus is under control, and that crossing county lines to get to dive sites is not really a responsible thing to do (and which may actually result in a fine since I hear there are now CSP enforcement officers monitoring some of the sites), I don't see any reason for you to change your reg setup unless it's for reasons unrelated to coronavirus
That said, as for which reg I'd prefer to receive a donation from in a theoretical OOA situation, my list from best to worst would look something like this:
1. Coronavirus-free octo that's been well secured all dive
2. Potentially coronavirus-infected primary that I know is working
3. Coronavirus-free octo that's fallen out of its holder and has been dangling about and bumping into stuff all dive which might not be working