spare air? i use one and i get laughed at

i think i might get two of the small units. i have one now. the reg. started acting funny on me recently but considering it has 10 years on it with no service thats pretty good...........so i thought i would get a second one and then i can just switch over the regs if one acts up as i dive in asia with minimal support around......but i do wonder about the 5 year hydro test of the unit i mean this small unit is the size of a 12 oz beer can.. what could do wrong . it aint a huge dive tank. dive shop will fill it regardless cause it fills with an adaptor from a dive tank.........i think the company spare air makes more money on maintenence than unit sales

 

I bet the guys that laugh at a spare air would change their tune if they had it all go wrong at 130 feet. I guarantee they would really appreciate that spare air on the CESA. A couple of breaths could be the difference between making it to the chamber or the morgue. I promise that being away from an air source at depth will get your attention. Sorting out an issue once the air clock starts on work through it or launch is a special feeling. By the way, a small tear in your octo mouth piece will make it breathe so wet its almost not there at all....

I prefer a 27cf pony for solo, but to each their own. Dive your rig. It's your rig. There is usually "that" guy on a stranger boat, usually decked out in brand new Halcyon gear, titanium regs, and a $300 mask who thinks he is Jacques Cousteau and wants to talk about how good his gear is. assholes are everywhere...nothing you can do about it.

Good luck, if I Coke bottle my tank for whatever reason , I'll gladly take your spare air. No giggles from me!

Safe travels,
Jay

 

Yes, having not serviced in 10 years you should get it done. I don't know your location, but I have the parts kits and the specialized tools, feel free to PM me if you want a quote on regulator service.
I also wonder if you have an earlier version that has a trade-in discount price available. What is PSI of the cylinder? And on the regulator, is the top a smooth screw on cover, or is the diaphragm and purge held in place by one (or two) snap rings?

 

At first I thought that this was a joke post, but I guess not. Now me personally, I like to gas plan my dives, which is why my al40 pony is snugly under my arm anytime I go deep. But then I realized that OP and myself are going for entirely different goals. I take a pony in case of a catastrophic gas loss at maximum depth, hence the big pony. The OP carries a Spare Air so he can, as originally stated, take 11 breaths at his safety stop. I must admit I never considered that as a goal, thus my confusion. I imagine the other laughing divers were similarly confused. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Still, even a Spare Air should be serviced more than than once a decade.

 

I don't have an opinion on spare air so wouldn't laugh at you, promise. However, I was surprised that you mention this as a back up for deco dives. Not sure if I would consider it much more than a rec dive emergency SHTF tool only.

 

Here’s my take on it

 

This is a quality troll post.


In the case it isn't a troll post... a pony bottle and reg can be had cheaper than a spare air unit AND will carry substantially more gas. If you are worried about a regulator failure because you do not service your gear, or running low on gas because you do not watch your gauge, YOU cannot assume you will only need it the last 5 meters or for 11 breaths so it may be wise to plan better than what you are doing now.

Time X SAC X ATM =CuFt needed.
So for example, 115' dive my math would look like this -
Problem solving time
1 X 1 x 4.5 = 4.5
Ascent to safety stop
4 X 1 X 2.75 = 11
Safety stop
3 X 1 X 1.5 = 4.5

That is 20Cuft, so I would carry a 30CuFt(40, because that's what I have) bottle. If you plan to have enough for you and a buddy you do [Time X SAC X people X ATM = Required gas

Obviously using a SAC factor of 1 is a little conservative, but given potential panic of diver, or other factors it is what I use.

Hopefully this shows you why a spare air is useless. As far as not having your gear serviced in ten years... well. That's your prerogative and I hope we never end up on the same boat.

 

But seriously

 

Faulty argument, I see it all the time. Those 11 breaths (or whatever you might get) out of a Spare Air in an emergency can make the difference between life or death, and are most certainly not useless when you compare them to having NO air.

Take all the formulas and throw them out the window. If a diver is at 100 ft with nothing but a spare air cannister, the small amount of gas in there just might be enough to make it to the surface if it's used properly- as in- take a breath, release it slowly as you ascend, take another. If a panicky diver huffs and puffs and doesn't ascend quickly enough then sure, they can drain the tank in no time and prolong their life by perhaps another 30 seconds, it's a matter of how they deal with the emergency. That 30 seconds is still more than enough time to scrawl "I love you mom" on a slate. Definitely not useless. If someone can swim a 40' pool and back on the bottom underwater without taking a breath, then they can most certainly do the same thing vertically if they've got an air supply available to them, however small it may be.

As the diver ascends more gas may be available in their tank and in their BCD. Not seeing any of that in your formula either.

Spare Air can also be useful in reaching a buddy that might have gotten a bit too far away, and or give a few minutes to sort out a freeflow or other temporary issue.

To say a Spare Air is useless and throw a bunch of meaningless air consumption formulas out there, is somewhat shortsighted.