Okay, I understand the general consensus is that Spare air is a waste of time and more of a danger than a safety net.
I would like to know why you feel this way, reviews of the product on other third party sites give it glowing positive reviews. How many of you who hate this product actually have owned and used it? How many of you hate it because of the small capacity? It seems that most people think you should have a pony, which is fine but if you're diving primarily between 30 and 60 feet, why will a Spare Air not be fine for an OOA emergency?
Not trolling just don't understand the hatred here and the love elsewhere.
Note, in "Solo Diving", the author is a huge proponent of Spare Air. So, again, WTF?
Hey Goonsquad:
This Spare Air subject is about the most discussed item on SB. It's been talked to no end, but you want answers to legitimate questions, and you have a right to. You can look at previous posts, as discussed, and learn from them. That will work. IMHO, Spare Air is a devise that does not give a diver enough air to do a safe accent from any depth,(say more than 2 atmospheres). I believe it lures divers into a false sense of security.
To answer one of your questions, I have not used them. It's not enough air to satisfy me. For typical NDL diving, I carry double 85's, and sling a 30 pony. I carry the pony, just in case. Sometimes when I have plenty of backgas, I finish my dive on the 30, just to practice with it. I don't want the 'first' time I use my emergency equipment, in an emergency.
When we deco dive, we carry one or two 40's, slung on each side. One has the same percent of O2 gas mixture, the other may be a higher percentage, to shorten our deco obligation. I'm assuming that you are not a mixed gas user yet, but you may go that route, if you haven't already.
Back to Spare Air. I have researched these units, and talked to people who have had first hand experience with them. They are military pilots. It was designed for (mainly) helicopter pilots who need to ditch in water. The air inside them can get them out of their harness after an auto gyro into the water, and the bird is starting to take on water. They are extremely effective at surface or SHALLOW water escape. I knew a P3 Orion pilot (sub chasers) that had one too. It's a tool, that is true. But a tool for someone that needs air for a near surface rescue. Not at depth. I can see the manufacturer trying to diversify their product to other demographics, but to try to make a piece of life support gear, for use to a group of people that will use them at depth, and have trouble with the unit with a very limited air supply, just wrong.
I hope some of this will give you some insight. The previous posts have some very accurate information, that should be very useful. But remember, divers in OOA situations do panic. I don't care how good they are. It can happen. Carry a redundant bottle, like a 30. The design is not to have your last breath from the tank when you surface, but to have some left even if an OOA does happen to you. Safe diving.
