The High Cost of Saving Money
A number of manufacturers make what are generically called alternate-air-source inflators. These units, such as the Scubapro A.I.R. II and SeaQuest Air Source, combine the functions of an alternate-air-source second stage and a BC power inflator into a single unit.
Many divers prefer these, as they eliminate the need for one regulator hose and streamline a diver’s overall gear configuration.
Among their only drawbacks is that alternate-air-source inflators tend to dangle several inches below the diver and there is seldom a good way to prevent them from doing so. If that’s the worst you can say about them, it isn’t much.
The most important thing to understand about alternate-air-source inflators is that they are not intended to be given to an out-of-air diver.
Instead, the donor is to give the out-of-air diver his or her primary second stage, and breathe from the alternate-air-source inflator during ascent. This leads to an interesting question:
If donors are breathing from what is normally their power inflator, how are they to vent air from their BCs to keep their rate of ascent under control?
Manufacturers have addressed this question in a variety of ways:
- Scubapro, SeaQuest and a few other manufacturers include a pull cord on the right-hand side of their BCs that can be used to activate a remote exhaust and, thus, vent air during an ascent if the normal inflator is unavailable.
- SeaQuest goes a step further by making a special “airway” (large-diameter inflation/deflation hose) specifically for use with the Air Source.
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