The More Likely Scenarios
The second scenario (Moe sitting like a bump on a log) is likely the most common. It is what instructors usually have their students practice — and very typical of what a diver who is dumb enough to run out of air might do. Under these circumstances you, as the donor, have a choice:
- Do you make the out-of-air diver (who may already be on the verge of panic) wait while you hunt around and find wherever it is your octopus has gotten to?
- Or, do you give the turkey-in-question the one second stage you can find and pass instantly? (You know, the one in your mouth?)
The trend in recent years has been to have donors pass their primary second stages — i.e., the ones they normally breathe from. Yes, this may mean that the out-of-air diver may get the second stage without the fancy color coding or the extra four inches of hose.
However, when faced with the choice of getting a nice yellow second stage on a slightly longer hose, or not having to wait an extra several seconds while you find and pass your fancy octopus, the out-of-air diver is likely to prefer you doing whatever it takes to get him air right now.
It bears noting that, as the diver who was smart enough to not run out of air, you can probably afford to be without air long enough to locate your alternate air source and begin breathing from it. This is a luxury the out-of-air diver may not have.
Also, if your system combines an alternate-air-source second stage and BC power inflator into a single unit, then your only choice is to pass your primary second stage. Fortunately, in so far as you use your power inflator several times on every dive, you are likely to have little difficulty locating and breathing from it.
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