Re: Octopus, or no Octopus?
It depends a lot on who you are diving with, and the local conditions.
Diving Solo a pony is a better answer.
In an entanglement situation with low vis there is a high possibility of the thing becoming a liability. Same in high current or heavy surge. If your buddy is one you trust to give your air back and he KNOWS buddy breathing it's redundant too, especially if both were trained in the blow and go techniques taught before the the PADI lawyers decided students were too stupid to learn it... much better a drowned diver than a lawsuit any day.
Diving with recently trained divers on a reef they do no harm, but it may not be much help either. Especially if the buddy panics as they are wont to do when the world turns brown. I REALLY hate seeing that vacant eyes like pie plates stare in a buddy, an indication that there is going to be a really bad day ahead of you. Don't depend on the gear to be a crutch to get you home.
I dive with one where the charter requires it, the buddy of the day requires it due to lack of training, and when diving a Hogarthian rig. Otherwise it stays in the bag on deck.
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Last edited by FredT; 12-09-2011 at 05:58 PM.
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