Breathing air from your boat in emergency

[deepsouthpaddler]

I would be interested to see some actual testimonials of usage in the type of situations that are being described. I think that the rapid air idea is really cool, and who hasn't thought of having some sort of scuba device. With that said, if you are getting worked in a hole thats so vigorous, getting to the device keeps your from rolling... I could be wrong, but in my mind I am either actively trying to roll, or actively trying to get to the little rapid air tube, but I probably couldn't do both at the same time. The same could almost be said for a swim, if its a bad swim, I am trying to swim aggressively to shore, which I probably can't do at the same time as breathing rapid air. In a way the rapid air keeps you in a bad situation for longer for swims and holes potentially.

I do see its potential merit for pins. I think that the quick air tube for other boaters who are trapped is a great idea and has a good chance at working.

In my mind the only scuba device that would really work would be one that had the mouth piece integral to the helmet so that it is in your mouth and you just need to bite to get air or something. Messing around trying to find it in hairy situations just doesn't seem feasible. From my limited experience, most waves and holes I am able to roll up in. The ones that have caused me to swim have been so violent, that there is no way I could have found a tube, much less breathed out of it.

Another thought is that accidents and situations are not always 100% avoidable and in some instances adding technology and increasing the complexity of the situation can sometimes result in more accidents. I forget the guy who postulated this, but it was something like normal accident theory. The basic concept was that complex systems with many moving parts and variables can result in unforeseen accidents no matter how hard we try to avoid them. Adding gear or technology puts one more variable in the fray and sometimes can potentially lead to bad things. The best example of this is rope entanglements in boating. You add gear to try and help the situation by the complex system of rocks, moving water, currents, strainers, boater, boaters gear, carabiners etc somehow manages to trap a boater when the rope was intended to save him. I'm not saying that technology is a bad idea, I dream up potential boating gadgets all the time, but I am saying that sometimes it doesn't solve the problems, it just makes them more complex.

[Ture]

Hey Gary,
About the O-ring on a Quick Air or Rapid Air mouthpiece valve: I am not taking the O-ring off, it falls off by itself and then its gone. I was talking about ripping off the entire mouthpiece valve once the O-ring is gone so you can just give your partner a regular hose that they can clear any way they want. Once the O-ring is gone it is only 1/2 working: the exhale works by blowing the air out of the valve instead of out the breathing tube, but if the mouthpiece valve comes out of your mouth then the tube fills with water through the gap from the missing O-ring, just like a regular hose. Too confusing for me. I would just rip the valve off and give my partner the hose (if the valve was missing the O-ring). If I don't , they might get confused if they blow and the water in the tube just stays there.
I guess my major problem with the Quick Air and the Rapid Air is that I think the quality is low and having that doubt in my mind when it comes to a breathing device freaks me out. In addition to my mouthpiece O-ring gripes, I really don't like the feel of the main valve on the breathing tank of the Rapid Air. Maybe I'm too used to the smooth operation of a scuba regulator. The only time I thought I needed my Rapid Air I couldn't get air out of it. After I made my way to shore, I breathed REALLY hard out of it to see what the fuck was wrong with it and got a breath to come out. I took another breath and the second breath was easier. I think the valve was sticky, and I was kind of pissed because I washed that tank in the sink after every time I used it and it was only a month or 2 old. I would rather concentrate on getting out of my boat than fiddle with something I don't trust.

[psychcowboy]

check my post last year on kayak emergency breathing tube (KEBT), mine is simply a snorkle mouthpiece with about 3ft of tygon tubing so the open end is about at my knees. you can breathe out of the hull of your boat if your skirt is intact, or gives you a couple of feet towards air if your head goes under.

the potential applications:

1. practice rolling, never have to wet exit
2. self rescue in a pin situation
3. throw to pinned boater, clipped to rescue line, i was on one trip where such a tube could have saved a life, i threw mine to the boater but other rescuers eventually told him to toss it.
4. combat roll confidence; put in mouth before going through a tough stretch, if you flip you are ready to breathe, providing actual or perceived confidence as you go for your roll

[climbhoser]

As I'm reading I'm imagining a scuba tank in the stern of my creeker with the hose coming up inside my drysuit and through a hole in the armpit nice and sealed with aquaseal...the mouthpiece/valve is hitched onto my life jacket and in an emergency I can just grab it and pop it in my mouth. Heavy, but it would work if you're really that scared.

Then I read psychocowboys post and I realize the genius! It's perfect, light and simple! All you need is a tube by your mouth, big or small, that goes into your boat. Voila! If you want a valve attached that allows the exhale to not go into the boat then simply attach that!

Then I realized it also takes half the fun of kayaking away

[caspermike]

if you have time to be sitting in your boat and looking for a breathing tube while pinned you aren't thinking correctly the only time i would use rapid air is if im stuck in a seive wating for a friend to pull me out, thankgod this situation hasn't happened to me yet, and swimming and using it probably isn't a good idea you should be thinking about getting to shore not about your breathing tube otherwise you wont need it and i could see somebody bringing a long tube beer bong stlye for use if somebody has foot entrapment or stuck close to the surface underwater otherwise your safest place to be is in your boat!!