Posted by Jeff B on April 09, 2001 at 15:56:32:
In Reply to: Donations posted by Eins on April 09, 2001 at 13:50:56:
The balls do work, but there is a very real possiblity in using them, that is when you really need that octo (you or your buddy) the nice gentle yank you give it in practice is not going to be so nice and gentle, its going to be jerked out of there, either by you or the OOA diver, and Id have to lay odds that close to 50% of the time the mouth piece is staying in the ball (no I havent tested this but I have used a ball before and know how tight they are). If Im out of air and I end up getting a reg with no mouthpiece on it, My first reaction is going to be "hey what is this dam thing in my mouth?" Im gonna spit it out and go for yours, teeth and all! Then you can say the same thing too. The chances for me were to great that the mouthpiece was staying in the ball that I opted not to use it any more.
Im still clipped in and make a concious effort to monitor that it is still there, but as soon I figure out wether to get a five footer or a seven footer, Im switching, it just makes to much sense to me not to.
Jeff B
YMMV