When is it time to switch to a long hose setup?

[growcurlyhair]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently diving with a standard recreational setup; Octopus on a short hose clipped to my BPW, standard length primary, etc. I’ve been reading up on long hose configurations (5–7ft hose for primary donate and bungee backup) and I’m curious when divers typically make that transition.

I'm not tech diving (yet), and most of my dives are recreational, within 25m depth, with decent visibility and usually with a regular buddy or guided group. However, I am thinking more about streamlining, ease of gas sharing, and just having a cleaner setup that works well in emergencies.

So my question is:

At what point does it make sense to switch to a long hose configuration?

Was there a specific dive scenario or training progression (e.g., Rescue, Cavern, or Intro to Tech) that made it worthwhile for you?

I'm also curious if any of you made the switch early in your dive journey; Do you need to get some training for it?

Appreciate any insights, especially from those who started recreational and later moved into more advanced diving.

Thanks!

Best
Garrett

 

[boulderjohn]

Curious why rec diving instructs octo donate when it seems like it would be safer to standardize the air sharing practice regardless of the type of diving?

I’ve heard several “ripped my primary out of my mouth” OOA stories, but has anyone ever heard of an actual octo donate?

I’d rather donate my octo than primary if given the choice because then only one person is switching but it sounds like it almost always a grab than a signal and donate.

The WRSTC does not specify a method of donating in an OOA emergency. Individual agencies may have individual policies, but there is no general rec diving instruction on this. PADI has no specific policy, so it is up to the instructor.

 

[ImpotentSeaSnake]

The WRSTC does not specify a method of donating in an OOA emergency. Individual agencies may have individual policies, but there is no general rec diving instruction on this. PADI has no specific policy, so it is up to the instructor.

Not sure if this is a “policy” per se, but it’s consistent with the PADI instruction I received last year for an OOA scenario.

 

[tursiops]

I’ve heard several “ripped my primary out of my mouth” OOA stories, but has anyone ever heard of an actual octo donate?

Yes, several. Seen them, given them.

 

[tursiops]

Curious why rec diving instructs octo donate when it seems like it would be safer to standardize the air sharing practice regardless of the type of diving?

I’ve heard several “ripped my primary out of my mouth” OOA stories, but has anyone ever heard of an actual octo donate?

I’d rather donate my octo than primary if given the choice because then only one person is switching but it sounds like it almost always a grab than a signal and donate.

No signal is really necessary. The OOG person can just take whatever reg they see...primary or octo. No big deal.

 

[skalalaz]

You might want to consider an intermediate setup, without some of the disadvantages of the 5-7ft long hose. Bungee your secondary around your neck, and use a 40-inch hose on your primary under your arm. Plenty of length for open-water gas sharing if needed, primary donate, and easier to manage, especially getting into small boats if your rig needs to be lifted up and not worn up. If you ever go technical and actually need a 5-7 ft hose, that is an easy transition.

I agree the intermediate setup is probably the best way. I went with the long hose right away and for open water diving I have a bungee on it that allows it to be retrieved on the boat without it dangling all over the place

 

[Nick_Radov]

I got tired of being the only person (well, along with my wife) on the boat at tropical dive resort-type destinations or on liveaboards with a 7-ft hose, having to hand the rig up from the water to a DM only to see my neatly coiled and clipped-off hose uncoil, and the DM not having the time to coil it up again because he needs to quickly move on to the next diver. I think we encountered DMs who had never even seen a 7-ft primary. Outside of Florida and a few places where cave/tech and recreational diving communities intersect, there are still people who have never seen this configuration. On a trip where we dived from a RIB/Zodiac, the DMs would put our rigs in a rack in the middle of the boat with others' rigs, and our 7-ft hoses would inevitably find a way to spill beyond our slot and get caught between tanks. From where I was seated on the RIB, my rig was often not within my reach for me to be able to re-stow the hose properly.

I don't understand this. I've dived on small boats all over the world with a 7ft hose and never had that problem. At the end of the dive, coil the long hose, pass the 2nd stage regulator through the coil twice, and clip the hose off to the right chest D-ring.

 

[OTF]

I don't understand this. I've dived on small boats all over the world with a 7ft hose and never had that problem. At the end of the dive, coil the long hose, pass the 2nd stage regulator through the coil twice, and clip the hose off to the right chest D-ring.

Agree. There was a whole other thread on this recently. Part of diving a longhose is learning and practicing a few very simple skills for storing and deploying it.

 

[happy-diver]

Like there's not enough to do, ha ha ha and for somethng you don't ever use ha a ha

But again I digress I love the long hose especially the scratchy ones for some blowing

No the scratchy long hose is even crap for blowing


How about the onslaught unleashed on our venerable Peircy
when he wrapped the hose around their humourlesses necks

Thread 'Alec Pierce Scuba - Long Hose Good or Bad'

Sep 19, 2019

• loosenit2
• Replies: 347
• Forum: Advanced Scuba

 

[tursiops]

Like there's not enough to do, ha ha ha and for somethng you don't ever use ha a ha

I think I agree. There are not a lot of single-file restrictions in the open ocean that require a 7 ft hose. But, hey, if someone wants to carry unnecessary gear, go for it. Especially if the point is to look like a cool tech/cave diver in the Basic Scuba forum.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't understand this. I've dived on small boats all over the world with a 7ft hose and never had that problem. At the end of the dive, coil the long hose, pass the 2nd stage regulator through the coil twice, and clip the hose off to the right chest D-ring.

I wasn’t aware of the pass-through-twice technique, so maybe that’s the key. Anyway, whatever it was I did, the coil still flopped enough to get caught between tanks in the crowded rack, as I recall. I’m not inclined to go back to being the dork on the liveaboard with the weirdly long hose.