Octo on a necklace ... with a twist

[4sak3n]

Twice now I have seen a recreational diver jetting off to do a nice dive with their octo bungied around their necks.

Which shouldn't be surprising. The setup is very well thought out and I believe is much safer than the conventional "now where did my buddy stick his octo this time" approach.

The only thing with these two divers was ... they had no long hose!



Thats right. They had a short hose on their primary, a long hose on their secondary and no way to donate their secondary because it was fastened around their necks! I wonder what they think their buddy is going to do when their noses are touching after donating a hose which is shorter than some mayfly's lifespans?

I would nominate these idiots for the Darwin award but its their buddy who would ultimately suffer, not them. But then again, if their buddy dives with them after seeing their octo setup, maybe their buddy needs a nomination instead!

I guess these people think its cool to copy "tech divers" without understanding the setup and why it is done that way.

All I can say is and I am glad my buddies show more sense.

 

[Trixxie]

wow.... that is scary eh?

never dive outside the limits of your training, right?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

If you spot the same wayward dive team at your local dive site, do you plan on saying something to them next time? Perhaps they would be receptive to a tactful "Hey, I know it's none of my business, but I just want to make sure that you guys are there for each other in case an emergency arises..."

 

[ppo2_diver]

What if the octo was just held with a bungee loop where it can be pulled free?

 

[ucfdiver]

Twice now I have seen a recreational diver jetting off to do a nice dive with their octo bungied around their necks.

Which shouldn't be surprising. The setup is very well thought out and I believe is much safer than the conventional "now where did my buddy stick his octo this time" approach.

The only thing with these two divers was ... they had no long hose!



Thats right. They had a short hose on their primary, a long hose on their secondary and no way to donate their secondary because it was fastened around their necks! I wonder what they think their buddy is going to do when their noses are touching after donating a hose which is shorter than some mayfly's lifespans?

I would nominate these idiots for the Darwin award but its their buddy who would ultimately suffer, not them. But then again, if their buddy dives with them after seeing their octo setup, maybe their buddy needs a nomination instead!

I guess these people think its cool to copy "tech divers" without understanding the setup and why it is done that way.

All I can say is and I am glad my buddies show more sense.

Was the bungee secured with a zip tie around the mouthpiece, or was it creating a loop that the mouthpiece sticks into and can be removed from? I would have to get very close to tell the difference between these two methods.

 

[4sak3n]

I couldn't see on the one diver but on the second I saw a few weeks later (the two divers were not on the same dive) I specifically looked to check and the octo was definitely ziptied on.

I didn't really get a chance to speak to either of them because I only spotted the necklace as they kitted up on the boat (basically a minute before we splashed) and things were so hectic after the dive what with dekitting and getting dry and so on.

I'm not a very outgoing sort of person so I struggle with approaching people, especially when it might sound like I am criticising them. Nevertheless, the responsible thing in future would be to talk to the diver I see with a setup like this, asking them whether they understand the implications of their reg. It sounds weird but thats actually quite a scary thing for me to do.

 

[Mike Edmonston]

I train my new OW students right from the get-go to use a bungied secondary regulator on a short hose, (approx 22" to 24"). Their primary regulator is on a 40" hose which is run under the right armpit, with a 90 degree elbow on the second stage. This keeps hoses nice and tidy, and provides an OOA diver with more hose length (40") than a standard octo.

This issue has been beaten to death in past posts, but you don't have to use a long hose (5' / 7') to use a bungied secondary reg. Knowing where your alternate is at all times is a comforting thought when the poo hits the fan.

Now, if I could only teach my snorkeling students to use a secondary bungied snorkel, we'd be OK

 

[Bismark]

I train my new OW students right from the get-go to use a bungied secondary regulator on a short hose, (approx 22" to 24"). Their primary regulator is on a 40" hose which is run under the right armpit, with a 90 degree elbow on the second stage. This keeps hoses nice and tidy, and provides an OOA diver with more hose length (40") than a standard octo.

This issue has been beaten to death in past posts, but you don't have to use a long hose (5' / 7') to use a bungied secondary reg. Knowing where your alternate is at all times is a comforting thought when the poo hits the fan.

Now, if I could only teach my snorkeling students to use a secondary bungied snorkel, we'd be OK

Like Mike says, you don't need a long hose to use a bungied octo. With a short primary hose (40") it is really no different than an air 2 or whatever. Works okay for recreational diving and you are in no different situation than if you were donating your octopus as taught by most rec scuba agencies (golden triangle...blah blah blah). I prefer the long hose but unless you are in overhead environments where you may have to exit single file, it is not essential to use it. If you are diving with the average diver, they probably can't take advantage of the separation afforded by the long hose and still maintain buoyancy control anyways. **** hits the fan at 50' they are going to head up, regardless of whether they have a short hose or a long hose in their mouth. Most likely they will not have the experience of working with a long hose so to them, a regulator is just a regulator and they will react accordingly. At least having a secondary air source located in an easily accessible and protected area is a step in the right direction..............

 

[Walter]

What if the octo was just held with a bungee loop where it can be pulled free?

If it's rigged in this manner, it's fine regardless of the length of the hose. If it's not rigged in this manner, it's an accident waiting to happen regardless of the length of the hose.

 

[ucfdiver]

If it's rigged in this manner, it's fine regardless of the length of the hose. If it's not rigged in this manner, it's an accident waiting to happen regardless of the length of the hose.

What's wrong with it not being rigged in that manner with a 7ft hose? Or did you mean regardless of the bungee'd hose length.