Which side does the Octopus go on? Left or right?

[Ladyvalea]

Does it matter which side the Octopus is place on?
I had the oct on the left with the gauges and just my main regulator on my right!
My hubby has his Oct coming under his right arm and attached to the right lower part of his BCD. His regulator comes over his right shoulder, to his mouth. "So we are arguing on who is Right and Wrong"!!!


Oh, I remember why we had it on our left side...for Low on Air, buddy swimming. we want to swim a little more because I have a ton of air left so my oct is on my left for my buddy to use and he will grab my strap near my armpit to hold on and his left hand is still avalible to use for the low pressure hose to inflate and deflate and my left had is free to do the same... But we will not get seprated as long as he holds on to my strap pit! And we swimm off together side by
Is there a safety issue here? So What and why

 

[don Francisco]

Most Americans prefer to run both second stages off the right side and the BC inflator hose and console off the left. From a prior thread, I learned that Brits seem to prefer the Octopus on the left. It seems to have something to do with which side of the road one drives on, but I'm sure String will re-post his reasoning later on.

There are good reasons for either side, so whatever your preference, it probably doesn't matter as long as you and your buddy are on the same page for air sharing proceedure.

Actually the last time this came up, out of curiousity, I was hoping for someone from OZ to speak up. Maybe this time.

 

[drbill]

There was an earlier thread on this subject that you can find by using the search function.

However, I have to say that when I clicked on this thread, based on the subject I thought you were asking which side of its body an octopus excretes on! Must admit I was very amused when I read the actual question.

 

[almitywife]

.......for Low on Air, buddy swimming. we want to swim a little more because I have a ton of air left so my oct is on my left for my buddy to use and he will grab my strap near my armpit to hold on and his left hand is still avalible to use for the low pressure hose to inflate and deflate and my left had is free to do the same... But we will not get seprated as long as he holds on to my strap pit! And we swimm off together side by
Is there a safety issue here? So What and why

no flaming but if your buddy is low on air enough to need to share you should cut the dive and return to surface safely

cheers

 

[spectrum]

It's really up to you. We have ours on the left. Our PDIC OW instructor got us started that way. It's great for side by side swimming and face to face air share ascents with the alternate presenting properly to the recipient. Left is also more common in Europe.

In the states many agencies have it preferred on the right which presents poorly unless you have a unidirectional hockey puck alternate. I think the reason is to get it away from the inflater and SPG /console hoses. If there is a drysuit in the mix it's a less clear cut advantage.

Since the dominant use of the alternate is for your buddy I feel it should be placed to optimize that deployment.

Pete

 

[spectrum]

no flaming but if your buddy is low on air enough to need to share you should cut the dive and return to surface safely

cheers

I disagree with this as a blanket statement. There are many circumstances where an air share done mid dive can help maximize the dive for both parties without jeopardizing margins. I would only do it with a very well characterized buddy, namely my wife.

Pete

 

[almitywife]

I disagree with this as a blanket statement. There are many circumstances where an air share done mid dive can help maximize the dive for both parties without jeopardizing margins. I would only do it with a very well characterized buddy, namely my wife.

Pete

agree to disagree... i cant see how i could continue to enjoy my dive while hanging off my buddys rig. forced to be that close & dependant on someone else 10ft+ underwater so i can continue crusing around just doesnt seem like a wise choice to me (nor makes the dive enjoyable)

if you have a buddy that is consistantly lower on air than you, get them a bigger tank, a pony or dive to your buddies (breath consumption) capabilities is my thought

cheers

 

[vladimir]

If a buddy team wants to re-distribute gas to even out different consumption rates, wouldn't it be better off doing it earlier in the dive, rather than when one diver is low on air? The mis-match should be fairly predictable to a regular buddy team.

 

[Kern]

Actually the last time this came up, out of curiousity, I was hoping for someone from OZ to speak up. Maybe this time.

Mainly you would see 2nd stages on the right with inflators & high pressure on the left. It's not a rule, unless you're on a Qld. charter maybe.

 

[String]

This has been done to death in the last week - the search function will show it up nicely.

Anyway, my view. On the LEFT.