Just an observation...

[txaggie08]

Not a "tech" diver at this point, but very quickly heading that way. Working on my own personal fitness and bouyancy issues, plan to be in doubles by the end of the summer. I'll put this here because the people who appreciate it will read it...

That being said, I'm working very hard on configuring gear, and have taken a definite shine to the hogarthian style configuration(or DIR, whatever you call it). I do dive with a computer, but all my diving is shallow, repetitive, recreational limits diving....the computer is a simpler option in these circumstances, for me. I carry a 7foot hose on a hog reg, with a standard halcyon ss BPW. I route said hose down and under either my pockets or knife, and run it across my chest and around, secondary on a necklace.


People are down right freaked the hell out by this. I did a ten dive trip to cozumel this last week, and I literally had people sliding up to my dive buddy(who took a session in the pool to even agree to dive with me....he learned quickly)asking them wth I was doing. I have been very surprised by just how scared people are to A. Put anything around there necks. B. Take there primary out of there mouths.

I'm also appalled at how many people don't clip off or control consoles and secondaries around delicate reef structure, and pay absolutely no attention to the fact there fins(not the type, just them in general) are rototilling the bottom, but that's another rant.

I did have quite a few people on the boat want to know about the BPW setup though, people get a little weirded out by a bare backplate, but apparently decided I was not crazy after the dm pulled his out as well

 

[TSandM]

Wow . . . I haven't had anywhere near that much reaction, except for the DMs in Australia who asked me if I was a wreck diver, because "don't those wreck divers wrap hoses around their necks like that?"

But we are definitely in the minority. I dove my backplate in Indonesia in 2006, which flummoxed the dive op staff. (The first day, they put the tank on the DIVER side of the backplate. I'm not sure how they thought I was going to wear it that way.) Several years later, a Seattle friend went to the same resort, and when they saw his gear, they immediately asked (not even knowing he was from the same city), "Do you know Lynne?" I guess they figured that there were probably only three or four weird people in the world who dove that bizarre gear, and we must know one another. Was was really funny was that we DID.

 

[BluewaterSail]

I have also gotten some negative responses, and had DM's tell me that its not safe to have a long hose and bungee'ed backup reg. It does get annoying.

I have since changed dive shops to one which does both rec and tech. I hang out on the tech side, even though I am still diving rec. I finally feel at home.

Don't worry about it. Think hard about your equipment decisions, know why you want what you have, and don't worry about the comments.

 

[waterpirate]

Congratulations on your "awakening". As a general rule the new emergance of tech is like the a lot of other things in life. If it is not understood by others it must be bad. If you are catching a lot of flack where you dive, don't worry when you start diving with the other kids, we all look alot alike!
Eric

 

[rongoodman]

Odd. I've done a dozen or so recreational trips to the Caribbean and Mexico, and if anyone has been pointing and laughing at my Hog rig, they've been doing it very quietly behind my back.

 

[Doppler]

Been diving a wrapped long hose on OC for many years but still amused and surprised when on the rare occasion I get onto a dive boat alone overseas a DM will tell me what I am doing incorrectly. I used to show them a business card from TDI headquarters or a IT card with my instructor number on it. The result is one of two reactions: "wow, ok explain this **** to me" or "****ing show off." Either way, I get left alone afterwards.

Bottom line is this: Hang in there, mate. Build your experience, have fun and tell the folks poking their noses into your business to go take a flying ****! All the best and dive safe.


P.S. Sorry for all the *s!


P.P.S. If you are looking for a definition of Hogarthian, this may help:
http://decodoppler.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/hi-my-name-is-bill-and-im-here-to-help/

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

maybe you need a trip to cave country...if you do not dive like you described here you will be looked at funny....

 

[cavemn]

Just had my son certified Jr OW using a BPW and long hose setup.

 

[ajduplessis]

I just give them my default one liner. "Don't have an opinion if you dont know what you are talking about."

 

[txaggie08]

I def. shut my LT down in a hurry. I just had to laugh that they wouldn't even come talk to me about it, they had to corner my dive buddy. They did hush when I deployed it at depth however, the 'deep" specialty my buddy wanted signed off on required air sharing at +60fsw, so I participated in it for team coherency(he also dives at the fire department with me).

I will say after a dozen dives, and two sessions in the pool with it like this, I have no desire to go back to a short hose setup. Not only more comfortable, but so much more streamlined.