Long-Hose users

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Aegir

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Just lately i have been considering getting my TX100 converted to a 5-7 ft hose and simerlarly , getting the hose on my backup regulator shortened so i can wear it on a bungee around my neck.

So a question for you long hose users out there. Isnt it uncomfortable wearing the long hose curled around your neck (forget the other method of placing the hose in bungee on your tank) in that the regulator is pulled to one side? Of course, when i get time (which may not be soon) i will try it for myself.

Also..pardon my ignorance but why do people use a bolt snap attached to there primary regulator via a folded o-ring (long hose)
 
Hi Aegir,

Disclaimer -- I tried a long hose config for the first time 2 weeks ago and found it very comfortable. I have yet to try it in an OW situation. This was a single tank backplate/harness set-up with a 7 foot hose. I did not feel any "pulling" on the reg at all. Also -- deployment of the long hose was very easy in the OOA situations I practiced. Bottom line -- it is difficult to envision how this system works and how comfortable it can be without trying it in the water.

Regarding the bolt-snap and the o-ring. The bolt snap is used for a few reasons -- while on land/boat, you don't want to be dragging your primary second stage all over the ground/deck -- bolt snap lets you attach to your harness/BC. I did not find that the bolt-snap was in the way while using the reg. The bolt sap also lets you secure the reg if you switch to your back-up or a separate deco gas reg. Using an O-Ring to attach the bolt snap -- this is for technical diving reasons. If a diver switches to deco gas at some point during their ascent, they will clip their primary off to a D ring. In the event that they need to donate this long hose reg, it can be quickly deployed by yanking hard, snapping the o-ring off (bolt-snap remains clipped to the D ring). (I am not a tech diver -- I had the same question).

I posted a description of my experience on scubadiving.com -- take a look.

http://www.scubadiving.com/members/gearreviews.php?s=259

Hope this is helpful.
 
I converted to the long hose in March and have found it to be very comfortable. The hose only does a 3/4 loop so there's no more tug than what you'd have with a normal hose.

Thanks for the idea of the bolt snap!
 
First, why the long hose? The earliest reference I have found to a long (five ft) hose is its proposal by Sheck Exley in his 1979 "Basic Cave Diving." The rationale was to allow tandem swimming by an air sharing team - necessary through restrictions in caves, and convenient in low vis so both team members can maintain contact with the guide line easier. The length was later revised to seven feet. The recent "reasons" for using a long hose in open water are "reverse engineering" ("excuses" in my opinion) to come up with a rationale for a piece of equipment that really has no place there. I have used a long hose in caves and wrecks for years; I do not use it in open water (unless I happen to be doing an open water dive immediately before or after diving an overhead environment and find it inconvenient to switch hoses out). Air sharing in a technical environment is nowhere near as likely to involve a panicked diver than in open water, where "anyone" is likely to swim up and yank your regulator out of your mouth. The idea that you'd want such a diver to have room to maneuver I find to be preposterous - I want to grab 'em and maintain close control while getting 'em safely to the surface. So for me, in open water, I consider the long hose a liability.
Second - there is no reason you can't shorten your second hose and wear that reg on a bungee (a breakaway bungee, by the way). All this would do for an out-of-air diver wanting your air is make it as though you used an integrated second. No problem.
Third - It is not uncomfortable with the hose around your neck, and it doesn't restrict your head movement at all.
Fourth - The bolt snap is there to clip the long hose out of the way when you're breathing off your stage bottle or deco bottle.
Rick
 
Thx for the replies guys....keep em coming plz :)

By the way i ment ...is the long hose uncomfortable for the JAW...does it pull because of a relatively small loop made by the hose?
 
Not at all
Rick
 
I do dive a 5 ft hose in the open water and have a couple of additional comments.

I have used it in a low air situation and with a calm diver it gives you the ability to return to the anchor line and do a safety stop unrestricted. I agree with Rick that it is longer than ideal when dealing with a panicked diver. To me it is a compromise, the 40 inch hose is too short for comfortable swimming while sharing and I find the wrapped hose more convenient in actual use. Note I use an integrated second stage so I must donate the primary. Rick what length hose do you recommend?

I use the bolt snap to secure the reg before handing my rig up on a small boat or carrying it on shore. With the long hose it can really flop around and damage the second stage. BE VERY CAREFUL when dealing with dive operations where the divemasters handle your gear! They are not accustomed to a long hose and often hold the regulator by the first stage high enough so that the second stages don't drag. Of course with a long hose it will be dragging in the sand (I've watched this happen) or banging into something.

I know many will insist they never let anyone touch their gear, but with many operations this is impossible to avoid. For example, on my last trip to Socorro the crew had to load the rigged tanks into bouncing pangas prior to many dives. Particularly under rough conditions, no sane diver will want to do this on his own.

Ralph
 
Ok Thanks Rick

Its just that i have seen a few photographs of people in there DIR setup and often it looks like the regulator is lopsided in there mouth, thought maybe that could be an issue.
 
In open water I use a standard (24"-28") hose on my primary, and for recreational diving an Air Source integrated second - or, if I'm diving a redundant rig I use standard hoses on both regs, with the left reg (on the left post or the "H" valve left orifice) as the second on a breakaway bungee around my neck. In an air sharing emergency I don't intend to do much horizontal swimming in open water, but rather a controlled ascent - up a line if one's handy, drifting if one isn't. For that I want to be in close contact - I want to see the donee's eyes, I want control over his weights, BC and body position. I want to be able to hold the reg in his mouth against his will if necessary (a real - though surprising - possibility with panic). If I'm carrying a pony it usually has a deco gas - not generally for sharing as MOD's are 70' and less.
My approach to OOA situations undoubtedly has its roots in buddy breathing, which was the only option when I learned to dive a ..few.. years ago.
If we have plenty of gas (OOA situation from blown 'o' ring for example) and we're calm and we want to swim over to the up/anchor line, then a position just above the donor is very easy and comfortable with a short hose. But it's something you and your buddy need to practice. With a stranger, I'm going nowhere but up.
Rick
 
Your concerns regarding the long hose are not at all unusual and are probably shared by everyone until they try it. I use a 7' hose exclusively regardless of the diving environment and find it to be extremely comfortable. I haven't talked to anyone who has found it to be uncomfortable. In fact, most switch once they've tried it.

You'll like it.

Mike
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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