AIR2 and the long hose...

[cortez]

I've never had trouble donning mine (OMS Comfort Harness, SP G250 on 7' Primary, G250 bungeed backup) in the water, although I don't let the primary 7' hose loose - so to speak. I clip of the second stage to the chest D-Ring, but before doing so, wind the hose two or three times - loosely - to make a small circle. It keeps everything tight until you're ready to don. Then I take the backup and basically hold it to the shoulder strap by tucking it under the primary hose. Once the harness is on, untuck the backup and put the necklace on, unclip the primary unwind and wrap normally (FYI - the hangmans special scares me).

I'm at work right now and don't have a picture of how I get my rig ready for in water donning, but I'll snap one tonight and post it for those that are interested.

As promised here are the pictures that I talked about...

 

[archman]

hey, that's pretty cool! All wound up like that, it looks like it's about the same length as a standard three footer. I may have to try this out before I revert back to the short primary. The "trick" will be to see if the hose stays coiled after being thrown into the water from 4-5 feet up. That's the gunwale height on a boat I'm often forced to use... sure ain't configured for divers.

 

[cortez]

hey, that's pretty cool! All wound up like that, it looks like it's about the same length as a standard three footer. I may have to try this out before I revert back to the short primary. The "trick" will be to see if the hose stays coiled after being thrown into the water from 4-5 feet up. That's the gunwale height on a boat I'm often forced to use... sure ain't configured for divers.

Actually its more than just wound up, its actually kind of knotted. Here is a close-up to show the "tying" a little better. And a closeup to show how I hold the backup in place. Its never let go for me.

 

[Dyno Bill]

I used to dive a SP air 2, in fact it was one of the origonals I believe. It is the older square model that people seem to stare at and the LDS says...I havnt seen one of those in years... I never had to use it as anything other than an inflater but I did breathe it every time I got wet to check its function. I have shared air before but not with the air2 and I do like to keep my other half in that close and controllable during an ascent. I dont do much caving here in So Cal so the long hose isnt really a big item.
Bill