DIR gear without DIR training?

[micknewton]

Mick ... since you're in Oregon, perhaps the best option would be to dive with a backplate/wing and long hose configuration ... with someone who knows how to use it properly ... and make up your own mind.

OE2X has offered ... FWIW, his tanks are being held "hostage" in my garage ... ... so if you have a week-end sometime to head north, come on up and let's go diving. I've got a spare BP/wing rig and long-hose regulator you can try out ... and either myself or OE2X can give you adequate instruction in how to use it.

Then you can decide for yourself if this style of diving is right for you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Wow, thanks for the offer Bob! I've already sent OE2X a PM. I'll send you one too. In the meantime, maybe I should go fill our bathtub with ice water and cover it with a dark blanket to simulate the local diving conditions?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Wow, thanks for the offer Bob! I've already sent OE2X a PM. I'll send you one too. In the meantime, maybe I should go fill our bathtub with ice water and cover it with a dark blanket to simulate the local diving conditions?

LOL - it may be dark here Mick ... but it's interesting.

Last night my buddy and I did a 76-minute dive to 100 feet ... enjoying along the way several minutes of watching a school of squid mating and laying their eggs. Haven't yet had time to download the pics from that dive.

On Sunday, another buddy and I did a dive at a different site ... you can click on the link in this post ... http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=129400 ... for a taste of what you might expect to see diving around here ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[StSomewhere]

Keep in mind that the long hose and a snorkel really don't mix well.

And some people say there isn't a God.

One "difficulty" in only diving 2-3x each year is the muscle memory associated with long hose deployment. I would strongly recommend using a DIR open water rig, which is a 40" hose (you still donate your primary) which just comes under your arm. Your backup is still bungeed around your neck. This will not have the few issues that a long hose would have which become safety issues if your muscle memory does not respond properly, or if you have improperly routed the hose (then it's not deployable)

I know that in Open Water DIR divers are getting away from the 40" hose, but it is still a viable option used by many...

A 40" routed under your arm or a long hose wrapped around your body have different techniques for reg retrieval than you probably learned in your OW class. Practice them if you go this route. The good news is the bungeed backup is always available right under your chin, so this is less of a problem than with a regular OW config.

 

[micknewton]

LOL - it may be dark here Mick ... but it's interesting.

I just had a nice long talk with OE2X, and from his descriptions and your photos it sure looks and sounds interesting. I may have to give it a try some time. Thanks for posting the links. I hope I get a chance to meet you some time soon.

 

[JustinW]

I'm not a Hog diver although I am sure I will transition to one at some point. My only concern with someone using it exclusively for travel is that the Hog rig doesn't have weight pockets, everything is integrated in the plate. For a traveling diver that may be using different thermal insulation and different tanks depending on location weighting needs will be different. I suppose one could just weight themselves to be the heaviest for their coolest dive condition and an AL80 but then they will be overweighted for something like an 85 degree dive in shorts and a steel 80.
Don't get me wrong, the Hog rig is great, but I wonder about the practicality of a BP/W for an occasional diver that needs versatility and likely isn't as familiar with their weighting requirements as someone diving every week.

 

[kidspot]

No different than diving a Jacket - you gotta figure out the correct weighting for each exposure suit/variable...

And weight pockets are available for a Hog harness - Many of us use XS Scuba pockets (about $9 each) which I can put 6 pounds in each one ... plenty of weight for warm water diving (plate+2 pockets=18#) If you need more weight Halcyon and DiveRIte make integrated weight pouches too. Though many vacation divers I've come across use a weight belt because they are more readily available...

Aloha, Tim

 

[mrjimboalaska]

As purely a rec diver, I dive Halcyon gear, I find by BC the most comfortable BC I have worn. Long Hose, got one, once you learn to wear it correctly, no problems. If you ever have to give a buddy air, it's worth the time to learn to wear it.

 

[CameronMartz]

My only concern with someone using it exclusively for travel is that the Hog rig doesn't have weight pockets, everything is integrated in the plate. For a traveling diver that may be using different thermal insulation and different tanks depending on location weighting needs will be different.

If extra weight is needed, you just wear a weight belt like everyone else. You can also get trim pockets like http://halcyon.net/mc/weights.shtml that put standard dive weights where they'll often do the most good.

No need to travel with lead, and certainly no need to overweight yourself (very not-DIR <g>).

Cameron