Halcyon Eclipse with Air2 set-up

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

ozziworld

Contributor
Messages
786
Reaction score
233
Location
Philippines
# of dives
I'm a Fish!
Have been diving a Scubapro Classic for the last 25 years. Got a great deal on a used Halcyon Eclipse (30lbs) and am excited to get it in the water soon.

My question is about the inflator hose and installing an Air2 (personal preference over an octopus). I am not DIR and am just looking for inputs from others that have installed and dove Air2s on BP/W set ups.

I think I can easily find a longer corrugated inflator hose locally but was wondering how long and what means to keep the Air2 with longer length from dangling around out of control. I used to tuck it in my chest strap of the old SP BC.

Appreciate any inputs for Air2 / BP/W users.
 
I am NOT a Air2/BPW user.
A 18" or 22" one should be long enough without too much dangling. There is normally a bungee on the left chest D-ring on the harness where you slip your inflator hose through. But you have to make sure you can breath from the AIR 2 effortlessness in emergency.
 
I use an air2 on a Hollis aluminum plate and diverite wing. I didn't replace the corrugated with a longer hose. It works fine when I practice the air2 on dives. To tame it I use a bungee with a small boltsnap and snap it onto a d-ring on the left shoulder of my harness.

I was thinking about it. My setup works because I have a pull dump on that wing so I don't have to lift the power inflator to dump gas. You might want a retractor instead of a bolt snap or some other solution if your wing doesn't have a pull dump.
 
corrugated hose length is very personal and has to be determined by you while wearing the rig when set up properly. Keeping it tape can be done with a bolt snap on a piece of bungee clipping it to the left shoulder D-ring or by putting a loop of bungee on the shoulder strap and slipping it through there. Hard to explain without pictures, but basically the loop of bungee makes a D-ring and goes right in the slide lock next to the D-ring.
 
Use pieces of bicycle-hose around the left shoulder webbing, and thread the corrugated hose through the upper one (to keep it in place, and only the inflator-hose through the lower ones, to make sure you can move the air2 easily to your mouth, without too much resistance (the inflatorhose will pull the pieces of bicycle-hose upwards on the harness relatively easily if needed)

Another tip: Breathe from a DIR-style longhose.
 
Thanks all for the inputs.

Some other concerns that I did not bring up earlier were about dumping air during ascent using the Air2.

Without a separate shoulder dump, it would require me to remove the Air2 from my mouth to dump. With a shoulder dump, same thing except I tug on the air2 to dump.

Not a big deal to remove the Air2 to dump but I usually have a big camera and strobes, so that and a rescue would keep my hands more than occupied.

Now considering if possible to add separate dump valve at the shoulder.
 
I learned to love the butt dump and the power inflator pull dump.
 
Thanks all for the inputs.

Some other concerns that I did not bring up earlier were about dumping air during ascent using the Air2.

Without a separate shoulder dump, it would require me to remove the Air2 from my mouth to dump. With a shoulder dump, same thing except I tug on the air2 to dump.

Not a big deal to remove the Air2 to dump but I usually have a big camera and strobes, so that and a rescue would keep my hands more than occupied.

Now considering if possible to add separate dump valve at the shoulder.
I immediately replaced the Remote Dump Valve with a plain elbow when I received my DR wing but then I am diving with a conventional octo.
Can't you clip off your bulky camera so as to free your hand in emergency?
 
Have been diving a Scubapro Classic for the last 25 years. Got a great deal on a used Halcyon Eclipse (30lbs) and am excited to get it in the water soon.

My question is about the inflator hose and installing an Air2 (personal preference over an octopus). I am not DIR and am just looking for inputs from others that have installed and dove Air2s on BP/W set ups.

I think I can easily find a longer corrugated inflator hose locally but was wondering how long and what means to keep the Air2 with longer length from dangling around out of control. I used to tuck it in my chest strap of the old SP BC.

Appreciate any inputs for Air2 / BP/W users.


An 18" corrugated hose should be fine. That's what I used on my Halcyon and Dive Rite BPW. I tried the 22" corrugated hose and it's realllllllly long!!!

I take a piece of bungee cord and tie the corrugated hose to the shoulder strap.

---------- Post added September 22nd, 2014 at 01:47 PM ----------

Some other concerns that I did not bring up earlier were about dumping air during ascent using the Air2.

Without a separate shoulder dump, it would require me to remove the Air2 from my mouth to dump. With a shoulder dump, same thing except I tug on the air2 to dump.

Not a big deal to remove the Air2 to dump but I usually have a big camera and strobes, so that and a rescue would keep my hands more than occupied.

Now considering if possible to add separate dump valve at the shoulder.

You can add a dump valve at the shoulder. Dive Rite sells that thing and it will screw right onto the Halcyon wing.

Also, don't you have some sort of tether for your camera rig so that in case you need both hands, you can tether the rig off to your body and free your hands?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom