Hose length for primary 2nd stage?

[DiverDurf]

With each dive I do I continue to study all of the divers around me and their choice of diving gear. I also look at the avitars on here very closely to study your dive setup (when applicable of course). With that being said, I have seen a large number of divers with considerably shorter hose lengths stemming from their tanks to their primary (and often the octo too) 2nd stage. I have noticed on the rental sets I am forced to use for now they have really, really long hoses. Just look at my avitar, then click on it to see a 2nd photo in my profile, and you'll see that bright yellow hose looking like a wide angled hook begging to get me caught on something (lol).

Once I get my own 1st/2nd stage setup, should I be looking at a preferred length of hose for each or is there a standard and just a better way of stowing/clipping the hoses on your BCD/wing during the dive? TIA.

 

[battles2a5]

If you want streamlined, get a 5 or 7ft hose on your primary, and a 22 or 24 inch on your back-up. The primary goes around your body and behind your neck, into your mouth. The back-up is bungeed around your neck. You donate the reg out of your mouth in an OOA. No more pulling, no more hoses everywhere, you have plenty of hose to share in an OOA.

 

[tstormdiver]

For me, it depends on what set- up I'm using. I donate the primary & take the alternate for myself. For my recreational set- up my primary 2nd stage is longer than my alternate. I do have some length on the primary that way the OOA diver & I are not in each other's faces. On my BP/W set up I use a 7' primary hose which come off the right regulator, down, tucks under my canister light, up across my chest to the left shoulder, around the back of my neck, around the right side of my face to the send stage in my mouth. The length would allow for the OOA diver & myself to be able to get out of a tight area single file. It deploys very quickly, just take the second stage out of the mouth, uncoil the length of hose, donate what I have (if they need it immediately), get the bit out from under the canister light & Voila! there you have it. I used to have a 5' hose on my recreational set- up (which wrapped very similarly around my body to the 7' hose, but there is no canister light to tuck it under), but it proved to be a bit cumbersome for me when doing classroom demonstrations, so I now primarily use that length of hose when on vacation or such. The advantages of the longer hose(s),.... you can give the OOA diver the air they need & let them have some space until they clam down, yet I'm close enough that I can take control of the situation if I need to. For classroom demos I just use a longer primary hose (the length you see on most octos). Each way has it's advantages & disadvantages. You just have to decide what you like best & what works best for you.

 

[Sas]

Hi DiverDurf, the set up in your profile seems to be similar to what I had before I switched my hose lengths. I found that hose setup a pain to share air with and I think it makes more sense to donate the primary reg to an OOA diver as you know you are handing off a working reg and also it is much easier to manouver when sharing air.

Anyway, I now dive with a 5ft hose for primary (I don't do overhead or would have a 7ft) and then 22" inch for backup. For a few weeks I had a 5ft primary and my old primary hose for the backup (not sure what that length is but probably 28 or so?) to see if I liked the Miflex type hose before swapping my other one and it was a PITA, the back up hose was too long. I think 22" (or 24" would be similar, but 20" definitely too short for me as the 22" is *almost* too short) is good for a backup length. Another thing I changed was that I got a shorter bungee recently as the other one was too long, now the backup sits just under my chin and is easier to find. My buddy has a longer bungee and has no issues though.

I would post pictures if I had current ones of my setup but I just checked and the ones I have of me diving are all with either my original setup or with the too long backup hose and/or too long bungee - so not really a good example of 'streamlined'

 

[Peter Guy]

I'm not a fan of 5' or 7' hoses for a new recreational diver using a "standard" BC, especially the 7' hose. Because it is much less of a jump in learning, I prefer suggesting using a 40" hose (or certainly no shorter than 36") on the primary/donated reg and, honestly, using the Air2/Airsource type of inflator/octo combo (I know it's heresy!). This really does make for a clean and streamlined setup and although I find breathing off my Airsource is a pain, I'm not going to breathe it for more than 100' or so so I can and do deal with it. NOTE -- this is ALL assuming this is a traditional BC and recreational, open water, diving for a new diver.

Of course, I only dive that rig in the pool -- for me, my OW rig is either 5' hose (single tank) or 7' hose (doubles) with bungied backup and BP/W. BUT, the specific reason I switched from my "pool" rig setup to the BP/W was that I started using a scooter (needed a crotch strap) and then fell in love with caves (and my life went to hell in a hand basket, sigh). YMMV

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

my OW rig is either 5' hose (single tank) or 7' hose (doubles) with bungied backup and BP/W.

I have dived a 36" primary (it was my old Octo hose) and a 7' primary with my single tank rig. I'm perfectly happy with the 7' hose on my single tank. Most divers don't have primary lights, so you can easily tuck it into the waist band of a harness.

On a traditional Jacket BC, 40" or 5' hose might be better. I'm not sure where you'd tuck the excess!

 

[DiverDurf]

I never knew there were so many options/variations to the hose lengths and preferred setups. When you all use the term "bungeed backup," are you talking about those rubber type necklaces that hold the octo below the diver's chin? I saw something like that recently but have only seen one diver with it so far, so I didn't know if it was one of those trendy accessories or just something most divers don't use. I did like the idea of having my octo "right there" if I need it. I'll have to try the various lengths of hose to see what works once I get my own reg setup.

Another thing I've noticed about rental setups is that some of the regs do not comfortably sit in my mouth and tend to pull sideways on me. So after 15-20 minutes or so my mouth is getting tired from having to actually bite down the whole time to keep the reg in place. Yet another reason to get my own stuff as quickly as I can.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

I never knew there were so many options/variations to the hose lengths and preferred setups. When you all use the term "bungeed backup," are you talking about those rubber type necklaces that hold the octo below the diver's chin? I saw something like that recently but have only seen one diver with it so far, so I didn't know if it was one of those trendy accessories or just something most divers don't use.

Yes, that's it exactly. It is not a trendy accessory at all, it's usually associated with so-called "tech" divers, but honestly it makes so much sense that inertia is the only reason the so-called recreational community hasn't switched over.

I really don't want to foam at the mouth with enthusiasm, so I'll just say that with your backup bungied beneath your chin, you know where to find it, it's less hose flapping around, and it hasn't been dragged though the muck.

You can purchase a dedicated necklace for it, but for about $1.75 you can rig it with bungee cord, thus the expression "bungeed regulator."

 

[TSandM]

The standard hose setup tends to be a 24" hose on the primary regulator, and 36" or 40" on the octopus, which is secured to the driver's body in the "Golden Triangle". This setup is based on the idea that, if you need to provide gas to someone else, you deploy the octopus regulator from wherever you have stowed it. A slightly longer hose makes for more comfortable gas sharing.

The problem with this setup is that both hoses tend to be too long and create big loops out around the diver. If you are diving in any area where there are entanglement possibilities, whether that's in a wreck or cave, or around rocks, through swimthroughs, or in kelp, you can get caught.

In addition, there are those of us who don't like the "donate the octo" approach, because we worry that it's harder to find, often not in known condition, and frequently either won't come out of its retainer easily or has come out a while back, and has been dragging in the sand. For these reasons, we prefer a "donate the primary", or regulator you are currently breathing. Therefore, THIS regular is put on a longer hose, to facilitate gas sharing. (Sharing on a 24" hose is a VERY intimate experience ) This longer hose can be 40" (run under the arm and to the mouth, and often requiring an elbow/swivel to sit comfortably in the mouth). Or it can be 5' (run under the right arm, across the chest, behind the neck and around to the mouth), or 7' (run under a canister light or pocket on the right hip, or tucked into the waistband, and then up across the chest, behind the neck, and to the mouth). The 7' hose came from cave and wreck diving, where it may be necessary to share gas while in true single file. 7' will allow gas sharing between two normal sized adult male divers. 7' really isn't necessary in OW. The 5' hose will route well for most people (unless you are very broad-chested) and doesn't require a pocket or canister to secure the extra length.

When using a "donate the primary" strategy, it is important that the diver have a secondary regulator he can quickly and reliably reach. Some people use an integrated octo/inflator for this, and swear by that strategy. Many of us have stuck with a traditional second stage on a 24" (or shorter) hose, hung on a breakaway necklace around the neck, and riding just below the diver's chin. Should it be necessary to donate gas, that regulator is easy to tip into the mouth with just a couple of fingers. (In addition, should you fall or otherwise need a reg in a big hurry, it's RIGHT THERE! I've saved my own butt a couple of times with my bungied backup.)

So, although it may seem counterintuitive, two different goals are served by using a longer primary hose: streamlining, and more relaxed and facile gas sharing.