Hose length for Rec only diver

[Lorenzoid]

. . . Having 7 or 8 feet of hose coiled anywhere on my dive gear would not only get in the way but drive me bonkers. . . .

I entirely agree we rec divers finning around the reefs don't NEED that long a hose, but your statement here shows you have never actually tried one. I said exactly the same thing until I tried one.

 

[Colliam7]

I would consider the spaces we would occupy to be large enough that a 40" would be fine. Therefore, ignoring tec/cave or overhead scenarios, I ask which will provide the best streamlined, comfortable hose set? . . . I am already excluding a 5' as I may as well just use the 40" (with a swivel) I have on my octo and save money.

Remember, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with what you originally proposed to do - put a shorter hose on one second stage and then put that second stage on a bungee necklace, and use your current 40" hose on your primary second stage, with a swivel. That works very well! I personally prefer a 7' primary hose, and that is what I dive 95% of the time. But, I also dive, in OW classes, a reg with 'standard' hose lengths, and put the second stage on a 30" hose on a bungee, use the second stage on a 40" hose as the primary (and practice air share by donating that 40" primary), and that works as well. All that is required is for me to show up with a set of bungee necklaces to put on the student gear (which is a lot cheaper than a bunch of 7' hoses ). If you don't have / can't get a 7' hose, no problem. That is a perfectly valid basis for NOT going with a 7' hose. By doing what you initially proposed, you are still well ahead of the 'game' - it is a good configuration that addresses three important issues - a) active donation of b) a 'known to be working' second stage and c) immediate availability of an alternate. I think that all a number of people are saying is, don't make the decision on the basis of 'perceived' issues with length, or 'pack-ability', or even weight.

The vast majority of LDS and divers here are PADI through and through so no long hoses

And, that really isn't a PADI / NAUI / SSI / SDI / etc issue at all. It is the fact that many / most 'traditional' shops and staff are simply not familiar with anything but the 'standard' hose lengths. That is changing, albeit slowly.

OK, I must be in a minority here. In something like 175 dives, I have never had to share air, except in a training situation. I understand the argument for tech and cave divers, but just finning around a reef and enjoying the pretty fish and colors or maybe catching a lobster, even maybe a deep dive for a wreck is about it for most everyone. Do open water divers find the need to share air except in very very rafe situations?

No, you are not in a minority. As many have said, OOA situations, even LOA situations, are extremely uncommon. I have never been in an 'real' OOA situation. I have been in a LOA situation where I put the diver on my long hose as a precautionary action. And, I had a buddy show up at a remote site with a cylinder that turned out to only have 500 psi. He made an entire 1+ hour dive, sharing air from 4-5 of us, all of whom were diving long hoses. We had a blast. And, the OOA issue and hose length has nothing to do with recreational vs tech / cave diving. In fact, the likelihood of an OOA occurring in the technical / cave environment is MUCH lower than in recreational diving.

Having 7 or 8 feet of hose coiled anywhere on my dive gear would not only get in the way but drive me bonkers.

Probably, NOT. But, you haven't tried it, so I can understand your perception at this point.

 

[Diver43]

No disrespect meant, but as a IDC Instructor this comment bothers me a little: I had a buddy show up at a remote site with a cylinder that turned out to only have 500 psi. He made an entire 1+ hour dive, sharing air from 4-5 of us, all of whom were diving long hoses. We had a blast

Amount of air should have been noted before getting into the water and if a replacement tank was not available the diver should have never gotten wet. There are many reasons that dives are canceled or aborted and not having a tank with enough air to complete a dive should be one of them.

While I have never tried diving with a coiled hose attached to my gear, I have dove with extra lights, a reel, and other items attached to me and I do not like the feeling of anything extra attached to me. Just me I suppose, but my preference.

 

[C Dub]

When I finished my certification and started putting my gear together, I went right to a 7 foot hose. I route it DIR style (under right arm, across torso, over left shoulder, behind neck), and have the alternate on a bungee around the neck. I notice the alt on the bungee (my chin bumps it when I look down, no big deal) much more than the 7 foot hose. The long hose has been *zero* trouble, and I never notice it. I have shared both a 40 inch hose and the 7 footer. The short one was in training in ocean dives, and we swam a couple hundred yards sharing. It sucked.

 

[flots am]

No disrespect meant, but as a IDC Instructor this comment bothers me a little: I had a buddy show up at a remote site with a cylinder that turned out to only have 500 psi. He made an entire 1+ hour dive, sharing air from 4-5 of us, all of whom were diving long hoses. We had a blast

I guess if it makes you happy, that's fine.

All can tell you about air sharing is that I'll share with anybody who needs it, but I'm not giving snuba rides.

Anybody who needs my gas can go up with me and get back on the boat, and then I'll continue my dive. The penalty for being stupid is that the dive is over.

flots.

 

[Colliam7]

No disrespect meant, but as a IDC Instructor this comment bothers me a little: . . . Amount of air should have been noted before getting into the water and if a replacement tank was not available the diver should have never gotten wet. There are many reasons that dives are canceled or aborted and not having a tank with enough air to complete a dive should be one of them.

Completely disagree, as a general statement, because we, as a team, had enough air to complete the dive. But, I can understand your observation. It might have been right for you, or another diver, to call the dive, and I would not disagree with someone else making the decision.

The situation: 6 of us were on Bonaire, we drove to the farthest north site we could get to without going into the national park, we had two trucks with 2 cylinders per diver. We finished the first dive. In changing to the second cylinder he (also an IDC-S) noted that the pressure in the second cylinder was only 500 psi. Yes, he (or, at least, one of us) picked up an air cylinder that had already been used, and for some reason put back with the cap on, and not refilled. And, he (or, one of us) failed to check the pressure before we left for the dives. For air dives, that (not checking before pulling out of the fill area) is not uncommon at that particular resort on Bonaire. In hindsight, it was obviously an omission, but not one that should have caused us to abort.

He / we made a decision to do a second dive before we got back in the water, so the amount of air was noted before we splashed. We also know our gas consumption rates pretty well. We dive together regularly, and know each other's behaviors. We did a long, ~50 foot, shore entry, reef dive, in 80 degree water, no current, and 100 feet of visibility. Plus, the conditions allowed for surfacing (normally) at any point in the dive, and swimming back to shore. Essentially, he went in the water with a 500 psi cylinder (AL80) which was his bailout in an emergency (actually, a lot of gas for the conditions). We finished the dive without him using any of his gas, and the rest of us returning with just about 500 psi. It was a matter of judgement, and no reason, whatsoever, to arbitrarily call the dive. Had we been diving off the coast on NC, on a 120 foot wreck, in current, I don't know that we would have made the same decision.

But, I am glad you raised the issue, because it brings out an important point. There are many things that we do in diving without a second thought, including following arbitrary rules that may or may not apply to a particular situation. And, that bothers me. In this case, we made an active, informed decision, based on known conditions and a conservative dive plan, we maintained good buddy awareness, and we monitored gas supplies with regularity. Notably, we all enjoyed the dive, and it worked in no small part because we were diving long hoses, so we weren't bumping into each other when sharing air. Actually, it was also very good practice for us - he would share with another diver for a combined use of ~500 psi, then switch to the next diver, swim for another ~500 psi, and move on. And, just for information, when a long hose is used, it is not normally coiled, so you aren't diving with a noticeable attachment. It is run down the right side on the body from the first stage (I usually tuck mine between my BP and wing) to the waist area, then usually under a light / reel / pocket / cutting tool attached to the right waist strap, then back up diagonally across the chest to the left shoulder, behind the head and to the mouth. You hardly know it is there.

 

[mruseless]

I have only about twice as many dives as you. While I've not had to share gas personally (good buddy, good awareness, and a little luck), I've seen it happen on at least 4 occasions that I can remember. The only reason I wasn't the gas donor in those situations was because they were group dives and others took the responsibility. So while it's still a rare occurrence, it happens far more than I'd like. I was recently on a liveaboard with a guy who ran his tank dry twice. Talk about lack of awareness...

It might be worth your time to try a dive or two with a long hose. It's not really coiled and attached to you, hanging off like a reel. It's looped around you. Odds are you won't even know it's there once you are in the water. But as others here have said, for Rec dives it certainly isn't necessary. Once I got used to it, I liked it better than my old setup (40" primary 2nd stage and Air2)

OK, I must be in a minority here. In something like 175 dives, I have never had to share air, except in a training situation. I understand the argument for tech and cave divers, but just finning around a reef and enjoying the pretty fish and colors or maybe catching a lobster, even maybe a deep dive for a wreck is about it for most everyone. Do open water divers find the need to share air except in very very rafe situations? Having 7 or 8 feet of hose coiled anywhere on my dive gear would not only get in the way but drive me bonkers. But then again I am the guy with only the basics on my reg. 1st stage, 2nd stage and a low pressure hose that goes to my Air2/BC inflator on standard length hose. I realize that "stuff" happens, but the need of a super long hose just dosnt fit into my dive mode, maybe that is why I dont get the want/need/desire for it.

 

[RJP]

While I have never tried diving with a coiled hose attached to my gear...

I dive a 7' hose... and it's not "coiled" in any way. A little more familiarity with what you're talking about will go a long way, credibility-wise.

 

[Diver43]

I dive a 7' hose... and it's not "coiled" in any way. A little more familiarity with what you're talking about will go a long way, credibility-wise.

Ok wrapped around my body not coiled. Either way it is not for me. If you are low/out of air we get close share air to the surface, even if directly under a boat its a few feet either direction and up. No need for single file or to sight see sharing air. If you want to continue a dive sharing air that is fine, but not when diving from my boat. My teaching says sharing air is for emergency situations.

 

[RJP]

If you want to continue a dive sharing air that is fine, but not when diving from my boat. My teaching says sharing air is for emergency situations.

Oh, I'm not one for "continuing a dive" while sharing air... that's for ENDING the dive.

My teaching says sharing air is for when one buddy loses access to their own gas, which should never escalate to being "an emergency" from what it really is... merely a nuisance.