Hose Lengths (Newer Diver)

[PerroneFord]

A 7' hose is nicer, but do you guys who are recommending it dive one with a traditional BC? It's a pain in the rear to get it tucked under the waist strap/cummerbund and get it to stay there. That's why the three people I mentioned all went with the 5 foot length.

On larger guys the 5ft hose often comes up too short. I couldn't look to my left effectively with the 5ft hose. I'd rather worry about where to tuck the extra versus having the reg pull out of my mouth all dive. I was so frustrated in my early dives I wanted to toss the rig out the window. That was $30 I'd never get back from my LDS.

 

[H2Andy]

Lynn, i dove the long hose with an Oceanic Probe, and i didnt' have any trouble.

it tucked in well. of course, it required two separate movements to fully deploy:
off my mouth and to the recipient, and then a pull to free the rest of the hose.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

A 7' hose is nicer, but do you guys who are recommending it dive one with a traditional BC? It's a pain in the rear to get it tucked under the waist strap/cummerbund and get it to stay there. That's why the three people I mentioned all went with the 5 foot length.

Dang it! Somehow I didn't read the OP!

Yes... if you are using a standard BC like a Ranger then a 7 footer would be less than ideal, IMHO. Even a 5 footer might be a bit odd without a plate.

What I usually recommend in this situation is to use a 40" primary, routed under the right arm. This used to be DIR. It may have changed... I don't know. Apologies to the forum if it isn't.

But I think Rainer might like something like this...

 

[H2Andy]

ok, well... it didn't give me any trouble, and i went through my cavern class with it and tons of dives aftewards (before hitting intro cave)

i'm just saying, don't discount it right off the bat

 

[GreenDiverDown]

I guess, if you have a BC that allows a descent tuck of the long hose, that would be fine... in my experience it hasn't worked well with the BCs I'm around. I suppose that you would have to experiment a bit to decide which length is best for you. I still like the 40.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Rainer... I suppose the best advice would be to get a BP and wing and set your reg up with a 7. Doesn't get any better than that!

 

[GreenDiverDown]

i'm just saying, don't discount it right off the bat

Agreed.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

that's what the danged thing is called ... i forgot

http://www.une.edu.au/unemc/dbfish.htm

 

[TSandM]

Well, my 7 foot hose requires two steps to deploy, too -- loop over the head, and then free hose from under can light and deploy the rest.

I don't think the 5 foot hose is optimal. In our Fundies class, we had one diver with a five footer, and everybody agreed that air-shares with him were less comfortable than with the rest of us. But managing a seven foot hose with a traditional BC is not easy, and a 40" hose is short. My husband uses the 5 foot hose, but felt it torqued the reg in his mouth, so he has a swivel on his second stage. My two other friends are okay with theirs, and they are about 5'8" and 5'11". It may well be that someone bulkier or taller would have more trouble.

The real solution probably IS to get a BP/W and either a can light or knife or pocket to route a 7' hose under. I love mine.

 

[Rainer]

Given that at the moment at BP/W is just not feasible (simply don't have the money, nor will I anytime soon), which would be you all recommend and WHY (again, with my Ranger):

(1) 40" hose
(2) 5' hose
(3) 7' hose

I'm looking for something that would be safer than my current (traditional) set up, but which would not pose a difficulty in terms of deployment/comfort in the water (i.e. a 7' hose just doesn't make sense if I can't get it stowed away). Does anyone make 6' hoses? Also, I'm 6' tall, but not too big (165 lbs). Again, would you make a different suggestion for my 5'3" girlfriend? Thanks again!