Hose mounting location

[PaulVS]

I have an Oceanic Alpha 8 w/ balanced piston first stage.

I felt on some pre-cert pool dives and on my O.W. cert dives that the reg was pulling out of the right side of my mouth. I had swapped the hose with a longer one after the pool dives and still felt it tugging on the O.W. dives.

After looking at the 1st stage carefully... I noticed that if I swapped the octo connection with the regulator connection, it gave the reg hose a more natural wrap around my head - and the octo can run under my right arm nicely. But this is bass-ackwards from the way all other reg setups I have seen.

Is there any problem with this arrangement?

 

[eandiver]

Looks fine to me. As long as it works safely and efficiently for you it's good.

BTW Nice bike. 1200 Bandit?

 

[PaulVS]

Looks fine to me. As long as it works safely and efficiently for you it's good.

BTW Nice bike. 1200 Bandit?

Thanks for the input. Yes it is a 1200 Bandit. Good eye. :14:

 

[eandiver]

Just out of curiosity are you using a back plate/wing or a regular jacket style BC?

Depending on the direction of your future diving goals a hose swivel would make comfort better. According to some it is a weak point and others say it's fine but for basic OW diving it is should pose no problem. I used one until I started configuring my gear for cave and then stopped using it just to minimize possible weak points.

 

[PaulVS]

I'm using an Oceanic OceanPro FX BCD. I saw the swivel on Ebay recently but it did cross my mind that another connection could = another thing that could go wrong.

Frankly, I don't understand why the hose arrangement I have now isn't the standard. It routes much better, and makes reg retrieval easier... for me anyway.

And personally I think the best 1st stage setup is vertically-arranged ports (Like on my wife's Dacor Eagle Pro DPD) rather than the L-shaped 1st stage that my Oceanic has.

 

[eandiver]

So many configurations, so many manufacturing styles, so many individual preferences.....kind of like a TBR full system over a V&H full system over a set of Micron slip ons or a M4 pipe with a Power Commander. Different strokes.

Picture how your current system would work with a back plate and double tanks. Change up again...........

 

[eandiver]

The really sad part is that I can't remember what first stage I had when I first started diving but it was a matched set with the second being a Sherwood Oasis. Went to the ScubaPro MK25/S600 and have never looked back.

Went from a Mares Frontier X BC to a DR TransPac II to my current Al BP with a rec wing.