How do you setup your primary and secondary regulators/hoses for recreational?

[Diver0001]

Well.... that's not my experience. In the photo I posted I had been fidding with the reg for a couple of days. In order to keep the longhose from floating up over my head I could only find two solutions:

1) stuff the hose under the weightbelt to keep it pinned down
or
2) route it straight down the tank and hook it under a weight, which involved turning the reg to one side. This, in turn, had the result the the LP hoses for the inflator was up higher than I would have like it. Ultimately what you see in the picture is the result.

That said, some of this will depend on the 1st stage. The positioning of the ports will make a difference to your routing options. I don't recall which first stage I was using for sure but it might have been an AL Legend.

Also, I should point out that I almost always dive in twins with a long hose so I don't have a lot of experience trying to get a configuration that works. I fully accept that someone else might have been able to nail it but I couldn't.

R..

 

[CuzzA]

5' hose sucks, IMO. Too short to tuck so it doesn't say close to your body and consequently it will want to ride up under your arm and the wrap on the back of your neck ends up on top of your head. You'll spend most of your dive fighting that stupid hose.

Streamlined open water setup. Start now and begin to practice.

 

[tbone1004]

how long is the hose in that picture?

 

[Diver0001]

7ft. It's the one I use on my twin set.

R..

 

[Doby45]

Streamlined open water setup. Start now and begin to practice.

Spoken for truth. I still have no idea why you guys are always recommending a long 5'-7' hose to brand new rec divers that are in open water and have zero need for a hose that length. The streamlined setup keeps everything nice and tight, very useful and easy to adapt to for a brand spanking new diver. It just boggles my mind everytime this comes up and the usual fonts pop in with the whole "RUN A 5' OR 7' HOSE, CAUSE YOU WILL LOOK COOL!"

Streamlined is easy to keep everything under control for a brand spanking new. Inflator hose (measured and proper length) will be nice and trim and not bowing out, SPG/Computer clipped off to left d-ring (not dangling and banging on things or snagging on things), back up around neck and not dangling (even if it comes out of the necklace), main secondary is in your mouth (not dangling and PLENTY long enough to donate, control OOA diver and get to the surface.

 

[tbone1004]

@Diver0001 your inflator hose problem is likely because if you are using an inflator hose for a set of doubles, it will be far too long for single tank diving, typically around 6". With the long hose, you still need to tuck it under something or into something. In single tank diving, I just stuff it into the waist belt and it doesn't have an issue, though I still fail to see how singles vs doubles has any bearing on your long hose routing....

@Doby45 the only potential issue with the streamlined reg setup *which I use on occasion and have advocated for for the last 8 years btw* is that you do have to be very aware of clipping it off when it is out of your mouth. Running under your shoulder means that it is very easy to lose at the surface if you remove it from your mouth without clipping off. It is far superior to other regulator setups, but it is not without faults. Pros and cons and I go back and forth between the two, but tend to stay with a 7' hose in most situations, especially when I'm teaching because I can remove the regulator from my mouth and it just sits on my shoulder where I want it.

 

[Doby45]

Here is your "traditional" recreational setup and is the main reason I loath it. It is FAR easier to simply not pay attention of forget about items attached to you. The guy on the left in both pictures is the "instructor". At least in the "streamlined" setup if the only thing that can dangle (primary) drops out of your mouth, you see it or can easily locate it by simply being in trim.

 

[tbone1004]

true, my point is that the primary has the ability to do the exact same thing as that secondary if you aren't paying attention. Long hoses can't.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

And since I don't enter overhead environments, I can't imagine a situation where I have to swim single file while donating (which, AFAIU, is the primary reason for using a 210cm/7' long hose).

I've had to share a seven foot hose twice and each time was in open water. It allows the divers to swim side by side while sharing air rather than having to hold someone close to your face the way they teach in OW classes.

 

[Doby45]

true, my point is that the primary has the ability to do the exact same thing as that secondary if you aren't paying attention. Long hoses can't.

LOL, while I see what you are saying, I fail to see how you are not paying attention to the fact that your primary reg is not in your mouth. Just not gonna happen. If I do go to my backup for whatever reason my primary gets clipped off to my upper right D-ring. But you do not simply lose your primary reg without knowing you lost it. You know I love ya tbone but (pardon the pun) that reasoning just doesn't float.