In search of octo holder that actually works

[gypsyjim]

Most often these days I am diving my Kraken Double Hose. A Double Hose regulator makes a necklace Octo far less practical, so I have an Octo on a bunged loop on a D ring so that it can be deployed with just a tug to pop it out of the loop.

There are a great many ways to skin this cat.

 

[Marie13]

Hi Marie,

Just wondering what your buddy and instructor didn't like about putting a u shape of the hose in the DRing?

The octo holder on my bcd works like that and I've seen many divers use the D-Ring method

Stresses the hose and it's not easily visible from the front (I've been putting it on right hip D ring, not chest D ring). Those are the only reasons. Those of you getting all worked up about it and saying to switch shops/instructors are overreacting. GUE goes all standard, why is it a bad thing if an "mainstream" instructor wants the octo up front and visible on a more "mainstream" method?

Sheesh, next thing you're going to tell me I'm going to die because I'm diving splits with a drysuit, and I'm not going to be able to propel myself through the water well enough. Balderdash! My knees don't hurt for the first time while diving, and that's the most important thing.

 

[The Chairman]

I plan on making these and giving them away to my OW students as I hate every single octo holder on the market, except for the one this is replicating..

That is precisely what I do. I buy the 1/8" bungee by the 500 foot roll. I've gone through one already.

 

[hroark2112]

I guarantee that SDI does not require anyone to wear their octo in a holder for AOW. As a matter of fact, if an OW student wanted to wear a bungee necklace, that would be acceptable as well.

 

[The Chairman]

I guarantee that SDI does not require anyone to wear their octo in a holder for AOW. As a matter of fact, if an OW student wanted to wear a bungee necklace, that would be acceptable as well.

NAUI, NASE and PADI would not have a problem with it either.

 

[doctormike]

Another vote for necklace and long hose. Or even necklace and regular hose, if you have a real problem with the long hose. I know that it's not what you want to hear, but maybe if enough people suggest it you might reconsider. After all, that's the whole point of the board, to expose ourselves to other opinions, right?

It really is the best solution by far, much better than any octo holder. And from what I can tell, it doesn't violate any agency standards.

 

[RayfromTX]

But would they accept an airsource 3?

 

[abnfrog]

use a snorkel keeper or the necklace

 

[boulderjohn]

I am absolutely flabbergasted.

GUE requires a specific setup as an agency because they believe it is the best way to do it. It is agency policy. SDI absolutely does not require it, so you have an instructor requiring you to use specific gear for his own individual reasons. Now, please pay attention to what follows.

When I became a tech diver, I began to use the bungeed necklace for the alternate, as i was required. I liked it, but I continued to use the traditional octo setup for my recreational diving, because I did not want to bother to change things up. I always had the problem, like you, hat the octo kept coming out of its holder, no matter what kind I used. As an instructor, I saw that my students' octos kept coming out of their holders as well. Then I read about a case in Europe in which a woman went OOA and went to her buddy for his octo. But guess what? It had come loose from its holder and was floating behind him. She couldn't find it, panicked, and drowned. I switched my equipment over the next day.

OK, so you have a super special instructor that you want to use no matter what who is demanding that you use inferior equipment. All right, if you insist. But as soon as you get done with that class, go and get it done right.

 

[enduser]

Snorkel keeper works great and is cheap. The round is a bit harder to put over the mouthpiece than the rectangle one you indicated you had used. But I think that is what makes it work a bit better.