Independent Doubles

[Nemrod]

For me, it's important to be able to reach a valve knob(s) to turn on a valve (if it's inadvertently left off or turned off), and to turn off the valve (in the case of a blown hose or a reg free-flow, even during a rec dive, even when using a Y-valve). This was something that was stressed in my open water course, and something that I still consider important (for me) all these years later.

NOTE: An old-school pillar valve helps me with this when I am diving my double-hose reg on a single cylinder (since I wear my cylinder farther down my back when I dive my DH reg, which makes reaching a K-valve challenging).

rx7diver

Like I said, on IDs, not sure why I would turn the valve off, just let it bleed off and breathe as long as possible. I would not waste my time or breath trying to turn it off. As to turning the valve on I find it best to do that on the surface on my IDs but I can certainly breath on the alternate until I can. For long or deco ID dives I usually also carry a deco/or slung bottle.

 

[tmassey]

For long or deco ID dives I usually also carry a deco/or slung bottle.

I think this is the general consensus.

Independent doubles really seems like an artifact of history. I’m not killing OP for the path he’s taking: I think independent doubles can be done safely. I just think that it adds a great deal of complexity and difficulty: the ‘do we or don’t we’ conversation about closing valves (or reversing a tank valve, or reversing all the hoses, or how to stow all those octos or….) demonstrates that.

I think the concept of slinging a stage so much simplifies the process. And I think that’s why independent doubles have been consigned to the dustbin of history.

But heck: there are people (like @rx7diver ) still diving double hose regs. To each their own. If you can do it safely, via con Dios. Or as @The Chairman says, dive and let dive.

But boy, this gets so much simpler with a slung stage…

 

[Nemrod]

I think this is the general consensus.

Independent doubles really seems like an artifact of history.

Unless they are side slung? I do not understand the bias against what is very similar in functionality.

You mean DH like this, Argonaut Kraken: