Light cord over or under long hose

[stairman]

Yea I didnt notice the individual forum heading to the side, I usually click on the whats new button and read through the thread starters to see if my 2 cents worth is worth typing. I did this once before and got some snooty remark like Im invading someones space. It would seem the DIR site should be closed to non DIR divers or this is bound to happen again. I dont even think sidemount is allowed with GUE [YET] and thats my configuration as a Florida cavediver who rarely see's saltwater. Ill try to notice the DIR sidebar in the future. Appologies to all.:mooner:

 

[kathydee]

Yea I didnt notice the individual forum heading to the side, I usually click on the whats new button and read through the thread starters to see if my 2 cents worth is worth typing. I did this once before and got some snooty remark like Im invading someones space. It would seem the DIR site should be closed to non DIR divers or this is bound to happen again. I dont even think sidemount is allowed with GUE [YET] and thats my configuration as a Florida cavediver who rarely see's saltwater. Ill try to notice the DIR sidebar in the future. Appologies to all.:mooner:

No worries. I've found myself posting in the wrong forum before, it's an easy mistake.

Just trying to help keep the DIR message clear in this forum. Thanks for the apology. Enjoy your dives .

 

[KMD]

Routing over and having it slightly tangled after donating air is an easy fix and no big deal. Routing the cord under, clipping off the light and trapping the hose and preventing a donation creates the potential for a problem to become a big problem. The need to donate air is most often "temporar" during gas switches when your light is most likely to be clipped off. Route the light over - avoid the problem.

This is a bit of weak argument. Exactly how loop of light cord ~3' long will prevent an immediate donation escapes me. At the very worst, one still has the length of the hose from the regulator, around the neck and almost to the waist available for deployment. This is as long, if not longer then most peoples arms outstretched.

Certainly a long hose trapped by the lighthead will make full deployment a bit more of a pita, and could conceivably cause some issues if attempting to pass it up through a restriction.


I think perhaps a stronger arguement would be using standardization of protocols.

 

[RTodd]

This is a bit of weak argument. Exactly how loop of light cord ~3' long will prevent an immediate donation escapes me. At the very worst, one still has the length of the hose from the regulator, around the neck and almost to the waist available for deployment. This is as long, if not longer then most peoples arms outstretched.

Certainly a long hose trapped by the lighthead will make full deployment a bit more of a pita, and could conceivably cause some issues if attempting to pass it up through a restriction.


I think perhaps a stronger arguement would be using standardization of protocols.

This is why I quit explaining this stuff on the internet. Go load out with 4-5 stages, two on your chest, multiple long body scooters, etc. Now, run the light cord under the long hose and then clip it off. Now juggle the stages around. There is a decent chance the long hose and the light cord will get pulled tight/ slightly trapped by the stages other equipment. At this point, you no longer have a simple deployment of the long hose that is slightly shortend. Without the light cord there it is usually just a pull it free affair, with the light cord there it can take a few seconds you may or may not have to get the reg free enough to be deployable.

 

[KMD]

This is why I quit explaining this stuff on the internet. Go load out with 4-5 stages, two on your chest, multiple long body scooters, etc. Now, run the light cord under the long hose and then clip it off. Now juggle the stages around. There is a decent chance the long hose and the light cord will get pulled tight/ slightly trapped by the stages other equipment. At this point, you no longer have a simple deployment of the long hose that is slightly shortend. Without the light cord there it is usually just a pull it free affair, with the light cord there it can take a few seconds you may or may not have to get the reg free enough to be deployable.

I still believe it is a bit of a weak arguement. We did a three stage dive up in hole in the wall on Saturday and none of the bottle manipulations were anywere close to having an effect on pulling on the light cord or long hose with stage/scooter manipulation. But then I am not using a right d-right to tow extra bottles, scooters and switch blocks or using an RB80 so perhaps at that level you might have a point.

Stages & scooters go on my my left side or leashed to my right or rear d-rings. If I need to bring them forward it is typically done via my left hand which keeps it well clear light cord/long hose nonsense.

If one is clipping a light head off in preparation for some type of manipulation the light cord still needs to be tucked away whether it is over or under.

If its under you need to thread the lighthead back under the long hose before clipping it off and tucking the cord in the waist strap. If its over, you need still need to thread the loop back under the long hose before tucking the cord in the waist strap.

 

[MonkSeal]

If one is clipping a light head off in preparation for some type of manipulation the light cord still needs to be tucked away whether it is over or under.

The light cord should always go under the long hose when the light head is clipped off - temporary or permanent - cord loop tucked under the hose and waist strap.

 

[TSandM]

Just out of curiosity, how often do folks have to do a gas switch in a place where you couldn't get a regulator to your buddy with the three feet or so of hose that wouldn't be trapped? I ask this humbly, as someone who has done only a very little stage diving, and all that I have done, we have chosen places to drop stages where there was plenty of room to face one another and maneuver. I have little experience with stage diving in very small cave.

 

[RTodd]

Just out of curiosity, how often do folks have to do a gas switch in a place where you couldn't get a regulator to your buddy with the three feet or so of hose that wouldn't be trapped? I ask this humbly, as someone who has done only a very little stage diving, and all that I have done, we have chosen places to drop stages where there was plenty of room to face one another and maneuver. I have little experience with stage diving in very small cave.

That isn't really the point. Three feet is almost always plenty. The issue is, if you have ever actually dealt with someone who just tried to breathe water, not a close call with a low tank, but a true I just sucked water into emply lungs situation. The stress level and situation is going sideways quickly. Setting up your gear in a way where if you screw up and clip your light off without thinking that might cause a delay is just dumb. Most common example is when you are task loaded during a stage switch the most likely time for a temporary OOA. I am guilty of just clippling off my light head without tucking it in neatly all of the time for stage drops. They happen fast on some dives where there are time pressures and a lot is going on and you don't bother. Other dives there is complacency - a bad thing. If the light head is always over the long hose, no big deal. If it is under the long hose when you clip it off and you have this mental fart, there is a small chance that stuff will get hung up and the most long hose you will have is what is looped around your neck. That can be a bit short, particularly if stressed and both divers are loaded out heavily. The odds of all of this happening are incredibly low. Heck, the star wars scene stuff works out fine on 99% of dives too. But, the point of DIR is to think through the issues and and avoid them where you can. Leaving the light cord over the long hose, avoids the issue. Putting it under makes drills slightly more convient but doesn't actually prevent any problems in that getting the light looped over the long hose even will fully deployed isn't really a big deal.

 

[kdupreez]

What Kathy Said.. Light cord over long hose

biggest reason for this is if you run it over and you decide to temp clip it off to do something, your long hose is not trapped.. And if its its in your hand, you can manipulate it and have engrained muscle memory on how to do it when donating.

but, if you have it under and therefore when you donate you never have to deal with light cord tangling your hose issues, BUT the one time when its clipped off, now you have a bigger issue where the long hose is actually now trapped with a light cord thats clipped off onto a D-Ring that can not be manipulated easily in a stressful situation..

so, long story short, GUE, UTD and most DIR divers make use of light cord over the long hose..

 

[Blackwood]

so, long story short, GUE, UTD and most DIR divers make use of light cord over the long hose..

UTD, I believe, teaches light cord under.