Long hose management when getting BC back on panga from the water

[USFpsychDiver]

Just back from my first liveaboard where we’d enter the water backroll from panga, then at dives end take our BCs with tanks off in the water and help the panga crew horse the BCs back on the panga from the water. I dive a long hose (7’) primary & necklace secondary reg OW setup and find the long hose awkward in this getting the BC back on the panga process — it’s swinging around loose and twice the ziptie I use to attach a boltsnap to the long hose 2nd stage clips that 2nd stage to the right shoulder D-ring when not in use broke due to getting pulled hard. Trying to figure out a good stowage solution for removing BC and hoisting on to panga. My thought is an elastic band (bungie?) low on the right shoulder strap to tuck the hose through, still probably leaving a big loop — maybe a 5’ hose instead of 7’. Any thoughts? Existing solutions?

 

[bradlw]

Just thinking out loud here...this is nothing that I've really thought through
but it seems to me that coiling the hose up nice and tidy and tucking it away into something like a pocket would be ideal.
and if there's nothing to tuck it into, then maybe tucking into a bungee placed around the tank
and if not that, then just coming up with a way to hold the nice coil together and close...similar to your bungee on the shoulder strap idea, except with a 1ft or 2ft loop instead of a 5ft loop

 

[inquis]

I switch to the alternate during the safety stop, then coil the long hose (8-10 inch diameter) and do a double "overhand knot" (or spiral wrap) with the hose around the earlier coils, then clip it to the chest ring. No issue with anyone trying to pull on the hose. Just hand up the rig with back of the valve facing the boat for them to grab.

ETA: I have the LH coiled the exact same way when sitting in the tank rack before the dives. Keeps everything tidy.

 

[rongoodman]

For that type of diving I just use a 5' hose. It isn't like you're going to be sharing gas through restrictions.

 

[inquis]

For that type of diving I just use a 5' hose.

Same. I would still coil it, though.

 

[scubadada]

I use a 40" primary under my right arm and a short hose backup on a bungee. It was also somewhat unwieldly to stow at the surface, especially in big seas and holding onto the RIB. I ended up switching regulators at the safety stop and that helped quite a bit.

To he honest, the easiest setup was my old short hose primary and an Air 2. I think that @Nemrod may have discussed this.

 

[Badger7]

I dive a 7' long hose back home here and appreciate the all the benefits. On a crowded boat when open water reef diving though, I'll admit to simplifying and switching the long hose out for a a 40" florida rig along with the secondary on a short hose and necklace. The primary can clip right off to the chest d-ring and not require any management whatsoever with only 40 inches of hose.

Not nearly as convenient if you need to share gas, but when we're not dealing with any ceiling or deco obligation whatsoever, we can do a typical face to face ascent if you need to go on my primary in a gas emergency.

 

[Nemrod]

I use a 40" primary under my right arm and a short hose backup on a bungee. It was also somewhat unwieldly to stow at the surface, especially in big seas and holding onto the RIB. I ended up switching regulators at the safety stop and that helped quite a bit.

To he honest, the easiest setup was my old short hose primary and an Air 2. I think that @Nemrod may have discussed this.

I have not been using a BCI with a short hose primary. That leaves me nothing to donate. I do use a 40 inches hose routed under my arm and if I need to donate I give my primary to the OOA diver and I switch to the BCI.

I did have a problem with the crew on a live aboard in the Red Sea grabbing me by my 5 foot long hose and in doing so it uncoiled ripping my mask off and then they grabbed my already bad arm and finished yanking me aboard making my bad arm badder .

I was holding on to the rope that went around the gunwales while undoing my kit when the deck crew in a hurry grabbed my kit before it was fully off and grabbed it by the long hose that I had not yet unwrapped. And then they grabbed me in by my arm while the other arm was desperately grabbing for my prescription mask!

In their defense, this was not how they usually did the process but they got in a hurry due to our proximity to some really big waves, really big! My arm was sore but okay and I did get my mask so all is well that sort of ended well, mostly.

Since that time I have shifted to a Florida rig which is often called the open water streamlined rig. That being a 40 inches primary under the right arm and a necklaced secondary. I have since further simplified in that I am now using a primary still on a 40 inches hose but dispensed with the necklaced secondary using the DGX BCI for my alternate.

One of the reasons I went to the BCI alternate is that I am these days mostly a photo diver and the necklaced second stage got in the way of my camera housing occasionally or would clank into it. A clean front chest is important to me and a 40 inches primary tucked under my arm and the BCI is the cleanest possible front chest area. There are disadvantages to this type of rig, I know what those are and I am fully capable of dealing with them.

 

[PfcAJ]

Cave line is better than a zip tie.