Long Hose Primary and Bungied Octo

[Tanker299]

OK folks, please don't shoot me here but I've been reading several posts mentioning these 2 items.

Can anyone clarify for me the virtues of having a long hose primary?
Also, why and how would you "bungee" your Octo?

Again, don't flame please if this is a touchy subject, I really want to understand here.

Thanks !

Alex

 

[Nemrod]

This is a system, long hose primary on a seven foot hose, that developed out of the cave diving community so that divers could air share in single file in a cave. In this case the long hose is given to the OOA diver and the OOA diver swims ahead while the donating diver goes to the bungeed regulator on the short hose. Many technical divers and those of the DIR pursuasion currently preach this sytem and it is a good cave diving system. The excessively long hoses are ill adapted in my opinion to sport diving (no overhead) and even potentially dangerous in that the OOA diver is out of arms reach on YOUR air--potentially.

You could use this sytem (breath the long hose as primary and donate the primary) with a 40 inch hose routed under your right arm, I do, it works the same as above but with a shorter hose for better streamlining and no need for a can light (which is where the long hose is stowed) and the OOA diver is not swimming around seven feet away from me where I could not control them if needed.

The octapus is bungeed with BUNGEE tied in a fisherman knot around the mouthpiece but Manta Industires now makes a cool qucik release bungee.

Most divers are taught to keep the short hose primary and donate the long-er hose octapus and most off the shelf regulators come set up this way. It is the standard sport diving set up since the inception of the octapus and works just fine for 95% of divers. You can bungee the octapus in this sytem as well or use any of several means of stowing, to me the bungee sytem is preferred.

Yes, it is a flammable subject with numerous heated debates over who is doing it right. it has been debated endlessly and the two sides will never agree on anything other than to continue arguning over who is right. There is no right, pick the system you like and go with it, both work and both have positives and negatives.

N

 

[djanni]

OK folks, please don't shoot me here but I've been reading several posts mentioning these 2 items.

Can anyone clarify for me the virtues of having a long hose primary?
Also, why and how would you "bungee" your Octo?

Again, don't flame please if this is a touchy subject, I really want to understand here.

Thanks !

Alex

Read about it here: http://www.diveriteexpress.com/regs/necklace.shtml

I use an SS1 (Safe-Second) that you can see here: http://www.atomicaquatics.com/

The hose on my primary is standard length but I would donate the primary if needed and switch to the SSI.

 

[scarefaceDM]

EDIT...NEMROD BEAT ME TO IT!!!!!!!!!

Ok I will play along...

octo:

a bungied octo around your neck - NECKLACE - is the prefred methode by tech divers, Cave divers and DIR divers aswell. Also not to mention a whole wack of recreational divers.

The reason behind this is simple really. You are asured to have your OCT in place in the event of a failed primary or an OOA where you become a donar to your buddy or OOA diver. Second it keeps the OCTO out of the dirt and makes for a more streamlined and a more simpler configuration. Hense you would also put the OCTO on a shorter hose to lessen the DRAG and entanglement.

LONG Hose. A prefred method of tech divers, cave divers and now sport divers alike. One main reason is in the event of donating your primary in an enclosed, or overhead environment where you cannot be side by side or face to face. Hense the longer hose allows you to DONATE air to an OOA BEHIND you as you would exit an overhead environment. Also the longer hose allows you room to maintain control and bouyancy during an OOA. Also once again, this LONG hose makes for a more streamlined configuration where your risk of entanglement in an overhead environment is greatly reduced.

I hope this helps

 

[rongoodman]

The bungeed reg isn't really an Octo anymore, it's your secondary reg that you use after donating the primary in your mouth. The reason for donating the primary in the first place is so that the presumeably stressed OOA diver is getting a reg known to be working and supplying the appropriate gas.

 

[Nemrod]

As rongoodman reminds us, the "tech" diver may have and be carrying multiple regulators and stages with different mixtures thus the donating of your primary makes good sense. Most sport divers are not carrying stages and thus ithis important benifit has no relevence. N

 

[TSandM]

As already mentioned, the long hose/bunged backup system begins with the assumption that the best regulator to give a stressed diver is the one you are breathing. You both know where that one is, where it's been, and that it's currently working.

Once you accept that idea, then the question is how best to configure your gear to permit that. Putting the secondary regulator on a necklace means that it is instantly available to you at the moment you have given up your primary. You can't lose it, and you can't miss any freeflow or leak problem with it, because it's right under your face. It's not caught on anything, and it hasn't been in the sand. If you set up the necklace properly, you can even pick up the secondary with your mouth, without needing a hand at all.

Hose length is a separate issue. If you donate the primary, you really DON'T want it on a 24" hose. That puts you literally eye to eye with the other dive, which is uncomfortable, and really doesn't permit any ascent or exit other than straight vertical. So, as Nemrod said, you can use an octo length hose on your primary and route it under your arm -- Some people don't like the way the reg sits in the mouth if you do that, and put a swivel on it. You can use a 5' hose and route it under your arm and around the back of your neck. Or you can use a 7' hose and route it under a can light, knife or pocket on your right hip, around the back of your neck and to your mouth. Both of the latter ways permit the reg to sit comfortably and do not require a swivel.

Having a longer primary hose gives you OPTIONS. You can still take hold of and control an OOA diver, or, if the OOA problem is something like a freeflow, where somebody ISN'T panic stricken, or some other malfunction where OOA is imminent but not currently present, you have the option of performing a comfortable horizontal ascent, or a swimming exit if that is a safer or more convenient option.

Everybody I've seen who's done an air-share drill with a long hose diver has switched.

 

[paulwlee]

Having a longer primary hose gives you OPTIONS. You can still take hold of and control an OOA diver, or, if the OOA problem is something like a freeflow, where somebody ISN'T panic stricken, or some other malfunction where OOA is imminent but not currently present, you have the option of performing a comfortable horizontal ascent, or a swimming exit if that is a safer or more convenient option.

My sentiments exactly. If you want the OOA diver close to you, you can hold onto him/her. You don't need a short hose to do that. Sharing gas with someone with a short hose is really uncomfortable, and can't help the situation. If the 7' hose is too long, try the 5' hose. Either way, in a gas sharing situation, IT WILL SET YOU FREE.

 

[ArcticDiver]

The only downside to a bungied alternate regulator is that the bungies keep disappearing. It is a constant source of amazment to me how that bungee that is so simple to make keeps disappearing off my regulator after the last dive of a charter.

With more dive operations pushing the Air2 kind of thing I don't lose so many any more. But they still find a way to frequently vanish.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The only downside to a bungied alternate regulator is that the bungies keep disappearing. It is a constant source of amazment to me how that bungee that is so simple to make keeps disappearing off my regulator after the last dive of a charter.

With more dive operations pushing the Air2 kind of thing I don't lose so many any more. But they still find a way to frequently vanish.

I use barb wire for mine:11: .Never had one disappear yet!