Quest once bubbled...
Routing it is easy. Just follow the Hogarthian System. There are basically two ways of routing the longhose depending on if its your primary or backup reg. Just follow the setup for the backup reg.
When its your backup reg they tend route it downwards on the divers right valve over the top of the BC along the backplate with the excess hose bungied along the right side (edge) of the backplate. Another option is to tuck it into the waist strap but i personally dont like this idea as i believe it could get in the way of a canister light mounted on the right side. The second stage is then connected to a neck lanyard and hangs in front.
No, no, no.... You do not ever not ever put a bungie on the longhose! If you had to not be breathing the longhose it would be clipped to the right shoulder D-ring but....
Ok, lets start from the beginning... why are you using a FFM?
From
another message board
Exactly what are your reasons for wanting to use a full face mask? These are dangerous pieces of gear which really should only be used when absolutely necessary. Circumstances that would necessitate a FFM are:
1) Swiftwater. A FFM with a five strap spider is necessary to keep the mask securely on your face, as a standard mask and reg would be ripped off in upper class (3+) swift water.
2) Blackwater. Absolute zero visibility presents the risk of impacting or entrapping objects which could dislodge or foul your mask or second stage. The FFM in this case provides greater security, as well as #3 below, commonly associated with black water.
3) Contaminants. The FFM reduces the risk of infection from low level water-borne contaminants, bacteria, etc. High level contaminants require complete hermetic isolation through the use of a vulcanized drysuit directly attached to a helmet with a double exhaust.
4) Hardwire comms. Obviously, when comms are indicated, they need to be hardwire for maximum clarity and reliability. FFM's allow the combination of mouth and nose in a single gas space for voice intelligibility.
5) Oxygen toxicity risk. The FFM wil prevent drowing when an oxygen convulsion occurs. See below for explanation.
Full face masks complicate gas sharing, hose routing, and emergency procedures. They increase your gas consumption, and are prone to freeflow. Using these in cold water makes little sense, as the increased freeflow probability incurred by using the FFM in turn increases the probability of freezing a reg. They shouldn't be used deep under any circumstances, certainly not where gas switches are required. Using a standard half-mask and reg, with proper exposure protection, the only part of your body which is even exposed to the water is your upper lip, and this is a very well perfused area -- meaning that metabolic heating prevents tissue damage from freezing. I have dove in the Canadian arctic with a standard half-mask and reg -- not an issue.
Cumulative (pulmonary) oxygen exposure is not much of an issue on recreational dive profiles, and CNS toxicity is more appropriately managed by lowering the PPO2 of the gas you are breathing, rather than diving an elevated PPO2 and then worrying about convulsions.
I have an AGA Interspiro MKII, and a ScubaPro FFM. I use the AGA when clear voice comms are necessary (hardly ever), and the SP in swiftwater due to its low profile, and the oral/nasal separation, which makes it easy to purge when it floods.
Generally, full face masks present a risk which is not justified in day-to-day diving -- certainly not for recreational open water diving. They are important gear when necessary, but hardly ever necessary.
