Newbie - how do I wear a long hose for primary regulator?

[MaxBottomtime]

1. Because tech and cave divers say so
2. Because it makes you look like you're the real deal, unless you get all that hose tangled up or bash your unsecured primary on something hard.
3. Can't think of any other reason. A 40" primary to donate is plenty long enough for a recreational diver, IMO.

1. I have no desire to enter a cave. I like to see marine life, not bare rocks.
2. My bungee straps on my fins are different colors. My hoses are different colors. My regulator first stage is a different brand than my second stages. I don't care what I look like.
3. When you're sharing air while leisurely swimming side by side you really appreciate the seven foot hose.

 

[halocline]

I use a small loop of inner tube material (3/8" wide or so) to attach the bolt snap. One of these days I'll take a photo and post it. It works great and it's a break-away connection which is nice for a possible entanglement. It's really simple and easy. I do it for my SPG as well.

I find the 3/16" bungee to be a little more comfortable than the 1/8" so that's what I use for the necklace.

 

[halocline]

For a jacket BC, you might prefer a 'streamlined OW' setup with 22" necklaced reg and 40" primary reg passing under your arm. Many using the 5' and 7' hoses likely are in BP/W, which are a bit more streamlined in the front than a jacket BC.

I've always avoided the 40" under-the-arm set up because I don't want to use an elbow or swivel on my 2nd stage, and because I'm used to the hogarthian routing, which the 5 ft hose also uses. But it's an option that's gaining popularity and would probably work really well for OW. 40" is still fairly short IMO for air sharing, but it's a lot better than the standard 26" or 28".

To me the most important things are:
1. Primary donate. In an actual emergency you might not have any choice!
2. Bungeed alternate, which you can get to in a pinch without using your hands.
3. Comfort while diving and air sharing.

 

[lowflyer]

1. I have no desire to enter a cave. I like to see marine life, not bare rocks.
2. My bungee straps on my fins are different colors. My hoses are different colors. My regulator first stage is a different brand than my second stages. I don't care what I look like.
3. When you're sharing air while leisurely swimming side by side you really appreciate the seven foot hose.

I apologize, didn't mean to offend anyone.
But I still don't get the 7' hose for rec divers. I mean, it's not like sharing air is an every day occurrence. I've never had to do it except as a demonstration in a class as a DM. 40" was plenty of hose for that purpose.
In the case of a brand new diver, it seems that adding a 7' hose just adds a little more complexity to the learning curve.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I've only had to donate once in an OOA situation. I've shared air twice when a diver was low on air. All three were in less than twenty feet and we all swam back to the beach/boat while swimming side by side. I hope to never have to share air again but I'll still use my seven foot hose just in case. It never gets in my way. A 40" hose constantly pulled on kelp, other divers and even current.

 

[halocline]

I apologize, didn't mean to offend anyone.
But I still don't get the 7' hose for rec divers. I mean, it's not like sharing air is an every day occurrence. I've never had to do it except as a demonstration in a class as a DM. 40" was plenty of hose for that purpose.
In the case of a brand new diver, it seems that adding a 7' hose just adds a little more complexity to the learning curve.

7ft does add a bit of complexity with stowing, but the long hose principle in itself does not. Actually, it takes away complexity because both 2nd stages are always right where they need to be; in proximity of your mouth. And regulator retrieval is easier too; there is none for the alternate, and the primary is on a nice long hose that's very easy to locate by feel; there are not two lengthy 2nd stage hoses to confuse the issue.

People just need to get away from the idea that "long hose" means 7ft for open water.

There's another thing that has not been mentioned in this thread; what to do about the octo/inflator combos that are so popular sales items at dive shops. Personally I hate them (another classic topic) but if a recreational diver wants to use one, it's a given that they will be much better off with a long hose on the primary. Otherwise they're sharing air on a 26" hose AND trying to inflate/deflate off the same device they're breathing from. Not exactly an ideal situation!

Keep in mind that one of the ploys that dive shops use to hoodwink new divers into the octo/inflator is the claim that "you always know where it is". Well, that's exactly the same as the bungeed alternate, only not as good.

 

[Lobzilla]

This is a free country and everybody can dive as they please. But sometimes I wonder why there need to be so many individual exceptions and special ways that provide little if any benefit.

The key word in the term 'long hose' is 'long'. There are two tricks to making a long hose work for you.

If you do not use a real or fake light canister, then route the hose the same way on the right side but stuffed under the belt. Just stuffing the hose in the front between belly and belt and not pulling it to the side leads to frustation. Teenagers and very petite women may have to use a 5' hose if the loop on the left goes too far down the leg.

Secondly, you need to develop the skill to effortlessly clip-off and unclip the primary regulator like you have to do with the SPG. (Plenty of videos on YouTube about this)

It will take a while before this becomes second nature but there is no way around practicing this over and over again. If that's too much to ask for then go ahead, try to reinvent the wheel and end up with something that rolls around like a square.

As far as the typical open water excuse is concerned: I often donated gas to open water dive buddies with much smaller tanks. (After the first doubles I never looked back to a single tank). We did this as an exercise at the beginning of the dive and with a full long hose you can swim side by side easily. That allowed us to dive longer and their reserve gas was still there for me in the very remote case I ever needed it.

 

[KnightDvr]

Many people use a 40" hose with a 70/90/110/swivel as their primary. It's long enough to streamline, long enough to donate comfortably, but less to manage than a long hose.

For me personally, I always have a 7' hose. It's just what I have for all of my primaries, and if I'm not diving with a can light because I'm in open water, I've got my PLB canister and it tucks there. I've never had it come off unintentionally whereas I know other divers that have had issues. I would also never dive in a technical configuration with anything shorter. Once you've got a couple stages, deco gas, reels, lights, bags, etc., there's enough going on that I want anyone I donate to, to be far enough away that I can still do whatever other tasks I need to take care of. Ascending on backgas to your first stop where, theoretically, your buddy should be off your shared backgas and onto their own deco gas, you want enough room to deal with all of the administrative tasks you need to take care of. These considerations generally don't exist in open water diving.

What are you using as a PLB canister and any idea how many pounds positive it is?

 

[JohnnyC]

It's a Light Monkey canister with a blank cap on top instead of a cord/switch. It's slightly negative.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

I apologize, didn't mean to offend anyone.
But I still don't get the 7' hose for rec divers. I mean, it's not like sharing air is an every day occurrence. I've never had to do it except as a demonstration in a class as a DM. 40" was plenty of hose for that purpose.
In the case of a brand new diver, it seems that adding a 7' hose just adds a little more complexity to the learning curve.

I added the 7 feet hose before i did 20 dives, and i must say it had never been any problem.

I feel the routing is much better than standard length, and i prefer primary donate.

As the longhose do not add any complexity or problem, why not use it? Is there anything you can do with a short hose you cannot do with a long?

I tuck my under the knife sheet, i do not use a canister light.