Octo on right , or left side?

[Centrals]

I’m not really certain why you seem so upset by my posts regarding the article. And, no, I’m not going to try it out as I have no interest in that configuration. That shouldn’t preclude me from participating in this conversation, though. If you would like to engage me in a discussion regarding theoretical pros and cons of left side octo routing, which is what this tread is about, I am all for it. Otherwise, I think our exchanges should end here.

Respectfully
Erik

You have no idea the configuration of long hose(primary donating) with the Octo(right-handed) sitting below the chin!!!! How would you run a LP hose from the left side of the 1st stage to a Octo(right-handed) hanging below the chin? The Octo is the one that I used after donating the primary.
Why would I want to use a left-handed Octo and clustered myself with three hoses coming out from the left side of the 1st stage.
Any configuration should be the same for any form of recreational diving whether it is cold or warm water.

Did I get upset? NO I have my standard to deal with.....

Left or right? Nada! At the apex of a triangle.

 

[SlugLife]

Just to clarify, was it upside down for you or the person you would donate to? I’m asking because, if I am understanding the pros and cons as stated by @rick00001967, the octo would be right side up for the oog buddy without having to s-curve the hose, but a bit more difficult for the you to use if you needed to ditch your primary for it.

Solo-diving (sidemount), not air-sharing. I usually route the left-hose behind my head. This time I just routed it straight up chest instead.

I don't think most divers would really notice or care much in an air-share scenario if it's upside down. We might need more people to report of it bothers them in the water. It might sometimes depend on the style of reg as well.

 

[RIHappyDiver]

You have no idea the configuration of long hose(primary donating) with the Octo(right-handed) sitting below the chin!!!! How would you run a LP hose from the left side of the 1st stage to a Octo(right-handed) hanging below the chin? The Octo is the one that I used after donating the primary.
Why would I want to use a left-handed Octo and clustered myself with three hoses coming out from the left side of the 1st stage.
Any configuration should be the same for any form of recreational diving whether it is cold or warm water.

Did I get upset? NO I have my standard to deal with.....

Left or right? Nada! At the apex of a triangle.

The OP stated that this thread is about octo on the right vs octo on the left. So in a traditional triangle, not in a primary donate setup, which, by the way, is what I use. So, may statements have all been in regards to that traditional setup of an octo being tucked somewhere around the waist band, not on a necklace around the neck.

 

[AfterDark]

You have no idea the configuration of long hose(primary donating) with the Octo(right-handed) sitting below the chin!!!! How would you run a LP hose from the left side of the 1st stage to a Octo(right-handed) hanging below the chin? The Octo is the one that I used after donating the primary.
Why would I want to use a left-handed Octo and clustered myself with three hoses coming out from the left side of the 1st stage.
Any configuration should be the same for any form of recreational diving whether it is cold or warm water.

Did I get upset? NO I have my standard to deal with.....

Left or right? Nada! At the apex of a triangle.

Most everyone we dive with do not do primary donate with octo necklaced. I do not donate my primary that stays in my mouth so that leaves me donating my octo on a 40" hose.

Personally I prefer the old school buddy breathing. It keeps both divers in close contact and IMO that proximity can be used to help calm an anxious diver. Part of buddy breathing has both divers holding on to each other's shoulder strap with the free hand while sharing the one regulator with the other. This gives an anxious diver some sense of security and it also gives the donating diver the ability to have some control over the other diver. Of course that can work both ways.

Edit: I do sometimes dive with a double hose regulator, it is modified to have 2 HP and 2 LP so I can use a SPG and an octo reg. That 2nd stage is routed from the right hand side on a 40" hose.

 

[AfterDark]

Well, actually seeing the color yellow no, but compared to black it will obviously be lighter in color value even down deep.

How about green? Green was the current color. a change to yellow was suggested.

Personally I don't rely on colors, I use feel. I can tell one 2nd stage from the other by the differences in the way they feel.

My primary 2nd has a slotted adjusting knob, my octo has a knurled adjusting knob, my pony 2nd stage has no adjusting knob.

When I use my IDs my right side reg has the knurled adjusting knob and my left reg has the slotted adjusting knob.

Much more reliable IMO.

 

[AfterDark]

Solo-diving (sidemount), not air-sharing. I usually route the left-hose behind my head. This time I just routed it straight up chest instead.

I don't think most divers would really notice or care much in an air-share scenario if it's upside down. We might need more people to report of it bothers them in the water. It might sometimes depend on the style of reg as well.

All those bubbles in someone's face may have a negative effect, depends.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

How about green? Green was the current color. a change to yellow was suggested.

Personally I don't rely on colors, I use feel. I can tell one 2nd stage from the other by the differences in the way they feel.

My primary 2nd has a slotted adjusting knob, my octo has a knurled adjusting knob, my pony 2nd stage has no adjusting knob.

When I use my IDs my right side reg has the knurled adjusting knob and my left reg has the slotted adjusting knob.

Much more reliable IMO.

I thought green was for O2?

 

[AfterDark]

I thought green was for O2?

Yes sir you are correct. That was the point that was made in the post, that it was confusing. Maybe you can go back and read the thread.

 

[SlugLife]

The OP stated that this thread is about octo on the right vs octo on the left. So in a traditional triangle, not in a primary donate setup, which, by the way, is what I use. So, may statements have all been in regards to that traditional setup of an octo being tucked somewhere around the waist band, not on a necklace around the neck.

Intuitively, sticking a regulator-hose in your waistband, seems mostly about what can easily be taught to Open Water students in rental gear. Many other configurations require more specific setups; such as d-rings in the right-place, necklaces, retainers, clips, and/or long-hose.

All those bubbles in someone's face may have a negative effect, depends.

Maybe. I didn't notice. I'm just suggesting other people should give it a try. I can think of intuitive reasons why it might be awkward, such as the regulator sticking up may start to enter your field of view, but in practice it seemed to work just fine. I only used it for about 5 minutes that way, before switching it back to the right with the hose behind my head to the right-side.

I think I had either a Scubapro G250 or S550 on the left, I'll have to double-check.

 

[Jacob BV]

Within BSAC in the UK (I beleive the largest agency we have here), the norm is for the primary to be on a short hose on the right of the diver and breathed at all times; the octo to is on a 90cm hose and comes under the left arm and clips somewhere in the magical triangle; SPG, inflator and drysuit hoses to go whichever way works best for your first stage. The octo is either donated or taken from here. (I don't dive like this anymore but it is how I learnt and how I teach my trainees in our club)

This isn't enforced in BSAC but due to how the non-profit BSAC clubs run, each club will have say 10-30 SCUBA sets for trainees/new people and in about 95% of clubs they will be set up like this and your instructor will teach you like this. If someone buys some regs that don't work well with this a good instructor will find an alternative.

Some of the logic for this is:

• In the UK when you buy a reg set they come with right handed regs (yes some regs are reversable), one on a short hose one on a 90cm hose. A non-profit club is unlikely to buy new hoses to change this.
• A right handed second stage routed around the left on a 90cm hose is much easier for the out of gas (OOG) diver to breath from as it is already orriented correctly for them. If the 90cm hose was longer, this would be more of a mute point - but see point above, we tend to have 90cm hoses when using club kit. This does mean it's harder to breath your own octo, and many trainees in their pool lessons put the second stage in their mouth the wrong way and we have to train it out of them - with a good instructor this is not an issue. The logis to have it on the left is that it's more important that it breaths well for the OOG diver as this is likely a more stressfull/harder situation to deal with.
• In the UK we are typically in drysuits and the trainees/new divers in 5mm gloves, meaning dexterity is assumed harder, we also asume poor vis - having one reg hose routed left and one right clears the right a bit so that during a reg retrival drill (i.e. you loose your primary reg from your moath and you wish to recover it, I believe this drill is in the ISO for all agencies) there is only one hose over there. In the assumed, cold, dark, low vis, 5mm glove enviroment feeling for the correct hose is thought harder, only having one loose hose that side avoids this (inflater, SPG and drysuit hoses are kept clean, for example under shoulder straps or bungeed down).

I do not argue any of the above is better or correct, simply that it is the norm in the UK (at least while you are still borrowing kit), and there is some logic to it. The growing trend is people do this until they buy a twinset, then they start optimising their hose lengths and 50% of people go to a primary donate set up.