Octo or Second stage !!!!

[krawlings]

I would like to throw my two cents werth in , And say the origin of the octo started when the breathing set up went from a double hose ,regulater, 1st stage . To the single hose w/ the 1 st stage and 2nd stage .As time and diving advaced the instrument console and alternate 2nd stage was added it looked like an octopus 's legs so came the term octo .Later the term was adopted to just meen the alternate 2nd stage. just a little history

 

[jd950]

I'm guessing rental regs from someplace that orders everything as an octo for simplicity/cost savings. Since they are using them as reef hooks, I suspect the stuff breathes like crap and doesn't last long, so cheaper is better.

Get whatever brand/model/color you like but then secure the things to your body. Please

 

[The Kraken]

Ref Post #8.

the K

 

[jeckyll]

...

Just remember, at some point in a diver's life his "OCTO" may just become her/his dive buddy's PRIMARY second stage. One can develop all sorts of scenarios around this possibility.

But that just me . . .

the K

Of course, for some of us, the "octo" always becomes our regulator if a buddy needs gas.

Just sayin'

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I am a big believer in having your back up reg or octo be of equal quality to your primary as when things go south the odds are you will be breathing on it, not your out of air buddy. Or far more likely if you are like me and both have and use the situaional awareness to ensure your buddy does not go OOA, you will get mugged by someone else's totally unknown and out of air buddy.

In the real world you most often will get mugged for your primary and you will be using the octo. That makes sense anyway as you know the primary works and it makes more sense to hand off the working reg to the diver with the most immediate need. I think agencies that teach donation of the octo are badly out of step with modern practices and safety advances.

Using a long hose primary (5' to 7') makes air share extremely easy, or alternatively if you don't want to go that far yet (I think the long hose will be the OW training agency standard in 10 more years), use a 40" hose with a swivel on the second stage and route it under your right arm and up to your face. It ensures when you get mugged the OOA diver has at leat a 40" hose rather than a 22"-26" primary hose and the swivel makes it easier to route to his or her mouth as well as improving your hose routing.

In either case you can then put the octo on a bungee around your neck where it is always very easy to find just under your chin. With practice and the right bugee lenght you can even access it with no hands.

And it also prevents/cures the really bad dangly issue in the picture above - reef beating aside, dangling the octo virtually ensures it will be filled with crap when you get mugged for your primary and suddenly need your octo.

Dive smart and think beyond the limits of the agency that provided your OW training.

 

[Walter]

Is it OK to do that ??

Sure.

Does Padi approve that ??

Who cares?

Should his Instructor warn him about that ??

Nope.

Does the regulator manufacturers approve that ??

If the octo second stage is not good enough to be used as a primary, it's not good enough to be used as an octo. The only difference is the yellow cover. They have no problems with the practice.

 

[Slonda828]

I would like to throw my two cents werth in , And say the origin of the octo started when the breathing set up went from a double hose ,regulater, 1st stage . To the single hose w/ the 1 st stage and 2nd stage .As time and diving advaced the instrument console and alternate 2nd stage was added it looked like an octopus 's legs so came the term octo .Later the term was adopted to just meen the alternate 2nd stage. just a little history

This is not true. US Divers introduced the "octopus" as we now know if in 1973 (I have the catalog). Many, many, many US Divers single hose regulators were made before 1973, including the conshelf VI, conshelf XI, conshelf XII, deepstar I, deepstar II, Calypso I, Calypso II, Calypso J, Aquadiv, Hydrolung Supreme, etc. Double hose regulators did not cease to be produced by US Divers until 1973. The double hose and single hose were parallel chains of evolution, and there were single hose regulators in the US Divers catalog earlier than 1961.

If you need any factual information I can forward you actual scanned copies of any US Divers catalog from 1960-1975.

The octopus was originally a marketing idea, and a great one at that.

 

[diveandclimb]

I have two identical R190 2nd stages. Many 2nd stages which are marketed as octos are just normal 2nd stages with different colored plastic however many more are actually different in that they are very small or they have side vents so they can be breathed off of more easily.

 

[Slonda828]

I have two identical R190 2nd stages. Many 2nd stages which are marketed as octos are just normal 2nd stages with different colored plastic however many more are actually different in that they are very small or they have side vents so they can be breathed off of more easily.

This is why many of us use the term "alternate second stage" to describe an "octo" that is (in quality) a primary second stage (possibly with yellow trim). This helps differentiate it from a true "octo" which is more commonly an intentionally detuned regulator with an uncomfortably high cracking pressure, poor ergonomics, and little to no exhaust tee.

 

[spectrum]

I would like to throw my two cents werth in , And say the origin of the octo started when the breathing set up went from a double hose ,regulater, 1st stage . To the single hose w/ the 1 st stage and 2nd stage .As time and diving advaced the instrument console and alternate 2nd stage was added it looked like an octopus 's legs so came the term octo .Later the term was adopted to just meen the alternate 2nd stage. just a little history

The Member from Lawrenceville Ga. said it so well I shall take his words as my own. Hey it works on C-SPAN!

The corruption of the octopus term is a pet peeve of mine.

In the end they are all second stages of one quality or another. The alternate being tuned a little stiffer to resist free flow.

Pete