Out of gas - what happens next?

[YukonJack]

Thanks!

 

[BoltSnap]

So what constitutes a long hose for your second stage primary? I'm brand newly certified OW, and have an Air2 alternate, with no octo setup. My dad, my dive buddy, has the same setup. When we dive next, we are going to go through what we do with an OOA situation (i.e. ask for or take my primary, I will go to my Air2 alternate, and then we will ascend together). Thinking it might be useful to get a longer hose but not sure what length is a good length.

A 40" hose for primary and a swivel or elbow are essential for an AirII setup. Since you will be donating the primary out of your mouth, the standard hose that came with it is way too short to be able to share it comfortably/safely with the OOA diver.

 

[Edward3c]

So what constitutes a long hose for your second stage primary? I'm brand newly certified OW, and have an Air2 alternate, with no octo setup. My dad, my dive buddy, has the same setup. When we dive next, we are going to go through what we do with an OOA situation (i.e. ask for or take my primary, I will go to my Air2 alternate, and then we will ascend together). Thinking it might be useful to get a longer hose but not sure what length is a good length.

I used to have that setup, but quickly dropped it for a proper octopus. I was diving will someone with the same when my pressure gauge fell off. They didn't respond to my OOG signal so I took their Air2, now I had their buoyancy controls. My agency doesn't class Air2, or similar, as acceptable Alternate Source regulators, therefore, my insurer doesn't.

 

[RayfromTX]

Two problems with the air 2 which I used to use and my wife still does. It has a larger orifice than an inflator. If it fails or leaks it can flow faster. If the inflator sticks you must disconnect the hose from your inflator. Now you have no alternate/secondary. Life threatening? I doubt it but we're headed to the boat if it happens to my wife.

 

[NAM001]

So what constitutes a long hose for your second stage primary? I'm brand newly certified OW, and have an Air2 alternate, with no octo setup. My dad, my dive buddy, has the same setup. When we dive next, we are going to go through what we do with an OOA situation (i.e. ask for or take my primary, I will go to my Air2 alternate, and then we will ascend together). Thinking it might be useful to get a longer hose but not sure what length is a good length.

Get a 7 foot hose so you can restrain it. is you are really short a 5 foot hose could work.

 

[BoltSnap]

Two problems with the air 2 which I used to use and my wife still does. It has a larger orifice than an inflator. If it fails or leaks it can flow faster. If the inflator sticks you must disconnect the hose from your inflator. Now you have no alternate/secondary. Am I making sense? Life threatening? I doubt it but We're headed to the boat if it happens to my wife.

Anything wrong with the regulator/octo/AirII/BC inflator in ANY equipment configuration irrespective of using Air II or standard octo or anything else, I am ending the dive, do the precautionary-stop if I can and go back to the exit point.

 

[Storker]

Get a 7 foot hose so you can restrain it. is you are really short a 5 foot hose could work.

I like to believe that I'm not "really short" (I'm 170 cm / 5' 8"), but unless you're diving caves and need to share gas while swimming single file, I see no reason for using a 7'/210cm long hose. A 150cm/5' hose is long enough to wrap properly - at least for me, and you don't need a cannister to route the hose under.

 

[halocline]

I like to believe that I'm not "really short" (I'm 170 cm / 5' 8"), but unless you're diving caves and need to share gas while swimming single file, I see no reason for using a 7'/210cm long hose. A 150cm/5' hose is long enough to wrap properly - at least for me, and you don't need a cannister to route the hose under.

I do exactly the same; 7ft in cave, 5ft in OW. It works great.

 

[Storker]

I do exactly the same; 7ft in cave, 5ft in OW.

Well, that's one thing I don't understand. Why are you using different configurations? I'm a simple OW diver, and even I prefer to keep my gear config as consistent as possible. Which has given me grief more than once when I've been on vacation and used a gear config as close to what I'm using at home as practically possible

 

[stuartv]

I like to believe that I'm not "really short" (I'm 170 cm / 5' 8"), but unless you're diving caves and need to share gas while swimming single file, I see no reason for using a 7'/210cm long hose. A 150cm/5' hose is long enough to wrap properly - at least for me, and you don't need a cannister to route the hose under.

I swapped my 7' hose for a 5'. In a drysuit, the hose was running across my inflator, which I did not like. It also routed across the light clipped to my right shoulder strap. The 7' hose did not run across my light or get in the way of my drysuit inflator.

I went back to the 7' hose.

For single tank diving, I have a 40" hose for my primary, which just routes under my right arm. I may try replacing that with my 5' hose and see how I like it. We'll see, as I almost never dive single tank. In the last year, it has only been during DM training, when observing an OW class. For that, I probably need to stick with the 40" hose anyway, use the reg on the bungee necklace as my primary, and put the reg on the 40" hose in an octo holder, so I look like the students.