Rebreather with a long hose

[KevinNM]

Thanks for the pictures and docs guys. That is basically what I was looking for. I don't see a backup 2nd stage on a bungee necklace (BOV instead), but the long hose coming off the right post is still there. I think the use is for mixed teams where you may have to bail out an OC diver and go through a single-file restriction.

My recollection is that UTD trains to have the long hose around the neck still, but I don't get that setup. I could see it tucked into the belt and just clipped off though.

There is a left post backup, apparently you can choose it to be a BOV or a second stage. My impression is that GUE doesn't typically run mixed teams (outside of skill development or practice diving), if you need a rebreather for that dive everyone else is going to need one too. There are enough odd things that can go on with your tanks on a really bad day that being able to use someone else gas to get out might be lifesaving. And the whole random diver running out of gas sees you and decides you are going to give him a reg...

 

[KenGordon]

OK, so let me start off by saying that if you think it's a dumb or useless idea to have a long hose on your rebreather, then please feel free to read this thread but please refrain from posting your opinion .

If you're going to keep the long hose on your rebreather (CCR or SCR) do you loop the long hose around your neck like the UTD guys seem to teach, or do you just tuck it into your belt and clip it off on your right d-ring?

If anyone has any pictures of their config that would be great, thanks.

I use a long hose on my deep bailout. It is bungeed along the (left slung) cylinder and held by a silicone octopus holder round my neck for my bailout and so any OC diver can take it. Previously I used a standard length hose and found it more awkward as there was not really enough to stow under bungee, with the long hose I just pull out the correct length.

I usually dive with OC buddies. My instructor loops his deep bailout behind his neck. He is not concerned with ease of donation as a CCR buddy will never need gas quickly.

Ps my long hose regulator is an XTX reversed so that the gas comes from the left.

 

[KenGordon]

All of the backmount CCR cave divers that I know that aren't diving with the GUE style rigs *i.e. the "normal" rigs with either o2/dil on the back, or dual O2 on the back and dilout on the sides* have at least one tank with a long hose on it on the off chance that some poor bugger needs help that isn't part of their team, but also on the offchance that you have to or choose to dive in a mixed team. Doesn't really change that much of the gear configuration, for anyone. These guys will usually have sidemount bailout and in this case, instead of the long hose doing a modified hog loop like it would in OC sidemount, it comes straight up and clips to the right shoulder d-ring with the left hand/short hose bottle going up in the normal suicide strap routing. Short hose is still "my hose" and is on the left, consistent with OC sidemount diving. Long hose is still on the right, arguably where it should be with a "normal" regulator so the hose doesn't cross under the diver in an OOA event, and is clipped off for easy deployment if it comes to that. If they have stages, the stage goes out first with the reg going to the diver and then the whole bottle. If they need more, then the long hose is available.

I do not understand what "Long hose is still in the right." means. Which cylinder is this coming from? A deep bailout? Where is that - left or right?

 

[tbone1004]

I do not understand what "Long hose is still in the right." means. Which cylinder is this coming from? A deep bailout? Where is that - left or right?

in most sidemount configurations the right hose will be on the right hand bottle. If using sidemounted bailout, the bailout is configured in a similar configuration to what is done on the open circuit setups

 

[KenGordon]

in most sidemount configurations the right hose will be on the right hand bottle. If using sidemounted bailout, the bailout is configured in a similar configuration to what is done on the open circuit setups

I still don't understand. Are saying that you'd have a long hose on the right hand (shallow) bailout but not on the left hand (deep) bailout?

 

[tbone1004]

I still don't understand. Are saying that you'd have a long hose on the right hand (shallow) bailout but not on the left hand (deep) bailout?

both tanks are the same mix. Cave diving, not ocean, so redundant bottom mix bailout in this case since the shallow mixes would be staged and dropped off. In the ocean you wouldn't need a big volume of gas to go anywhere except up, in the caves you could easily be taking 500cf of the same bailout mix just to get you back to your decompression bottles

 

[KenGordon]

both tanks are the same mix. Cave diving, not ocean, so redundant bottom mix bailout in this case since the shallow mixes would be staged and dropped off. In the ocean you wouldn't need a big volume of gas to go anywhere except up, in the caves you could easily be taking 500cf of the same bailout mix just to get you back to your decompression bottles

Doesn't that lead to differing take options depending on the site, depth etc? Say it was only a small dive with just a single 80 required for bailout. Where does it go?

 

[tbone1004]

you would ideally bring a pair of AL40's or LP45's/50's instead of a single 80 for those kinds of dives in a cave.

those that are bringing a single bailout tank with sidemount are putting the long hose on the single bottle and if that bottles is on the right, i.e. breather on the left, then it can either fully hog loop to a necklace or the d-ring or come straight up and clip on the right shoulder d-ring. If bottle is on the left, i.e. breather on the right, then it will usually come up and around the neck on a necklace.

Bit of imagination required, but this video shows one of the ways the long hose is handled when it is on the left in sidemount, so this is one way to route it. It also shows short hose on the right bottle, which with a bit of imagination is how you could run the long hose on the right if it just clips to the right shoulder d-ring. Just imagine the hose is much longer so instead of tucking it into your arm pit you would have it run down the tank through the tank bands

 

[txapacheguy]

Diving an Optima with sidemounted bail outs. Golem BOV plumbed to my onboard diluent and to my right side bail out with a quick release fitting. Right side bailout has its second stage on a short hose, bungied to the tank valve/1st stage area.

The long hose is on my left side bailout tank with the second stage bungied near the tank valve/first stage area, and the excess hose is secured to the tank with bungies and/or large rubber bands. There is also a standard LP inflator hose attached to both bailouts for drysuit inflation, or to plug into my manual gas "add valves" on my CCR.

The logic for keeping the long hose on my left side is that it is easier to disconnect the entire bottle from my rig to donate if necessary, since I use my right side bailout to feed my drysuit and my BOV most days. That said, this configuration might not be optimal for everyone's CCR and diving style.

 

[TotDoc]

In a cave with twin sidemounted bailouts, I keep a long hose stashed on my right tank, and it is stowed like a stage bottle. Charged, then turned off, hose stowed in the tank bands with the reg tucked in next to the tank neck. I carry it in case I come upon an open circuit diver in a cave that is having an issue, or if I want to buddy up with an open circuit diver so that I have something to donate. Worst case scenario, it's the second half of my bailout if I have a CCR failure at max penetration - especially if it's a CO2 issue where my SAC rate would be through the roof. My left bottle connects directly into my BOV via omniswivel connection. That bottle is my main bailout, and in gas planning, it is always planned on being mine. It has no normal reg attached. In the case of a planned mixed team, I would leave the bottle turned on, but I would still store the reg like a stage bottle. It's not hard to pull that out in a hurry, if needed.

I don't like clipping off the reg to my right d-ring because it seems too easy for that extra hose to hang down and get caught on something and get accidentally deployed if it is not wrapped around my neck. I don't like having a hose I'd plan to donate being wrapped around my neck while I'm on the loop, though, since that would require me to close my loop and remove it from my mouth to be able to deploy the long hose. That seems more complicated and less safe than deploying it directly from a stage like configuration.

I don't see anything wrong with diving a mixed team and carrying a long hose for donation. I plan the gas I carry on my rebreather to match the amount of gas my open circuit teammate would be carrying at turn pressure - that results in inherent gas matching, and if they are following thirds, they would only need access to one of my tanks to safely exit.

If I'm doing a simple open water dive with a single bailout, I only carry a single left side mounted bailout tank. I have a hose that connects to my BOV in this config, but I also run a reg on a long hose to donate. I still store it like a stage reg. It's obviously always on in this config, as it's connected to my BOV, and I like to keep that live at all times. This makes it easy for me to donate a reg, and it allows me to have some space between myself and another diver in a donation situation, which is kind of nice. I usually carry a 5' hose for open circuit in open water for purposes of donation, but honestly, it's not any harder to store the 7' hose, and makes it so I don't have to change around hoses based on where I am diving...