Regulator hose length

[FM1520]

I would donate my primary reg and use my octo/air-source 3 in an OOA situation. My current primary hose length is 28" which is too short, I have and extra hose which 35" which I could swap out. Is there a recommended hose length for the primary reg for this set up? Thanks.

 

[Hatul]

I don't use this setup but the standard octo hose is 36 in and I think it would be difficult to share air with anything shorter, because you have to flip the reg around so it's coming from his right side.

 

[Peter_C]

5' routed under the right arm, across the chest, behind the head, and into your mouth. Everything is kept close to the body, so no errant swimming hands snag the reg from your mouth, yet when you want to donate, there can be enough room to separate so both divers can stay in trim for the ascent.

I personally use a 7' hose, but have a can light to tuck it under.

 

[AaronRiot]

If I only had those two choices, I'd choose the longer.

If I had a choice of hoses, I'd say longer is better. But I like my personal space...

 

[claymore]

You could get a coupler connect the two together, I know he will DIE, and have a hose that is a little over 5'. SOME people find that a standard rubber 5" hose routed in the long hose fashion can cause reg pull because of the stiffnes of the hose and not enough hose length to get a large enough loop on the right side of the neck.

 

[Akimbo]

I don't use this setup but the standard octo hose is 36 in and I think it would be difficult to share air with anything shorter, because you have to flip the reg around so it's coming from his right side.

A 28" hose was never a problem the very few times I was in a position that donating or receiving gas from an octo was necessary. Unless you are exiting a submarine hatch or a small hole in a cave it was natural for one diver to grab the other’s harness and stare in each other’s eyes until hitting sunshine.

 

[Bob DBF]

A 28" hose was never a problem the very few times I was in a position that donating or receiving gas from an octo was necessary. Unless you are exiting a submarine hatch or a small hole in a cave it was natural for one diver to grab the other’s harness and stare in each other’s eyes until hitting sunshine.

I always thought that having an octo was quite a step up. The "it was natural for one diver to grab the other’s harness and stare in each other’s eyes until hitting sunshine" came from sharing the one 2nd you had, old habits are hard to shake.


Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Akimbo]

…The "it was natural for one diver to grab the other’s harness and stare in each other’s eyes until hitting sunshine" came from sharing the one 2nd you had, old habits are hard to shake…

Maybe it was a habit from buddy-breathing, but I always considered eye-to-eye contact a form or communications and reassurance during a stressful time.

 

[halocline]

A 28" hose was never a problem the very few times I was in a position that donating or receiving gas from an octo was necessary. Unless you are exiting a submarine hatch or a small hole in a cave it was natural for one diver to grab the other’s harness and stare in each other’s eyes until hitting sunshine.

Well you can still get up close and personal with a 5 ft hose, you're just not forced to. It's very hard to argue against the use of a longer hose for air sharing; it's MUCH more comfortable and convenient.

Using a coupler to connect two reg hoses is exactly what I did for a long time until I finally relented and bought a 5 ft hose. It's an excellent idea to find the exact length that works best (for many divers 5ft is just a couple of inches shorter than ideal). It's a good way to get used to the modified hogarthian routing as described above. You put your alternate on a short hose, 22-24", and make a bungie necklace to fasten it under your chin.

 

[Peter_C]

I agree eye contact is very important in stressful situations, and we were trained to keep eye contact, of course staying in trim, while performing a controlled ascent. In one of the two times I have had someone go OOA on me, I grabbed him by the shoulder straps and brought him to the surface, including venting his BC for him, while using my 7' hose for donation. It really depends on who the diver is, and the situation at hand. I prefer having "options".

If someone is worried about flexibility of the hose, a Miflex could solve any complaints. I prefer a rubber hose and find the Halcyon hoses to be of top quality with a much thinner hose diameter allowing it to flex better than other cheaper hoses. You get what you pay for. Miflex ain't cheap either. Some folks complain of the Miflex hoses being too soft.