Regulator Necklace on Primary

[Julius SCHMIDT]

The perils of cut and paste

 

[AfterDark]

Air share

It happens, though it's hard to say how frequent.

With sidemount, you would never have an octo, just 1 reg on each tank.

Why is that is that some kind of sidemount rule? If a diver wanted to have a octo on their sidemount rig why not? who's to stop 'em and what harm is done? Personally I think it's overkill which is why remove mine when using my primary on independent doubles.

So here's a good reason to use a necklace on your regs. From the New England section:

F×<[$%> weather
Well let me know next time you plan on going. I have to go back and find the second stage I dropped in the weeds.

F×<[$%> weather | Page 25 | ScubaBoard
The hose blew off the second stage.
About 3/4 through our circuit of the cove I felt a BANG, and the bubble frothing, thought I got hit by something, noticed I could not get air from second stage, thought hose was cut, switched to octopus, and breathed ok, signaled to buddy and ascended with hand up and looked for a boat, but there was none around. My buddy shut off tank air, and I saw the hose had only disconnected, not broken, but by then I had unconsciously dropped the second stage in the weeds. I surface swam back to boat ramp without bothering to look for it due to viz and lack of appropriate gear. My buddy looked a couple minutes but the weeds are deep there.
So now it has become a “Quest” and I will go look for it.

 

[SlugLife]

Why is that is that some kind of sidemount rule? If a diver wanted to have a octo on their sidemount rig why not? who's to stop 'em and what harm is done? Personally I think it's overkill which is why remove mine when using my primary on independent doubles.

Rule? I don't know, are there SideMount scuba police?

I'd be shocked to see any SM diver with an octo, because it would be an entanglement hazard & provide no value.

 

[ATJ]

How many divers that are not DMs or instructors actually have donated in real life, I wonder?

For me, twice in over 40 years of diving. Both times weren't actually out of air but they were both close.

The one I remember best was we were heading back to the exit when my buddy indicated he was very low on air. I still had plenty so I gave him my octopus and had him swim just above me (he was perfectly calm). We ascended to 5m and continued towards the exit until breathing became difficult when we surfaced at the required rate. I think we still did over 3 minutes for a safety stop.

 

[Wibble]

The point of donating the working regulator from your mouth is:

• you know where it is (in your mouth)
• you know it works (you're breathing from it)
• you know it's got the correct gas for that depth (not relevant to recreational divers, but extremely important to deeper divers)
• you've got a lot of skin in the game to make sure you know where your backup regulator is (dangling on a bungee just below your chin)

Or you can just flail around looking for your secondary "octopus" that's been dragging in the dirt, never been used, kinked hoses, etc., etc.

 

[AfterDark]

For me, twice in over 40 years of diving. Both times weren't actually out of air but they were both close.

The one I remember best was we were heading back to the exit when my buddy indicated he was very low on air. I still had plenty so I gave him my octopus and had him swim just above me (he was perfectly calm). We ascended to 5m and continued towards the exit until breathing became difficult when we surfaced at the required rate. I think we still did over 3 minutes for a safety stop.

Fortunately I believe this to be the case generally, for me it has been twice in 53 years once for me, I was OOA because we changed the plan mid dive and I was expected to run OOA as a result. We were both ok with that and because it was so long ago neither of us were using octos so we used the buddy breathing method passing his reg back and forth at the 10' deco stop. Yeah we were a little crazy then but it was all part of the learning experience.

The other time was a one of because I never dove with that diver again, a clown of the 1st order, no SPG, no surface pressure gauge even but he was sure his tank was full. I'm pretty sure if I had continued to dive with that guy I'd be a an air sharing expert by the end of the season! Five minutes into the dive the fool is grabbing at my reg and giving me the OOA sign. I gave him my octo and when up, told him to swim back to shore, I'm going diving.

Then there was the SOB that loaned me a double hose reg he rebuilt, mine was in the shop and we wanted to dive. At 70FSW the reg started delivering water instead of air. I looked around for the "regulator tech" and he's nowhere to be found. This resulted in a CESA from 70FSW and a smashed reg after I got to shore and punches thrown post dive when the "reg tech" showed up.

 

[Altamira]

My primary 2nd stage is bungeed around my head. Holds the reg in my mouth (pretty much, anyway) should I ever go unconscious. Poor man's FFM. haven't heard of anyone else doing this.

I do the same, but am probably the oddity on SB because I bungee both primary and octo around my neck, I use a yellow bungee for the octo which has a yellow short hose and plate, and a black bungee for my primary reg on a 40" hose. Like many others, I plan to donate my primary on the longer hose, but if someone grabs the octo or my primary, the other reg is just a short distance from my mouth. I usually like to breathe from both during the course of the dive, and no, they don't get in the way of each other.

 

[AfterDark]

Air share

It happens, though it's hard to say how frequent.

With sidemount, you would never have an octo, just 1 reg on each tank.

I read some of those OOA posts you linked and as I suspected it seems from what I read that most had only 1 or 2 air sharing tales to tell. Thanks for the link good read.

 

[SlugLife]

I do the same, but am probably the oddity on SB because I bungee both primary and octo around my neck, I use a yellow bungee for the octo which has a yellow short hose and plate, and a black bungee for my primary reg on a 40" hose. Like many others, I plan to donate my primary on the longer hose, but if someone grabs the octo or my primary, the other reg is just a short distance from my mouth. I usually like to breathe from both during the course of the dive, and no, they don't get in the way of each other.

This isn't that unique, among people who actually secure regulators. The two main things to keep in mind with the double-necklace, is (1) can you switch regulators without being tangled. Verify it underwater. The upper regulator can get in the way of the lower one. (2) Can you donate a regulator directly ... without having to slip the necklace over your head/mask/etc? A breakaway-style necklace bungee can do the trick.

This comment isn't necessarily directed at you, but rather anyone who might read this and be considering a similar setup.

I read some of those OOA posts you linked and as I suspected it seems from what I read that most had only 1 or 2 air sharing tales to tell. Thanks for the link good read.

Yeah, I got a sense it was relatively rare as well, but happens. However, even 1-2 instances of something life-saving, is where I'd say it's worth being prepared. It's the same reason I use a pony-bottle; not for the 99.8% of times I won't need it, but for the last 0.2% of times where I might need it.

 

[FinnMom]

I was just pointing out that most regular OW training requires a real snorkel which then makes bungee necklace another thing for a new diver to manage.

At least in Finland, CMAS no longer requires a snorkel, and I expect other will follow. A snorkel is relatively rarely used, so demanding that the standard be wearing one (because you can carry one w/o wearing it) at all times is not reasonable.