Regulator Set up - input from more experienced divers, please

[Divin'Papaw]

I used to have a 7' hose on my primary but have gone to a 5' hose since I'm no longer doing any technical diving nor am I diving in an overhead. Being only 5'8" I found the 7' a bit too unwieldly for recreational diving. I like the 5' hose very much. It routes nicely under my right arm, around the left side of my neck, around the back of my neck and then into my mouth from the right without any extra to hose to manage. It is still long enough to provide ample room for air sharing in open water. If I ever start tech diving again or get into any overhead diving I'd go back to the 7' hose.

I'm not a fan of inflator integrated regulators. I prefer a bungeed alternate on a 22" hose. I also prefer my alternate to be of the same quality of a 2nd stage as my primary. In an emergency that's the one I'm breathing.

 

[grf88]

Having donated my primary on a number of occasions I am glad I did not adopt the use of an octo on my inflator. They may work well in a practice air share but I doubt they would be that good when the SHTF.

 

[Paul Desmarais]

Thank you all for the input. This is really helpful.

The reassurance for my reg choice is comforting. I've tried a dozen different systems and cannot say I disliked any of them, but I like the idea of having equipment that makes sense for now, but I can grown into if I get more serious later.

I think the octo-inflator "anti" arguments sound like good advice. In an emergency I think donating off the primary and having the safe-second right there on my neck intuitively seems safer. I have only had to donate air three times so far, but twice the panic from the other diver forced me to hand over my primary and use my octo.

I think I will go for the 24" necklace and for the primary hose, the consensus seems to be 5'-7'. I am 6'1" and 250lb. so maybe a bit bigger than most.

Thank you all for your wisdom.

 

[grf88]

Thank you all for the input. This is really helpful.

The reassurance for my reg choice is comforting. I've tried a dozen different systems and cannot say I disliked any of them, but I like the idea of having equipment that makes sense for now, but I can grown into if I get more serious later.

I think the octo-inflator "anti" arguments sound like good advice. In an emergency I think donating off the primary and having the safe-second right there on my neck intuitively seems safer. I have only had to donate air three times so far, but twice the panic from the other diver forced me to hand over my primary and use my octo.

I think I will go for the 24" necklace and for the primary hose, the consensus seems to be 5'-7'. I am 6'1" and 250lb. so maybe a bit bigger than most.

Thank you all for your wisdom.

With under 100 dives and having to donate air 3 time already. Ouch!

 

[tmassey]

I think the octo-inflator "anti" arguments sound like good advice. In an emergency I think donating off the primary and having the safe-second right there on my neck intuitively seems safer. I have only had to donate air three times so far, but twice the panic from the other diver forced me to hand over my primary and use my octo.

It’s interesting that you described this. I’m really surprised: three times in under 100 dives seems like a lot…

I’ve mentioned before that my open water instructor described the octo as not being for your buddy, but for *you* when your body steals your primary regulator in an actual out of air emergency. The last time I mentioned that, I received pushback that others had never seen that in any out of air incident, ever. I’ve never had one either way, so I can’t say. In incidences I have been around, the diver with air instinctively gave the other diver the regulator in their mouth, because it was by far the easiest thing to do at that moment! (ETA: 100% of these were “standard” recreational divers using “standard” secondary donate (“octo”) configurations — and therefore contrary to training! )

Ever since being pushed back on, I’ve paid attention to other peoples’ stories. It’s nice to hear your incidents as well.

just to answer your original question, I agree with many other people: personally, I use a long hose on my primary regulator, which I will donate to the out of gas diver, and switch to a back up hanging from a necklace around my neck. After years of using it, it is completely comfortable, streamlined and second nature. However, it did take a couple of years to get to that point with a 7 foot hose. I am 6‘2“, and even then sometimes it was difficult to know what to do with all that hose.

If you’re not going to be in an overhead environment, a 5 foot hose is often a common choice to hit the sweet spot of flexibility, usability and simplicity. Often with a 90° or swivel to ease jaw fatigue and improve hose routing.

At for the choice of brand: hog is a very solid brand chosen frequently by technical divers. There are a handful of similar designs on the market provided by hog, deep six, dive rite and others. Out of that collection of brands providing similar designs, other features probably help break the tie: cost of course, but also availability, commonality with other divers around you, availability of parts and service, etc. It’s really hard to go wrong with any of them.

 

[formernuke]

I use a 7ft for my primary and 22 inch for necklace.

I personally think the integrated octo with inflator is a problem looking for a solution.

Important thing is to practice and be comfortable with your configuration.

For the hose if you don't use a can light a set of shears in a pouch is a good substitute.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

consider the complications of you using your inflator to exhaust on a stressed ascent while someone is breathing from it

that was enough to make me switch off the ss1

i liked it otherwise

 

[Bob DBF]

I personally think the integrated octo with inflator is a problem looking for a solution.

Actually back in 1979 when the first Air 1 was sold, and a majority of divers were still using one second stage ( I went to an alternate for rec diving in '81 ) it was one of the solutions for people wanting an alternate second. It was no big deal to hand another one's primary, since buddy breathing was being taught in OW.

It's best feature was being out of the way, since it's use would be quite infrequent. The worst was the price. I used an Air2 clone for four or five years and it worked as well for me as any other alternate, before or since. Other than trading off from my primary, or practice, I never had to use it in an actual emergency.

Important thing is to practice and be comfortable with your configuration.

This is the key. Even buddy breathing isn't so bad if one practices.

The lack of watermanship skills has ingrained the idea that a reg needs to be in one's mouth constantly so I see why donating the alternate is popular. However donating the primary doesn't seem to be a problem for some divers.

 

[lexvil]

In 50+ years as a diver I have never had to hand off my air supply to another diver, I acknowledge that it’s a possibility but a very very small one. If the small but not impossible situation happens my plan is to head for the surface ASAP and I can do that many ways, buddy breathing is how it was done for a long time and it still works, as Bob points out there is this real fear of taking ones regulator out of ones mouth, it’s really something that should be emphasized more in training, practice switching, practice using the purge button etc.

“What if’s” are endless, a huge reserve air supply is always (normal recreational) close by, don’t panic, which is enforced by practice, and head for the reserve supply (surface) it’s not hard or complicated yet to many are driven unfounded and often reinforced fear.

 

[formernuke]

In 50+ years as a diver I have never had to hand off my air supply to another diver, I acknowledge that it’s a possibility but a very very small one. If the small but not impossible situation happens my plan is to head for the surface ASAP and I can do that many ways, buddy breathing is how it was done for a long time and it still works, as Bob points out there is this real fear of taking ones regulator out of ones mouth, it’s really something that should be emphasized more in training, practice switching, practice using the purge button etc.

“What if’s” are endless, a huge reserve air supply is always (normal recreational) close by, don’t panic, which is enforced by practice, and head for the reserve supply (surface) it’s not hard or complicated yet to many are driven unfounded and often reinforced fear.

I've done it once, about 50 dives in.