Should octos be yellow?

[nolatom]

I've acquired an all-black reg, which will serve as my new octo (mine is a conventional non-DIR/Hogarth rig).

Should I paint it, or at least the purge button, yellow? I assume the idea is to have a bright color so OOA Joe will rip that alternate reg off my chest instead of ripping my primary out of my mouth, si?

Any reason not to paint it and leave it black?


Graci for wisdom.

 

[Angry Turtle]

I would leave as is. Ideally you and your partner discuss OOA procedures prior to the dive and know what to grab. Many actually donate the reg they have in their mouth purposely.

Even if that is not your preference, you should be ready and comfortable to get your alternate anyway, should OOA Joe yank your primary out or clumsy Clancy kick it out.

 

[boulderjohn]

I used to use a conventional setup with a yellow octo. When I switched to a Hogarthian setup, I was afraid some OOA diver would spot the yellow and go for it without signalling, which would not be a good solution to the problem. I therefore ordered a new faceplate for the octo. The company made the same regulator in both yellow and black versions, and it only cost me a couple bucks to switch.

 

[Angry Turtle]

I used to use a conventional setup with a yellow octo. When I switched to a Hogarthian setup, I was afraid some OOA diver would spot the yellow and go for it without signalling, which would not be a good solution to the problem. I therefore ordered a new faceplate for the octo. The company made the same regulator in both yellow and black versions, and it only cost me a couple bucks to switch.

Since I am frugal (read cheapskate ) when I was in that situation I just used the yellow faced second as my primary. So if OOA Joe/Jane came to me would still grab it off my mouth.

 

[faze]

I'm all in favour for making the octo as highly visible as possible, not that it makes a huge difference in reality as the closest working reg is what gets grabbed.

 

[Teller]

Yellow is one of the first colors to be filtered at depth anyways. Just leave it black and make sure OOG situation is covered in your predive brief.

 

[emoreira]

We were taught to handle the main second and pickup the octo for ourselves. This is the SSI philosophy. This is because the Diver in Distress has no time to ask for air and wait until we can handle the octo which is normally holding by the octo holder, which ever it is.
The donor diver is not in emergency so, he has time to pick up the octo.
This philosophy is also usefull in case of Air-2 like octos (octo inflator).
In this scenario, there is no reason for the octo to be yellow.

I dive with the octo hanging in front of me with a necklace, so I cannot give the octo. I must give the main second.

 

[boulderjohn]

The idea that the OOA diver will just grab the one in your mouth is repeated regularly on threads like this, but I have never seen any evidence that this is in fact the most common occurrence. In every case I know of, the OOA diver reached for and took the alternate. (It was not donated.)

Yellow is not filtered out for a while (the reds and oranges go first), and even when it is filtered out, you are left with a light colored regulator that should stand out from a wet suit/BCD instead of a black one that blends in.

 

[Guba]

I have to agree with BoulderJohn. Of all the OOA situations I've witnessed or been told about, I know of only one that MIGHT have "grabbed the primary" first, though I'm pretty sure that was discussed between the divers in pre-dive and it was planned that way. As a former lifeguard, I well know the effects of panicked swimmers, but I can truly say that the people I dive with usually have thought out their strategies beforehand and rely upon their training. Octos have either been offered or sought out by the OOA diver with urgency, but I can honestly say without panic.
It's a matter of personal perspective, but I've always thought donating the primary was a little..er...odd. The reason is simple: When a diver either offers his primary or the primary is removed by an OOA diver, for a brief period BOTH divers are technically "out of air", if only for a few moments. To me, this sounds like a driver or pilot in a critical situation taking both hands off the controls. It makes more sense to me to offer the octo and have at least ONE diver in full control of his personal gear during the crisis.

But that's just me. The best advice I've heard thus far is for dive partners to have their system worked out well in advance and then stick to the plan.

 

[boulderjohn]

I do donate my primary now. I came to that decision a couple of years ago when I read a story of a woman in Europe who drowned. She was OOA, and she calmly went to her buddy to get his alternate. Unfortunately, it had come out of its holder during the dive, and it had become stuck behind him. The search for it did not go well.

If I donate my primary, I am OK during the transition. I can remain calm without a regulator in my mouth for quite some time. It does not have to be long, though, for I can have the alternate secured below my chin in a second.

The problem I have with the traditional octo system is that it is designed to come out of its holder with ease--it is supposed to. Because of that, it does come out of its holder with ease, even when you don't want it to. In contrast, the alternate around the neck is designed to stay there, and it is therefore almost certain to be there when it is needed.