Solo Without an Octo

[JackD342]

Already got one, rarely use it as I prefer a bungeed backup. I like diving vintage gear and trying different configurations rather tha make my decisions by reading alone. I rarely get rid of gear once I purchase it, which I should try to change.


Bob

Dive gear, camping gear, cameras, all categories where I would be better off if I didn't care for them as well as I do so they would wear out, or maybe I could break or lose an item or two.

"I would really like a newer/better/cooler one, but there's nothing wrong with this one. Can't believe I wish it would break."

 

[JamesBon92007]

Dive gear, camping gear, cameras, all categories where I would be better off if I didn't care for them as well as I do so they would wear out, or maybe I could break or lose an item or two.

"I would really like a newer/better/cooler one, but there's nothing wrong with this one. Can't believe I wish it would break."

I was thinking about that today, the fact that I was not thinking about my 1983 Sherwood Magnum. It simply works great and it always works how it's supposed to no matter what I'm doing. OTOH, I was thinking about my 35-year-old-mask that suddenly started leaking on a recent dive. It used to be that I couldn't keep a little water in it if I wanted to. Today I must have cleared it 30 times. Maybe it just needs to have the strap tightened.

 

[JackD342]

I was thinking about that today, the fact that I was not thinking about my 1983 Sherwood Magnum. It simply works great and it always works how it's supposed to no matter what I'm doing. OTOH, I was thinking about my 35-year-old-mask that suddenly started leaking on a recent dive. It used to be that I couldn't keep a little water in it if I wanted to. Today I must have cleared it 30 times. Maybe it just needs to have the strap tightened.

Doesn't sound like you are a newbie, so don't take offence, but in case something helps here my basic guidance on leaking masks:
1. Don't exhale through your nose. You break the seal and let in some water.
2. You can also make it leak by overtightening the mask and deforming the skirt.
3. Don't place the strap too low on your head. It should not rub "break" downwards on your ears.
4. For an old mask, carefully fill it with water and rest it on some paper towel. Come back in a bit to see if any of the towel is wet. If so, you've got an honest-to-God leak! (Some masks can be disassembled to remove sand and grit from the seals around the lenses)

 

[Stoo]

I assume 100% of your dives are not solo, so why not rig yourself the way most of the world does. I've seen AIRs in use in emergencies and they're cute and all, but damn, it's not for me.

It's not like an octopus is a huge burden to tote it around. Bungee it around your neck and you won't even notice it... until you need it.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Doesn't sound like you are a newbie, so don't take offence, but in case something helps here my basic guidance on leaking masks:
1. Don't exhale through your nose. You break the seal and let in some water.
2. You can also make it leak by overtightening the mask and deforming the skirt.
3. Don't place the strap too low on your head. It should not rub "break" downwards on your ears.
4. For an old mask, carefully fill it with water and rest it on some paper towel. Come back in a bit to see if any of the towel is wet. If so, you've got an honest-to-God leak! (Some masks can be disassembled to remove sand and grit from the seals around the lenses)

I didn't try the leak test yet. Thanks for the suggestion Of course I have to wait until I get it back...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

When I solo dive I don’t worry about another second stage since it’s just me. I also don’t worry about a pony. To me it’s extra clutter that’s in the way. To much extra crap stressed me out and to me having less is more. Being streamlined increases my level if safety in that I am more agile and can physically escape trouble easier if I have to. A second second stage to me is just one more outlet for my air supply to escape that is pointless for solo diving.
I don’t dive much beyond 50-60 feet. I figure in the worst case scenario if sh!t completely goes off the wall I just go up. I keep my gear in top working order and I’m a fanatic about keeping an eye on on my air supply, depth, time, etc. Sure there is more risk doing it this way but I look at the acceptable level of risk. There is risk in everything we do. I’m actually at more risk of getting injured driving to and from the dive site. I have no control over the oncoming driver on a two lane road that swerves into me head on at the last second. Diving solo there is no such risk of another person ruining your day. There is a probability of shark attacks that may equal the other risks of solo diving, which there is nothing that can be done to minimize other than stay out of the water and don’t dive where sharks are. And where would that be exactly in Northern California?
When I was diving my DA Aquamaster there was nowhere to route another second stage, so I just got used to the fact that I had one mouthpiece to breathe off and that was it. If something goes wrong, blows out, shuts down, I just go up.

These days it seems like more times than not I’m diving with someone in a buddy situation, so I do have a bungeed second under my chin and a longer primary hose. It’s to make them happy not me, I could care less. It’s more cluttery to buddy dive and to really make it work you have to count on the buddy to be either a good donor or good recipient. Neither of these are guaranteed.
To flipside the coin, many of the people who buddy with me are still using some archaic safe second stuffed into a BC pocket somewhere. or clipped off in the ‘triangle’. God only knows if the thing works or not, or what kind of a cluster it would if they had to actually deploy it, or even find it in a pinch. The other half uses an Air2 bit many still use a 36” hose for their primary, like there would actually be enough room to do a proper ascent without being in each others faces! I’ve tried to explain this to them many times but they claim they don’t like the longer length.
That’s why I always have a solo frame of mind.

 

[SoloMonkey]

I use two totally independent regulators always. Always 1st class full power variants, none of the air 2 or other silly second rate backup regulators.
If you are solo diving then there is no other backup.
I.e. at minimum get a French style cylinder with 2 outlets, so it becomes an "Indy Single" and then apply the single and pony regs to that or in my case the two primaries to it.

For the whole hog then there is the option of using two differing manufacturers with different modes of operation for full redundancy. Like an Apeks on one post and a Poseidon on the other. One Upstream and the other downstream.

 

[happy-diver]

Hey man what happened to your pony bottle man, did you trade it for some weed?

 

[Nemrod]

My current typical solo rig for single tank. I am using the Argonaut Kraken for back air, a single hose regulator with Mark V first on an aux (pony) bottle slung. I typically just leave the aux bottle (19 or 30 cf) and backup regulator bungeed/secured to the aux bottle. But I may sometimes, if diving a single hose for back air, then run the backup reg on a longer hose around and behind and bungee to my neck. I cannot do this with the DH Kraken without the backup second stage hose being trapped under the Kraken hoses. The Kraken is equipped with the VDH DSV. I am using the VDH universal single tank plate and here the Oxy 30 wing, though for less exposure suit I may use a VDH Argonaut 18 or 24 wing.

Nemrod

 

[Nemrod]

I will add something before I go off again somewheres. I would understand leaving an octopus regulator in place, the additional failure possibility and complication is fairly minimal as pointed out. But, some folks have more than one regulator set up. I lost counting when I ran out of fingers and toes and had not yet put a dent in my regulator combos. Yep, I have rigs for kayak, for solo, for solo kayak, for twinset, for independent manifold twinset, for independent doubles, for aux bottles, for deco, for beach, for vintage, for cool factor (just sold one really cool one off to a new home). The point being, regulators can be expensive, but one can never have really too many, unless the wife figures it out or run out of days to dive them all, which is becoming more my issue I fear. The former, not the later, lol. N