The best place to install an octopus?

[dlofting]

I knew there was another reason I went to primary donate....I'd get totally tied up in knots positioning an octo

 

[Dan]

Why do some divers install their regulator octopus on the left?

Here are my reasons for routing my octopus to the left side:
1. I route it from the left port of my 1st stage loop under my left arm and clip it on my left chest D-ring so that when I donate it to my buddy, whom would be facing me, the yellow hose would make a half circle. As @boulderjohn says, if the octopus is coming from the right side, the yellow hose would form an S-shape.
2. I have Seacure custom mouthpiece that is molded to the shape of my teeth (very comfortable BTW) for my primary 2nd stage regulator, so if the panic OOA buddy is trying to rip it off my mouth, he won't be able get it out of my mouth and might end up crashing my face to his.
3. The octopus, being clipped on my left-chest D-ring would free up the right D-ring for clipping my camera.
4. It would be easy to find my primary 2nd stage regulator as there would be only 1 hose coming from the right side. I just stretch my right arm to feel the hose and grab it without worrying about grabbing the octopus' yellow hose.

 

[BlueTrin]

In France we do it that way, I don't know why.

It’s probably for the same reason than in the UK so that when it’s deployed, it is the right way for the receiver?

 

[passeparici]

@BlueTrin Yes I guess that's the reason : easier, no need to turn it around (as it was stated)

 

[Nemrod]

While not universal, usually air supply (critical items) goes from the right side and accessories (non-critical) from the left side. There are exceptions as mentioned, integrated octo/power inflators, independent doubles, pony or slung stages sometimes.

James

 

[amir4arkan]

How happy I am to be among you friends. I wish my English was good so we could talk to each other. In my opinion, having an octopus on the left is more to our advantage if we need to help him, because then the hose will screw less, whether our companion is in front of us or he is swimming on our left. But for our own use, it is easier to be on our right side, so we can use the octopus as a reserve with less twist.

 

[amir4arkan]

Here are my reasons for routing my octopus to the left side:
1. I route it from the left port of my 1st stage loop under my left arm and clip it on my left chest D-ring so that when I donate it to my buddy, whom would be facing me, the yellow hose would make a half circle. As @boulderjohn says, if the octopus is coming from the right side, the yellow hose would form an S-shape.
2. I have Seacure custom mouthpiece that is molded to the shape of my teeth (very comfortable BTW) for my primary 2nd stage regulator, so if the panic OOA buddy is trying to rip it off my mouth, he won't be able get it out of my mouth and might end up crashing my face to his.
3. The octopus, being clipped on my left-chest D-ring would free up the right D-ring for clipping my camera.
4. It would be easy to find my primary 2nd stage regulator as there would be only 1 hose coming from the right side. I just stretch my right arm to feel the hose and grab it without worrying about grabbing the octopus' yellow hose.

View attachment 697831

Thank you for your answer. Just a tip: is the rope that kept you steady due to the high flow of water?

 

[Dan]

Thank you for your answer. Just a tip: is the rope that kept you steady due to the high flow of water?

You are very observant! Yes, I was at Blue Corner, Palau last week.

Blue corner is a pointy plateau (corner) with steep wall, facing blue water. During tide change, the current on top of the corner could be fast. Lots of pelagic fish including sharks like to hang out in the blue water at the edge of the corner wall, feeding on fish food passing by the current. Therefore, lots of actions to watch. To get to that edge of the corner, we enter in the blue water, upstream from that corner, do a negative entry (backroll from the skiff and descent head first), descent and drift into about 60 fsw (20m) where the current is mild and slowly ascent towards the corner with reefhook on hand ready to deploy it. As we reach the corner edge, we quickly find a dead rock pocket to anchor the reefhook and let it go. Now you'd be anchored down for whatever bottom time (NDL) to watch the fish parade, hands free, flying underwater like superman

I'm still putting together my trip video from that dive, so I can't show you what I saw then. However, I have a similar hook-in dive like that when I was in Maldives. It's called Kandu diving, as shown, below:

 

[amir4arkan]

You are very observant! Yes, I was at Blue Corner, Palau last week.

Blue corner is a pointy plateau (corner) with steep wall, facing blue water. During tide change, the current on top of the corner could be fast. Lots of pelagic fish including sharks like to hang out in the blue water at the edge of the corner wall, feeding on fish food passing by the current. Therefore, lots of actions to watch. To get to that edge of the corner, we enter in the blue water, upstream from that corner, do a negative entry (backroll from the skiff and descent head first), descent and drift into about 60 fsw (20m) where the current is mild and slowly ascent towards the corner with reefhook on hand ready to deploy it. As we reach the corner edge, we quickly find a dead rock pocket to anchor the reefhook and let it go. Now you'd be anchored down for whatever bottom time (NDL) to watch the fish parade, hands free, flying underwater like superman

I'm still putting together my trip video from that dive, so I can't show you what I saw then. However, I have a similar hook-in dive like that when I was in Maldives. It's called Kandu diving, as shown, below:

Oh my God. It was unique that I imagined myself next to you. How beautiful it was. Were they Blacktip sharks?

 

[Vicko]

Left side donate works better when the person you donated to swims next to you, right side donate works better when he swims above you, holding on to your valve or with you being above him, holding his.
I hate the awkward way we teach donating in rec diving, with the divers facing each other, we have evolved well past the double hoses regs where this was the easiest way.