Using A Long Hose Isn't Just For Tech Divers

[The Kraken]

I am not a technical diver. I do penetration dives on wrecks from time to time, but nothing to the extent of the Andrea or submarines. That aside, most of my dives are of the recreational nature, but many of those are in cold water with very low visibility.

One thing I try to do is to plan for an incident, prepare to avert it and, if it occurs, handle as best I can within the scope of my training and experience.

I'd never come across the long hose configuration until READING ABOUT IT ON SCUBABOARD. However, reading the numerous posts about it's advantages and disadvantages and logically weighing that which I deemed to be good, sound information, both pro and con, I elected to employ the method because it makes sound, logical sense and, in my estimation, adds an additional level of safety to my recreational diving.

Have I taken a GUE or DIRF class in order to be able to implement the proper emergency procedures governing the use of the long primary hose? - No.

I have practiced the deployment of the hose in many, many simulated OOA situations and am as comfortable doing that as handing someone and octo from a keeper on a harness.

To insinuate that one cannot perform a task properly by not taking a class is completely without foundation.

Sort of like saying I can't make mashed potatoes without taking a cooking class.

 

[jonnythan]

Sort of like saying I can't make mashed potatoes without taking a cooking class.

Blasphemy!

 

[limeyx]

Thirds of total gas, across all usable tanks, too it seems. You have a pair of Al 80s on your back, and a slung Al 80? Use half your back gas on the way in, the other half on the way out, and you have a slung Al 80 as a reserve third. I like the simplicity

then I guess you could always have guys on the boat hand you down another al80 on the way up and have even more thirds, although maybe he's driving the boat on his own too

 

[OE2X]

The irony of it all is that I came to use the long hose the same way as the Kraken.

Found out about it here on SB and implemented it. I was diving this way for a year before I had a BPW or a can light. It was even longer before I took DIR-F. In other words - rec configuration where I stowed the excess under my waist belt. Worked just fine on every S drill.

Come to think about it when I adopted the long hose - I was pretty anti DIR/GUE. It still didn't stop me though from using what I thought was a better technique for my rec. diving.

 

[RiverRat]

Wow! And I thought the BP/W vs. Jacket BC and Pony threads got things stirred up.......

 

[novadiver]

Dont know what agency that was or when that was, but current guidelines suggest that you use a maximum of 1/3 in, retaining a minimum of 2/3's to exit when going into flow or in no flow systems, hence the maximum that you want to go in is 1/3 - many cavers i know dont push that maximum too hard. When going with the flow in a siphon it is suggested that you only use a maximum of 1/6 your volume entering and retain 5/6's to exit - pretty conservative, but you have to work much harder on the way out and if you have one on the team OOA, you are going to burn through much of that 5/6's. Just think if you have to work twice as hard to exit and both of you were on one set of tanks due to OOA, would 1/4's work?

I do actually prefer the siphons and no flow systems i have dove over going into high flow, seem to go quite far in those systems for very little work, just checking things out on the way in and a bit of work to get out, with that amount of gas reserve i feel confident of being able to exit. I enjoy the exploratory 1/3 out of a high flow spring as i get more of a chance to poke around compared to concentrating on trying to find the best route/least flow to get into the system.

I agree , I was useing the 1/4rs example as a baseline to show that there are times when planning thirds doesn't work. I remember when it used to be half plus 200 psi. that will call it close.

 

[miketsp]

You don't have to go to GUE to see long-hose being taught in OW class. I know SSI and NAUI instructors who have been teaching that way for some time.
..snip..
... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Fully agree. I know an SSI LDS where the instructors use long hoses.
They will demonstrate usage of long and short. If any student wants to opt for a long hose they will teach correct usage.

Apparently it did cause a little stress initially with the SSI inspectors that were not accustomed to long hoses (this was about 10 years ago) and were worried that it could introduce an additional danger. But after a few pool demonstrations, the objections were dropped.

 

[SeanQ]

Sort of like saying I can't make mashed potatoes without taking a cooking class.

Have you checked out this forum? I'm sure that, with a bit of searching, you could dig something up about the proper way to make mashed potatoes. As a matter of fact, I feel compelled to start a thread.

-EDIT- Thread found.

 

[ScubaTwo]

Wow! And I thought the BP/W vs. Jacket BC and Pony threads got things stirred up.......

I agree! As a new diver I have alot of questions about different things and thought it would be cool to pick the brains of you more experienced ppl. If such controversy can be had over hose length imagine the rest. I guess I wont ask about Fins. Im afraid now! j/k I know its all in good fun.

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

When I bought my current aqualung, its regulator came with a short main hose and a long octopus hose. Until I had my first drysuit dive with it. Then I found that the main hose refused to reach my mouth properly over the bulk of my drysuit round my neck, and I had to dive on my octopus. After that, I have both hoses octopus length.