Wanting to go streamlined

[Diver-Drex]

5’ hose doesn’t work for me at all. Too short to route across the chest and around my neck. And too long to route under my arm. I’m 6’2ish and 225, different sized people may have different results.

A 7’ hose doesn’t stow ‘better’ than a 40”, it routes differently and is very good for its purpose. To manage the length you need something on the hip or you stuff the hose in your waste strap. A 40” hose goes under your arm and up to your face, pretty simple.

For open water gas sharing, the 40” is just at the end of my outstretched arm. After the Receiver gets the reg, you make positive physical contact for the ascent. The 40” hose allows some movement but isn’t in the way. A 7’ hose is too long for this and gets in the way if not stowed. Very different story for diving in an overhead environment.

And a pony is your redundant gas. Share off your back gas and if that runs low, you use the pony. If the OOA diver drains my back gas... if I know them well I may let them buddy breath. Handing off the pony and watching them bolt to the surface would suck if you just went low or OOA trying to help them.

If someone were entangled and you had to leave them on the bottom, you could hand off the pony, shoot a bag and tie it off so a rescuer can find them, then head to the surface. Otherwise, the pony is yours.

 

[tursiops]

Here is one brand new diver:

Why choose GUE Rec-1?

And how many new divers get GUE trained each year?
I'll go with the presumption that an arbitrary diver on an arbitrary dive boat in an arbitrary country is not GUE trained.

 

[p_kos]

Your personal opinion and experience on this are appreciated. I'll go with the consensus of the training agencies, especially those who focus on brand new divers.

Deferring to what most training agencies teach new divers is not a great argument for what is ideal, especially when someone asks about streamlining.

 

[tursiops]

Deferring to what most training agencies teach new divers is not a great argument for what is ideal, especially when someone asks about streamlining.

Sorry, I was responding to the subthread suggesting a long hose is better for new divers, not to the streamlining question.

 

[p_kos]

The difference between an open water long hose set-up (i.e. 5’ hose) and a 40” primary donate is really not as big as some here make it sound. Less then 2 feet. The difference between wrapping it behind the neck so it hugs the torso versus having it droop a bit more between the mouth and arm pit. In practice their operation is virtually identical, save for the head tuck performed when donating the 5-footer. But it’s nice to have the extra 20” in some situations rather than not, and the streamlining is better. And let’s get off the “new diver” bs for a second. The OP is already exploring the primary donate option and switching to a BP/W, hardly what most agencies would advise for “new divers”. One of the shops I’ve dealt with is PADI/NAUI not GUE but starts all their OW students in BP/W + long hose setup (proper trim and propulsion is also emphasized). They consistently produce better, more comfortable divers than traditional shops. Most of their fresh OW grads put many DMs and Instructors from other shops to shame. Just because they’re in the minority doesn’t mean the “traditional” OW course is better or that new divers can’t handle a long-hose, frog kicking, etc.

 

[p_kos]

Sorry, I was responding to the subthread suggesting a long hose is better for new divers, not to the streamlining question.

Many would argue it is. And evidence of this abounds.

 

[scubadada]

The difference between an open water long hose set-up (i.e. 5’ hose) and a 40” primary donate is really not as big as some here make it sound. Less then 2 feet. The difference between wrapping it behind the neck so it hugs the torso versus having it droop a bit more between the mouth and arm pit. In practice their operation is virtually identical, save for the head tuck performed when donating the 5-footer. But it’s nice to have the extra 20” in some situations rather than not, and the streamlining is better. And let’s get off the “new diver” bs for a second. The OP is already exploring the primary donate option and switching to a BP/W, hardly what most agencies would advise for “new divers”. One of the shops I’ve dealt with is PADI/NAUI not GUE but starts all their OW students in BP/W + long hose setup (proper trim and propulsion is also emphasized). They consistently produce better, more comfortable divers than traditional shops. Most of their fresh OW grads put many DMs and Instructors from other shops to shame. Just because they’re in the minority doesn’t mean the “traditional” OW course is better or that new divers can’t handle a long-hose, frog kicking, etc.

Zealot

 

[p_kos]

Zealot

Fair enough. I’m by no means like the old GUE crowd but some DIR concepts make sense to me and I tout their benefits when asked. I’m not GUE trained, and I did initially certify with the traditional set-up, but once it was time to re-certify after a long lay-off ,and buy my own equipment, I did my research and chose the shop which teaches OW in BP/W + long hose. I spent 5 years diving the long hose with a single tank so it’s not like I say what I do from a strictly “tech” perspective. I did my DM training with an SDI shop which actually introduced their OW students to many variations of set-ups (traditional, long-hose, 40” primary donate, even the Air2!). I’ve tried them all so my opinion is not strictly based on “I learned it that way so it’s the best” or “everyone should go tech”. I think my initial post came across that way unintentionally and I kinda feel bad I’ve sent this thread down a wrong path of tangential hair-splitting.

 

[tursiops]

Zealot

He is a goal-post mover too.
I was arguing against a 7 ft hose; he is saying 5 ft. Whatever. It is the Basic thread.

 

[p_kos]

Ha ha! My first post said 5- or 7-ft hose for the record. 5’ for strictly open water but 7’ in case you have other plans and don’t want to buy twice. I chose the 5’ to better illustrate my point, the extra length is not really a nuisance like some who haven’t tried it are inclined to believe. As mentioned before, a half deployed 7’ hose is the same as 40”, and you don’t need a can-light or equivalent to keep it that way. A weight pocket or extra cutting device works just as well. Keep the love coming!