What are your thoughts on "Streamlined Regulator" configuration for primary donate

[tbone1004]

Show me a fast donate. What I don't like about this is that you want to be able to grab the hose right next to the second stage when you donate. That elbow will get in the way. If there was a bit of hose/extension from the second stage where you can cleanly grab, then I wouldn't have an objection.

Also, does the 90 degree elbow interfere with two divers swimming side by side with locked arms? Even in open water, you can't or don't want to go straight up all the time.

we teach to donate from the second stage body. Make a U with your thumb and index finger and grab the ring around the diaphragm. Gives you rotational control over the regulator which you lose with a swivel hose. If you use an omniswivel instead of an elbow though you can grab it and it will straighten out.

@CuzzA I've never had good luck with "loose" necklace type deals with ease of donation

 

[hammet]

Reason why I'm asking is that I recently drank the scubaboard kool aid and bought myself a bp/w set up. While searching the board trying to figure out what people are doing for octopus holders nowadays, I began to see some of the merit in going with primary donate; specifically because I'm starting to believe a victim is going to grab the reg out of your mouth in a panicked, OOA situation.

That said, if I were giving another diver air on my octopus in an alternate donate scenario, both of us would be making an immediate ascent, face to face, holding onto each other's BCD straps as trained. There would be no need for a longer hose than the typical octopus hose.

So applying that thought to primary donate scenarios, there is really no need for a 5 foot or longer hose. So why carry the extra rubber if it's not needed and might only get in the way? Why have some hose rubbing on your neck?

 

[lexvil]

I use both the short “long” hose, 42/44”, and the 24/26” primary with an octo inflator, the former would be what I want if I were to encounter someone who needed air but for pure comfort I like the over the shoulder shorter than standard hose which rests on my shoulder without sticking up or out but as a loaner it would be limited and with me on the octo/inflator it’s a to the surface set up and not good in that someone facing me would have the reg upside down and end up breathing wet. A longer donate will allow some flexibility in being able to keep the reg properly oriented and allow some ability to maneuver if straight up weren’t a good idea. There is a place for those 60/72” hoses but I don’t go to those places.

 

[Fastmarc]

When I made my switch I considered these options. Most of my diving is back rolling off small fisherman's canoes or slightly larger canoe shaped boat that a local dive operator uses, so we have to remove our kit in the water and hand it up. Because of the limited space this will just create issues. I only dive open water tropical, so 40" works well for my type of diving.
I use the 70 (120?) deg swivel which was recommended by a few here and have no issues with the reg in my mouth. Not sure what difference I would feel with the 90 as I've never tried the 90.

 

[uncfnp]

Eric and I both use the recreational streamlined configuration though I admit we approach gear and diving from a solo approach. We both like having that bungeed backup right there where it is easily reached and always in place. I use to use the CA swivel but just recently switched to a fixed elbow.

We just happen to be heading to Coz today. If we get the opportunity I’ll see how an air share goes.

 

[g1138]

I started with a 40in w/ Angle Adapter, went to 7ft hose for years, then swapped back to a 44in w/ Angle Adapter.. 40in is just a tad short. 44in leaves the hose drapped by your waist, where a 5ft hose would normally coil.

The 7ft was a slight inconvenience to manage on boats, I got tired of doing 3 coils before clipping off to keep the hose from being sweeped by my neighbors on the boat bench. That's why I made a swap back.
My backup is slung on a necklace.

Being in OW too, a 44in hose on Angle Adapter gives you plenty of ergonomics for a donate & swim if needed.

To donate you make a finger gun symbol with your right hand and point it left (ie palm facing you).
- grab your primary hose under the angle adapter with your middle, ring, & pinky fingers
- thumb on the angle adapter
- then take the "barrel" of your finger gun (index finger) and sweep it on the connection between the angle adapter & 2nd stage. (your finger should be between your face and the reg)
- Spin the reg around as you extend and present to your OOA diver.

The only downside to Angle Adapter primaries would be a little more weight on your mouth. But I dive with a Scubapro 109 & the weight isn't bad if you lollipop the mouthpiece with your lips and avoid any teeth clenching. Getting a longbite helps to even out the weight. The short traditional mouthpieces puts all the weight on your canines and you'll really notice it.

Swivels are not needed for this configuration. They only shine if you position short or super long hoses over your shoulder like a traditional setup. That middle swivel point takes tension off the hose from pushing or pulling the reg from your mouth. If you sling under your arm you're never using that middle swivel & the service life of swivels makes it more costly over time than an Angle Adapter.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

we teach to donate from the second stage body. Make a U with your thumb and index finger and grab the ring around the diaphragm. Gives you rotational control over the regulator which you lose with a swivel hose. If you use an omniswivel instead of an elbow though you can grab it and it will straighten out.

I will admit I'm not following. I'm hesitant to grab the second stage itself for the possibility of pressing the purge button.

both of us would be making an immediate ascent, face to face, holding onto each other's BCD straps as trained. There would be no need for a longer hose than the typical octopus hose.

It isn't always safe to go straight up due to boat traffic. Being able to swim side by side may be a safer choice. That said, you can lock arms with a 40" hose and swim together, but you won't be frog kicking.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

That said, if I were giving another diver air on my octopus in an alternate donate scenario, both of us would be making an immediate ascent, face to face, holding onto each other's BCD straps as trained. There would be no need for a longer hose than the typical octopus hose.

So applying that thought to primary donate scenarios, there is really no need for a 5 foot or longer hose. So why carry the extra rubber if it's not needed and might only get in the way? Why have some hose rubbing on your neck?

For plain ol' recreational diving, where you can just ascend immediately with your buddy, there is no "need" for a 5-7 ft. hose. However, there are no real downsides to it, in my opinion, so I continue to use it for rec dives. The "extra rubber" does not really "get in the way"; after a while, you don't even notice it, and it feels natural. It sounds crazy, but I suspect that after so many years of using a long hose, a shorter hose would feel strange and constrictive to me. The long hose does not noticeably rub on your neck--or at least I have not heard that complaint from anyone. I hadn't even thought about @tbone1004 's point that the hose resting on your neck actually takes a bit of the load off your jaw, but now that I think about it, I can see that being the case.

The only time I have found the long-hose configuration to be cumbersome was diving off an RIB. Doffing the rig in the water and handing it up to the DM sometimes resulted in the long hose flopping all over, because the DM didn't know how to handle/stow it. As much as I tried to coil it before clipping it off, it didn't want to stay put, and when the DM set the rig down in a crowded tank rack in the RIB the long hose sometimes got trapped between tanks or flopped out somewhere. Only on that trip did I wish I had the "streamlined" configuration.

 

[lowwall]

I switched to this setup before my last trip and I really like it. Someone asked about donating with the elbow attached to the second, so I took a selfie.

I do need a to go to a longer primary hose though. Either 44 or 46". But I'm pretty big, I'm wearing a Deep6 2XL rashguard under a 3XL vest in the pic.

 

[Fastmarc]

The only time I have found the long-hose configuration to be cumbersome was diving off an RIB. Doffing the rig in the water and handing it up to the DM sometimes resulted in the long hose flopping all over, because the DM didn't know how to handle/stow it. As much as I tried to coil it before clipping it off, it didn't want to stay put, and when the DM set the rig down in a crowded tank rack in the RIB the long hose sometimes got trapped between tanks or flopped out somewhere. Only on that trip did I wish I had the "streamlined" configuration.

This sounds similar to what all my dives are except the gears are not being put in tank racks, but just on the floor in no special place and with not much care. Nope, the long hose just wasn't ideal for that.