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

[drk5036]

DGX or Piranha.

On DGX I only saw the miflex extreme in 44 inches. The DGX braided also comes in 48 inches, not sure if that would work as well? I’ll check piranha.

 

[tbone1004]

For everyone using a 44” hose, where do you get them? Usually the options are pretty fixed (I usually buy mine from DGX).

why do you think you need the 44? One of the main reasons that it's a 40" hose is that is a standard hose length. If you are struggling with specific things, try using a ball swivel instead of an elbow first.

 

[lexvil]

why do you think you need the 44? One of the main reasons that it's a 40" hose is that is a standard hose length. If you are struggling with specific things, try using a ball swivel instead of an elbow first.

True, a ball can add some length. I also have used 42”, longer than 40” fits me better more than it matters in a donate situation, I’m 6’5” with a 52” chest so in a dry suit the longer hose just sits better on me.

 

[lowflyer]

I have followed these discussions in the past, and I have never understood why some think that, for a recreational diver, a primary donate hose has to be longer than 40" I'm talking no deco, no cave, no penetrating a wreck.

Some argue as if OOA situations are a daily event. Or they are going to swim underwater some distance with the OOA diver.

If my buddy is OOA, I likely don't have a full tank either. So we are going to head for the surface and do a safety stop if possible. No frigging around underwater.

Unless you are two HUGE individuals, and even then, a 40" hose with an omniswivel will work, and in the meantime you are a little more streamlined with less hose and also less encumbered on a boat.

Just one man's opinion

 

[lexvil]

I have followed these discussions in the past, and I have never understood why some think that, for a recreational diver, a primary donate hose has to be longer than 40" I'm talking no deco, no cave, no penetrating a wreck.

Some argue as if OOA situations are a daily event. Or they are going to swim underwater some distance with the OOA diver.

If my buddy is OOA, I likely don't have a full tank either. So we are going to head for the surface and do a safety stop if possible. No frigging around underwater.

Unless you are two HUGE individuals, and even then, a 40" hose with an omniswivel will work, and in the meantime you are a little more streamlined with less hose and also less encumbered on a boat.

Just one man's opinion

Or it won’t work, speaking as what some would say is a huge diver.

 

[tbone1004]

True, a ball can add some length. I also have used 42”, longer than 40” fits me better more than it matters in a donate situation, I’m 6’5” with a 52” chest so in a dry suit the longer hose just sits better on me.

I'm your size as well, couple inches taller and a 50L jacket, and don't really need the extra length with the swivel. With an elbow, especially a 90* elbow, it can feel too short when you look left because it can't straighten out, but the ball largely solves that.

@lowflyer there is no difference in streamlining between a 40" under the armpit, a 5ft, and a 7ft hose. They all lay flat against the body so there is no change. Less cumbersome on the boat certainly and that's where while I dive a 7ft hose if I'm not diving a ccr or doublehose, I do have a dedicated single tank rig that has a 40" hose with an omniswivel on it for loaning and backup purposes.

 

[hammet]

I have followed these discussions in the past, and I have never understood why some think that, for a recreational diver, a primary donate hose has to be longer than 40" I'm talking no deco, no cave, no penetrating a wreck.

Some argue as if OOA situations are a daily event. Or they are going to swim underwater some distance with the OOA diver.

If my buddy is OOA, I likely don't have a full tank either. So we are going to head for the surface and do a safety stop if possible. No frigging around underwater.

Unless you are two HUGE individuals, and even then, a 40" hose with an omniswivel will work, and in the meantime you are a little more streamlined with less hose and also less encumbered on a boat.

Just one man's opinion

I think you're right! The argument that an OOA diver is going to make a run for the regulator in your mouth has merit and there is ample anecdotal evidence from scubaboard users that that is the case. However, I havent heard any defense of a long hose setup in an non overhead environment.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I have followed these discussions in the past, and I have never understood why some think that, for a recreational diver, a primary donate hose has to be longer than 40" I'm talking no deco, no cave, no penetrating a wreck.

I follow these discussions, too, and I don't recall anyone arguing that a primary donate hose "has to be" longer than a standard hose. If anything, these discussions show how individual a decision hose length can be. But people have argued that a longer hose may be more comfortable.

Some argue as if OOA situations are a daily event. Or they are going to swim underwater some distance with the OOA diver.

If my buddy is OOA, I likely don't have a full tank either. So we are going to head for the surface and do a safety stop if possible. No frigging around underwater.

As it was rationalized to me, it's not that it's ideal to swim or otherwise "go friggin around" underwater before ascending, but rather that unless there is some predicament other than the OOA situation that demands the buddy pair ascend quickly, it's better to ascend in a relaxed manner at a normal rate, and to facilitate that you should have a primary hose that's long enough to be comfortable for both divers. The implication was that the standard 40" hose requires the divers to plaster themselves together uncomfortably during the ascent, which can motivate them to rush the ascent. This was taught to me in conjunction with the concept of Rock Bottom or Minimum Gas, meaning that the donor has reserved enough gas for the buddy pair to ascend in this kind of controlled manner.

 

[lexvil]

I'm your size as well, couple inches taller and a 50L jacket, and don't really need the extra length with the swivel. With an elbow, especially a 90* elbow, it can feel too short when you look left because it can't straighten out, but the ball largely solves that.

@lowflyer there is no difference in streamlining between a 40" under the armpit, a 5ft, and a 7ft hose. They all lay flat against the body so there is no change. Less cumbersome on the boat certainly and that's where while I dive a 7ft hose if I'm not diving a ccr or doublehose, I do have a dedicated single tank rig that has a 40" hose with an omniswivel on it for loaning and backup purposes.

Insulation

 

[scubadada]

I'm with @tbone1004

I switched to a 40" primary hose a couple years ago. I tried a 90 degree and a 70 degree adaptor and both caused jaw fatigue, exacerbated by looking left and with repetitive dives. I switched to an Omniswivel, problem solved.