What to hold my octo?

[Firefyter]

Beware the bungee route. If you have the octo bungeed around your neck, that means you donate your primary, which means that you probably want a longer hose on your primary, which means it will create an entanglement hazard unless you route it properly, which means special training and practice and a can light...

Talk about misinformation.... I use a 5' primary, and I've never had to have "special" training at all. I was shown once, and had it down. It does require a little bit of practice to deploy and restow, but once you get it down, it's usually faster and more reliable than the conventional setup, because you ALWAYS know where both primary and secondary are located. I know a lot of experienced divers who's octo has come loose without them knowing it, and was dragging behind them. That doesn't happen with this setup.

BTW, I've never owned or used a can light, either, so I'm pretty sure you don't have to have one to use the bungeed octo. I'm too poor to buy one, so I'll just keep dreaming.....

 

[Soggy]

Anyone can use a bungeed backup reg around their neck even without a backplate/wing, can light, or long hose (though I can think of no reasons not to use a long hose).

Pretend you are using an air 2....you would donate the primary which is probably on a 36-40" hose. Now remove the air 2 and put some bungee cord on a standard 2nd stage with a 22"-24" hose and put it over your neck. Voila....

Now go practice donating the primary. You'll probably relize the benefits of a longer hose at this point and want a 5 fter (which does not need to be tucked or run under a can light).

 

[MtnDiver]

I use one of these (only the loop on mine is clear silicone).

 

[ChrisEdwards]

Anyone can use a bungeed backup reg around their neck even without a backplate/wing, can light, or long hose (though I can think of no reasons not to use a long hose).

A couple of questions, if I went the bungee route and bought a longer hose for my primary regulator, should I get a different color hose, i.e. yellow and should I change the face plate on my octo from yellow to black as that's now my keeper.

 

[thomjinx]

I use the same holder as MtnDiver, and it works well.

You should be aware that some of these Octo holders can pull or tear the mouthpiece off of the octo if they aren't set up right. Make sure your mouthpiece is well secured by the zip tie, has no tears in it, and that the hair tie/snorkel keeper/octo holder is not between the 'lock' of the zip tie and the octo itself. Hook it up and test it before you dive with it, as you would with any new piece of gear.

 

[Soggy]

A couple of questions, if I went the bungee route and bought a longer hose for my primary regulator, should I get a different color hose, i.e. yellow and should I change the face plate on my octo from yellow to black as that's now my keeper.

Color should never be used to identify anything underwater, since color disappears with depth. I'd make everything black. *If* you insist on using color, I'd suggest that you make the reg and hose you are donating yellow with the bungeed setup black.

For ease of understanding, try to stop thinking of it as an "octo". You have a primary reg (the one you breathe off of and donate) and a bungeed backup (the one you switch to when you donate gas).

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Talk about misinformation....

No it's not. Just didn't want the poor guy to buy into something without having the full picture.

I use a 5' primary, and I've never had to have "special" training at all. I was shown once, and had it down.

I didn't say it takes months of training. What you just described qualifies as extra training. That’s more training than required for any other ‘snorkel keeper’ suggested.

It does require a little bit of practice

That's what I said... Any other snorkel keeper doesn’t require practice, so I thought I should point out the difference.

BTW, I've never owned or used a can light, either, so I'm pretty sure you don't have to have one to use the bungeed octo. I'm too poor to buy one, so I'll just keep dreaming.....

OK, that part was an exaggeration, I admit. However, there may be routing issues to figure out that would not be an issue with a snorkel keeper, right?

Look, I’m in now way against the long hose / bungeed backup, but when a guy asks about snorkel keepers and someone suggests a bungeed backup, that’s a more complex solution, and I felt that should be pointed out.

With the snorkel keepers that were mentioned, you can say, “Use the Acme Whatzit” and leave it at that. You cannot, in my opinion, say “Put a bungee on it” and not elaborate.

Why are you bungee users always so defensive? I've nothing against it for other people. It just doesn't work for the kind of diving I'm working toward.

 

[Firefyter]

Talk about misinformation....

No it's not. Just didn't want the poor guy to buy into something without having the full picture.

That's just it...can you give him the full picture? Have you tried it both ways? I have, and can assure you that it's simpler going with a bungeed backup.

I use a 5' primary, and I've never had to have "special" training at all. I was shown once, and had it down.

I didn't say it takes months of training. What you just described qualifies as extra training. That’s more training than required for any other ‘snorkel keeper’ suggested.

This is where misinformation comes in. I would hardly call showing me once "extra training". I've seen people fumbling with those 'snorkel keepers' longer than it took to show me..

It does require a little bit of practice.

That's what I said... Any other snorkel keeper doesn’t require practice, so I thought I should point out the difference.

Dude, go back and read what I wrote. You took that totally out of context. My original statement was referring to deploying and restowing the primary during an airshare. When you're going to the bungeed backup, it requires less practice, because it's right under your chin...you never have to hunt for it.

OK, that part was an exaggeration, I admit. However, there may be routing issues to figure out that would not be an issue with a snorkel keeper, right?

Not really.

Look, I’m in now way against the long hose / bungeed backup, but when a guy asks about snorkel keepers and someone suggests a bungeed backup, that’s a more complex solution, and I felt that should be pointed out.

That's just it, it's not more complex. Try it before you judge it.

With the snorkel keepers that were mentioned, you can say, “Use the Acme Whatzit” and leave it at that.

Yep, and that's why we see so many come loose and drag through the mud and bang all over the coral. Again, with a bungeed backup, this doesn't happen.

Why are you bungee users always so defensive?

I'm not defensive, just believe in calling BS when I see it. I've tried both ways, and I know of what I speak. I could care less whether you use it or not, but the truth is the same whether you do or not. A lot of my dive buddies still use the standard keepers, and I'm fine with that. I didn't say it was the end-all, be-all of diving, but it works, and it works easily.

I've nothing against it for other people. It just doesn't work for the kind of diving I'm working toward.

That's the thing. It works for all kinds of diving, it just may not be what YOU want to do, and that's perfectly fine. Dive as you will, and have fun.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Wow, Firefyter, I sure didn't mean to light a fire under you.

I'm not going to debate it here. The OP can take what he wants from our discussions.

Except, maybe, for your final statement...

That's the thing. It works for all kinds of diving, it just may not be what YOU want to do, and that's perfectly fine. Dive as you will, and have fun.

No, it doesn't. I'd rather not derail this thread any more, but there are at least two styles of diving where donating what you're breathing is not possible (or at least impractical and dangerous enough to be considered impossible). I am moving toward one of those styles, and think it would be a waste of time to build habits now that I would have to break later.

 

[Firefyter]

That's the thing. It works for all kinds of diving, it just may not be what YOU want to do, and that's perfectly fine. Dive as you will, and have fun..

No, it doesn't. I'd rather not derail this thread any more, but there are at least two styles of diving where donating what you're breathing is not possible (or at least impractical and dangerous enough to be considered impossible). I am moving toward one of those styles, and think it would be a waste of time to build habits now that I would have to break later.

You're absolutely right. However, in those cases, you're not going to be donating an octo that's coming off the same first stage as your primary, which is what we were talking about to begin with.