What's the point of a long hose?

[g1138]

I'm talking about the long hose for your primary reg. that ranges from 5-7'. Anything longer than the standard hose length.

I understand that people use this for air share emergencies.
But what I have heard so far is that divers who use the long hose, say they use it so you can keep your distance from those you're sharing air with. (to be honest, I only remember two references to this and no other reasons)

I was wondering why you would want to keep your distance from a diver you're sharing air with.

- From my point of view if your sharing air with some one, you might as well be tied to them. If they are panicky and holding onto your reg, you can't really swim away from them.
I think a shorter hose would be more ideal because it provides less of an entanglement possibility (which I already believe isn't much of a risk).

If you're sharing air with someone I believe you should take control and be right next to them. Grab a hold of them in a do-si-do and perform an ascent as safely as possible. It's a lot better than being dragged by the hose around the wide open ocean.


Any input in the matter? What are the big advantages of a long hose that I'm overlooking?

 

[ppo2_diver]

What if you are on an air share and have to exit a shipwreck or travel single file? The long hose facilitates this. The long hose should not be an entanglement hazard if managed properly.

 

[g1138]

That's an answer I was looking for.
My head's still in a recreational thought process.
Thank you

 

[DevonDiver]

The long hose originated from the need to air-share through constrictions in overhead enviroments. It is necessary so that two divers could exit a cave or wreck, whilst sharing air, with one diver in front of the other.

A cave or wreck diver must be equipped to share air with their buddy/team member when they are in single file, whether that buddy is in front, or behind them.

As with many things, the use of 'long hose' has migrated from sole use within specialist diving activities into a more general, recreational diving market.

Many divers who utilise long hose for cave or wreck, also appreciate that it offers benefits for any air-sharing scenario, even in open water. Some divers simply like to maintain an identical equipment configuration, regardless of the environment they are diving in.

Others might argue that long hose is unnecessary and 'over-kill' for open water diving.

As the long hose is extensively used by divers who operate in high entanglement risk situations, a number of effective solutions have been adopted to allow safe stowage of the hose, whilst retain the ability to deploy it immediately.

The most popular method (used by Hogarthian and DIR divers) is to loop the hose down to the waist, then up around the head. It sounds complicated and awkward... but actually it is very effective.

The diagram below explains (sorry, I couldn't find an example in English).

 

[fisheater]

An example.

I was doing the last dive on my Reef Check California training in Monterey. We were surveying a section of giant kelp forest. My buddy ran low on air, so we ascended to a safety stop, where he ran out. I immediately gave him my primary (on a standard hose) and went to my integrated octo.

At that point, we're pretty much locked into being face to face at a short distance. Hence, our only option was to ascend straight up. Normally, that wouldn't be much of an issue for open water diving. However, we were in the middle of a dense kelp forest.

Now, we're at the surface, a fair distance from the boat. I've got plenty of air, but my buddy is totally out. As I'm not willing to abandon him or to solo back to the boat, we can't descend and simply swim to the boat. Nope. We both have a long, pain-in-the-ass and tiring kelp crawl back to the boat.

By my next dive, I had a BP/W with a 7' foot hose.

Were that situation to re-occur, I would donate my primary, calm the OOA diver and then we'd both swim back to the boat, under the kelp canopy.

Of course, the long hose was originally developed by cave explorers who had to swim singly to exit narrow caves and couldn't do so while sharing air with a conventional rig. However, lots of us open water divers have virtual overheads, such as the above-mentioned kelp forest or an area frequented by boats.

Hope this helps.

 

[RedCash02]

Another reason I like long hose is for rough surf exits. If it's bad enough that they need a regulator for the surf, then the long hose can keep you from colliding into each other or getting getting the reg pulled out when you separate some.

 

[g1138]

Another reason I like long hose is for rough surf exits. If it's bad enough that they need a regulator for the surf, then the long hose can keep you from colliding into each other or getting getting the reg pulled out when you separate some.

And that's the main reason why I wear a snorkel. ;]
Although if you had no other option, a long hose would be waaaaay more ideal.

 

[Dr Wu]

- From my point of view if your sharing air with some one, you might as well be tied to them. If they are panicky and holding onto your reg, you can't really swim away from them.

A lot of that is covered in the assorted "rescue" classes. People tend to do strange things when stressed out and being too close can cause problems.

With a long hose it is commonly taught to have the donor swim behind the recipient.

The idea being the recipient will not swim away from their air source.

Of course things don't always go according to plan...

 

[g1138]

The most popular method (used by Hogarthian and DIR divers) is to loop the hose down to the waist, then up around the head. It sounds complicated and awkward... but actually it is very effective.

The diagram below explains (sorry, I couldn't find an example in English).

Haha, no worries DevonDiver. I've seen the configuration, plus the picture diagram pretty much speaks for itself. =]

 

[TSandM]

The first time I saw a long hose in use, a diver ran low (not out) of gas, in a place where surfacing was possible, but would result in a long, uncomfortable surface swim. Instead, my buddy donated his long hose, and the two of them swam comfortably back to shore, side by side, unstressed . . . and I had a long hose very shortly thereafter.

Although the essence of recreational diving is that a direct ascent is always POSSIBLE, there may be a lot of reasons why it is not the most desirable option -- kelp, boat traffic, rough surface conditions, current, distance from the boat -- and the long hose is by far and away the best option, if you want to share gas for any reason and remain underwater. A long hose doesn't REQUIRE that you remain at a distance, but it permits it, if that is a better strategy.