5' or 7' long hose for open water?

[TSandM]

A 5' hose shouldn't need a swivel or adapter, because it wraps around the back of the neck just like the 7' hose does. If you use a 40" hose under the arm, you need a right-angle adapter to allow it to sit comfortably in the mouth.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just wanted to add that I have put a 6ft hose on as well for a diver that thought 7 would be too.long but at his size a 5ft too short. It's a special order but I can usually get it in a couple days or even have it drop shipped.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Randy43068]

Again, I haven't read through the posts. I always suggest the 7 foot hose. From personal experience and that of my team mates the 5 footer is simply too short to manage well during an air share in open water. The 7 foot hose allows the OOA diver more freedom of movement. Also note, we don't hang on to the OOA diver, either. They should be good enough to manage their place in the water column with out assistance. If they can't well that's a different story and you might have to hang on to them. No reason to half ass it for 2 feet of hose.

Hi all.

I'm looking for opinions on hose setup stuff. Any input appreciated!

My buddy and I are looking at swapping to a long hose setup for our open water diving. We dive in jacket BCs and, although we might eventually swap to bp/w this isn't in our immediate future. The benefits of long hose just make sense so we're looking at flipping to that configuration rather than going full DIR.

We have a local TDI instructor who is willing to coach us in using the new configuration properly. He recommends going for a 5 foot hose rather than a 7, given we are wanting to use jacket BCs without a canister.

Sounds good to me. I know some agencies only recommend a 7' hose for all environments, including OW, and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on this before I pull the trigger and buy new hoses? Are there any downsides of a 5' versus a 7' that I should consider? Which option would you take?

Also, from what I understand, miflex can be a bit floaty in a long hose (notably a 7'). Anyone have an opinion on that?

Thanks.

 

[halocline]

Eventually someone will start stocking 5'4" and 5'6" hoses, which are perfect for larger people wanting to try the modified hogarthian routing for OW. I suggest you start by getting a coupler for a few bucks and just connect two hoses together. That way you can find out what just the right length is and order one; I don't think there's any problem getting a custom length hose from the trident catalog. If anyone tells you that you're being dangerous by introducing an extra connection point in the hose for a few dives, you can politely remind them that there are literally dozens of o-rings in the air path of almost any scuba set up...tank neck, tank/valve, HP seat retainer, yoke/din retainer, HP piston, turret retainer, LP piston, all port plugs or hoses attached to the 1st stage, all hoses at the other ends, anything in the 2nd stages, etc....and that two extra is probably not a death sentence.

For me the 5' hose is fine but I wouldn't mind having a couple of extra inches, not a couple of feet, when I'm in a thicker wetsuit and with certain 2nd stages. (D series) I'm definitely not a large person. The 7ft hose is really unnecessary for OW diving and presents a significant routing problem. I have one as well for use with doubles in overhead, and I can tell you from experience that tucking the damn thing in a waistbelt is not nearly as comfortable or convenient as just using the right length hose for OW. Did someone really suggest getting a canister light (which could easily cost $800-1000) and weigh a couple of pounds) just to help with routing for a 7ft hose? :shocked2:

 

[chrpai]

Somewhat... he suggested 2 canisters (2x $$$ ) for buddy communications. To be fair, he also suggested a dive knife. That's what I do. $20 for some shears that slide onto my webbing and secured by a couple triglides. Hose comes down, around, across and over / around and it doesn't seem like a problem to me.

Still, everyone keeps saying 5' so hopefully I'll get a chance to try it.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You guys are forgetting that he's going to be using a jacket which probably means no way to slide a can light (even if he had one) or a dive knife on a waistbelt, there is no 2" waistbelt, just a big cloth pocket I'm guessing since it's a jacket.
What I've done in the past using a 5' was to run the primary hose out the end of my 1st stage on a MK 20 and point the end of the 1st stage down at a 45 degree angle down and to the right which sends the hose down in the right trajectory to go under the arm. I also set the tank a little lower for better trim. Those things combined gives a few more extra inches in length and I could get away with a 5 foot hose. I'm tall and a bigger guy too.

 

[rhwestfall]

for $5.00 you can clip a hose holder on something at waist level (seems even a BC will have a ring of some sort on the bottom), and hose storage becomes no problem. I've found it to be real handy that way.....

oh, if the hose slips in the clip, but 2 zip ties 2" apart on the hose, one each side....

I was amazed at how simple the 7' hose integrated into my diving.

 

[DevonDiver]

The one problem with the 5' hose is that, for people who are broad across the shoulders and chest, it may be uncomfortably short.

I concur with that - tried a 5' hose but it wouldn't loop properly, given that I'm of broad physique. Only 7' works nicely for me.

 

[James R]

Somewhat... he suggested 2 canisters (2x $$$ ) for buddy communications.

Do you mean, by this post, that he said you should have two can lights for "buddy communications?"

 

[Aqua-Andy]

As for the swivel I need it for a 5' or 7' hose, not exactly a swivel per say but a 70* elbow. a picture of me with a 7'hose and no adapter and with adapter, way more comfortable.

Well the other one is my avatar, I can't find it in my computer again, but with the elbow it is way more comfortable "for me".