Hog harness rigging for carrying octo?

[stuartv]

again, the best answer is still go back to where you got the regulators, apologize and tell them you screwed up, and ask them to put a dir style OW hose setup on them. They should have no problem swapping the hoses. For this dive, she can use the same hose rigging as she is used to, 22" going to her mouth, the 40" or 44" going down and up to the right shoulder. With a BP/W you need a short inflator hose otherwise it looks ridiculous.

40" or 44" hose on the primary
22" on the secondary
22" inflator
26" SPG

If they say no, just order the right ones from here
https://www.divegearexpress.com/regulators/hoses_braided.shtml

I'm leaving in the morning.

I already dove in the local pool with this setup, so I don't think it's an option to return the hoses.

She is still not sure she wants to dive at all or not. She is going to dive on this trip to complete her "ole' college try". I think she'll like it, but I could be wrong. But, for this trip, I am taking every measure possible to ensure she likes it. She has her own snorkeling gear and wetsuit. I bought her the same BC she has been using. And now I've got a new reg set and computer that are nicer than what she trained with but setup identically. I don't want her to have a single moment of discomfort because something doesn't seem familiar. That goes all the way down to "these hoses are the same color. I'm used to one being yellow. Which one do I use?" There are enough things already at play that would potentially make her uncomfortable. I don't want to add even the most minute bit more. She sometimes feels claustrophobic under water. Looking down and seeing the bottom be really far away freaks her out. Anxiety factors add up. I don't want to do anything to contribute to those.

If she likes diving after this trip, I'll give her the reg set just like it is and she will be all set and I will buy another set with "streamlined" hoses.

If she doesn't like diving, then I'll keep the regs, replace the hoses, and sell her BC for whatever I can get. She can still use the wetsuit and other gear for snorkeling (which we already know she likes and has done many times over the years).

---------- Post added December 16th, 2014 at 01:52 PM ----------

Maybe you and the GF could go to the pool and practice air sharing and hand signals and maybe some other stuff?

It hasn't been that long since we were doing that in OW cert training (a few weeks). We will do it again when we start diving on Thursday, down in Mexico.

 

[Dhboner]

...and if you read MY post I was emphasizing that there are many more likely issues that can come up during a dive that you should be prepared for than an OOA and yet very few people practice any of the skills necessary to resolve the problem. My point was that rather than obsess over where to stow your octo and how it will be deployed in an OOA there are other more likely stress situations to rehearse. Yes you need an alternate regulator and if you are a serious diver who dives with other serious divers you will likely never use it.

 

[stuartv]

...and if you read MY post I was emphasizing that there are many more likely issues that can come up during a dive that you should be prepared for than an OOA and yet very few people practice any of the skills necessary to resolve the problem. My point was that rather than obsess over where to stow your octo and how it will be deployed in an OOA there are other more likely stress situations to rehearse. Yes you need an alternate regulator and if you are a serious diver who dives with other serious divers you will likely never use it.

Gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[diver 85]

I can't emphasize this enough...there is absolutely no reason to run out of air on a dive (barring some form of catastrophic equipment failure). If you monitor your gas supply and dive your plan you should never be in an air sharing situation. As a really good instructor once pointed out to me, divers spend an inordinate amount of time drilling and rehearsing for the one situation that should NEVER happen. You are way more likely to lose your mask (when was the last time you did a lost mask drill) or have a wing failure (ever practiced orally inflating or tried swimming your rig to the surface with no way to inflate it). If you keep your gear well serviced and in good shape, take the time to plan your dive, set waypoints to check yours and your teams gas supply, you should never experience an OOA.

But-----sometimes crap happens........never say Never, btw your lil example 'catastrophic equipment failure' falls under this category...

 

[Dhboner]

Absolutely "crap happens". My point is that the "crap happens" moment that everyone practices over and over and over (OOA) is one of the least likely scenarios on a well planned and executed dive. Even catastrophic equipment failure need not result in an OOA...redundant gas anyone. Stuart is a curious new diver who asks a lot of questions and that is a very good thing...I was merely trying to get him to worry less about where he stows his octo and maybe consider practicing a few more likely stress situations.

 

[stuartv]

I was merely trying to get him to worry less about where he stows his octo and maybe consider practicing a few more likely stress situations.

I do understand that other things happen and I should also prepare for those. And you shouldn't assume that, because I have posted about how to carry an octo, I have not and/or won't also practice mask replacement, etc. with equal diligence. Would it be polite of me to make assumptions about you?

Maybe the experienced folks will disagree with me, but it seems to me that a lost mask or a blown-out wing (assuming I'm weighted correctly, on a Rec dive in warm water) is not going to kill me or anyone else. Being OOA and not being able to get air quickly enough could kill someone. So, even though it may be a LOT less likely (even a Metric **** Ton less likely) to happen and even though it may also be a remote chance that when it does it will result in anyone dying, the consequences of what COULD happen dictate (to me) that being properly prepared for it is at least as important as being able to handle a kicked-off mask or a failed wing.

Further, if my mask is kicked off or my wing fails, that is a problem for me to handle. I don't have to depend on anyone else in order to deal with it or prevent it. But, having an OOA buddy is something I don't have control over. And where you said:

if you are a serious diver who dives with other serious divers you will likely never use it

I point out that I am a serious - but very inexperienced - diver. But my for-sure buddy is not (yet) serious, just as inexperienced, a lot less knowledgeable, and a lot more prone to anxiety than I am. And any instant buddies I get paired with are even bigger question marks. Don't forget that the people I'll be diving with (probably) haven't yet developed good habits for checking their SPG and are very likely to have erratic and high air consumption rates. So, I'd say my chances of needing to use it are probably a lot higher than you are accounting for (even though still very small). Or good dive planning skills, for that matter.

You can prioritize preparing for a kicked-off mask or blown wing higher than preparing for an OOA diver if that is what you think is appropriate. But, there is nothing that you or anyone else will say to me that will convince me that I should not prepare thoroughly and thoughtfully for the possibility of an OOA diver needing air from me. No matter what else is important and how you rank their priorities, this is still important. Which is why I started this thread.

If there are other examples of things I should prepare for (besides OOA, kicked-off mask, and failed wing), I would be more than grateful to hear about them, so that I can also attempt to be prepared for them, too. I've been snorkeling my whole life. Losing a mask is nothing. Especially after taking the Buoyancy Control Cert, I am pretty darn confident I could swim my rig up, if needed, then dump any weights I need to and even blow off my air to get my tank as light as possible (if needed - assuming I'm not able to just get out immediately). Stuck inflator? Hold down dump button while disconnecting QD. Will I practice these things? Yes. In addition to making sure my octo is ready for use by a panicked OOA diver or by myself if someone yanks my primary out of my mouth.

I do appreciate your concern and input and I am very glad to hear advice based on real world experience to teach me what other things I should think about and prepare for.

 

[AdivingBel]

Stuartv, go have fun. I'm looking forward to not seeing your posts 'cause you'll be diving (which is where I wish I was....sooooo jealous). Good luck.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Stuartv, go have fun. I'm looking forward to not seeing your posts 'cause you'll be diving (which is where I wish I was....sooooo jealous). Good luck.

Seriously. Please just enjoy the diving, get your hands off a keyboard for a week, and don't post to SB until you're back I bet you'll have plenty to mull over after diving in your new rig.

 

[stuartv]

LMAO I'm leaving in the morning. Gone for a week. Y'all enjoy the peace and quiet. ;-)

And thanks again for the advice (even you who may just feel like you tried to help, to no avail)!

 

[decompression]

Dive safe, enjoy!


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