Hose length for Rec only diver

[buddhasummer]

I am a rec diver. I used a 40 under the arm with a swivel for a few years which I liked until I actually had to hand off and found it a wee bit short. I used a 5' which was ok, I'm a small guy (5.7'' 112lbs) but found it fractionally short. I went to a 7' and an currently using a braided hose which I loathe as it's very floaty and slippery. The length I like, material not so much. I will swap it out for a rubber hose which I'm sure will play nicer. I use a can light so the excess length tucks nicely. I was on a discarded net removal mission at my local site yesterday so dove sans can light to reduce entanglement risk, I tucked excess into waist band it was fine.

 

[Roman_66]

I share air maybe 30 times a week with rec students, and there has never been a time when I though, "wow, wouldn't it be great if this person was 2 or 3 feet out of my grasp?"
....................
I don't actually see any advantage for a rec diver, and a bunch of disadvantages.
flots.

And what is your next action after gas sharing ?
Ascent like Siamese twins?
And what divers will do if there is a boat exactly above them?
What to do is case of any situation required so see what going on with tank of buddy?
How divers will send a marker to surface to indicate place of emergency ascending to the boat?
Also just see where students keep the yellow regulator. Some of them not keep it at all and stage collects all sand from beach and dirty from bottom.
Others connect it so hard that it is really not simple to release it in case of emergency.
My opinion that standard recreational octopus hose length may be good only for training gas sharing in a pool or conditions close to it.
On last boat trip I saw two experience divers were share air catching line on 15ft safety stop.
Both hold line very hard, due current.
Also they were able to ascend only using line, and on the boat one said - it is just luck that gas sharing was only on last 15ft with this current.
With 7 (84) hose you easy can handle any next issue if happened.
I am just not speaking about idea to provide OOG buddy, regulator that nobody knows it condition right now.
Because in long-short configuration you provide the regulator, which is 100% works.
For TS, my hose sizes:
1. LP Miflex : 84 inch
2. LP Miflex : 24 inch
3. LP BC black from Halcyon Infinity - 20 inch
4. HP Miflex carbon : 24 inch
The sizes are good for double configuration, but I will little bit extend #2. to be 26 inch and #4. to be 30 inch for one tank configuration.
But I am fat and 5'11" . For your 160lbs you don't need it longer.

 

[Nemrod]

Oh common now, divers have been air sharing with 36 inch hoses on octopus rigs since, what, the early 70s? Do not be so dramatic, it works and works fine. You have a problem, your buddy is OOA, you are going up. This is open water recreational sport diving. There are no hard or soft ceilings. Heck, we used to swim no mask, buddy breathing, it was part of the sport. A 40 inch hose would be like being in heaven.

And carrying around a pretend can light so you can loop seven feet of cave hose under it for open water diving is not minimalism, it is complication. It is not needed, do not use it, that is minimalism.

N

 

[Roman_66]

A lot of things, which divers did in early 70s today are not used any more, so I don't think it can be argument.
I personally moved from 40 inch to 84 and fill much more comfortable.
Where is nothing complicated here.
Please also pay attention to others arguments above.

 

[Nemrod]

A lot of things, which divers did in early 70s today are not used any more, so I don't think it can be argument.
I personally moved from 40 inch to 84 and fill much more comfortable.
Where is nothing complicated here.
Please also pay attention to others arguments above.

Oh, really?

I would say that 98% (if not 99%) of scuba divers TODAY use a 36 to 40 inch hose on the secondary and donate that regulator (conventional octopus) and have a 22 to 26 inch on their primary. You can live in scuba board fantasy land if you like. You do not need to worry about what we did in the 70s, it is still the most common by far method and is taught in nearly every Basic course, world wide and for a good reason, it works.

Hose wars have been going on now for over a decade, you are not going to win and it is not worth the DIR argument. It is a cave technique which is fine but beyond overkill for many divers seeking a simple, streamlined and efficient system that does not rely on a piece of PVC tube or obsolete can light on their belt. You realize, most divers, again, upwards of 98% use a poodle jacket, not a wing/BP. So where are they going to run that PVC contraption?

I do not care how you rig your hoses, there is more than one way to skin a cat, so they say, but if you think your way is the only way, welcome to the world of scuba reality. You are a minority. But, speaking of minorities, I am a 1%er so I certainly can appreciate that.

I was certified in 68, my wife in 79, surely you are not going to think you are going to school us, you are just a beginner, and I mean nothing bad in that regard, we all go the same way along different paths.

N

 

[Locus]

"It does not feel especially long once you get accustomed to it." and "the excess or "loop" of your long hose on your right side can be dealt with in several ways". I'd rather get something I can feel comfortable with from the first to my last dive.

Out of all the gear I've tried since I started diving, practically none was comfortable right away. Nearly every time I change something, I hate it for the first few dives. Sometimes, (with a bit of patience) I end up loving it. Don't be so quick to rule something out because it takes a little effort to use it well.

For a while I used a 40" braided hose routed under my right arm, with a 90 degree elbow at the 2nd stage. It was fine. Very comfortable. But after practicing a few air-shares, I decided I wanted more length. Performing an emergency ascent while stuck face-to-face with a panicked diver is an uncomfortable proposition.

I considered 5' and 7' lengths, and I started this thread for advice about it, which, in addition to gathering some helpful opinions, resulted in a seriously impressive flame war. Scubaboard is really divided over this.

I eventually settled on a 7' hose, thinking that if it was too much to handle I could always get something shorter; the only way to really know is to try it out. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't that fond of it at first. Now that I've worked with it a while, I like it fine. Because the hose tucks under my can light I can easily regulate how much slack is in it, which makes it very comfortable to use. It stays out of my way and does its job. Yeah, I could probably use a shorter one instead, but now that I'm accustomed to it I don't see the downside to leaving it as-is.

If you don't have a can light, a knife on your belt would work for routing. Dummy canisters seem pointless to me.

I went to a 7' and an currently using a braided hose which I loathe as it's very floaty and slippery. The length I like, material not so much.

I use a braided hose too, and I agree that it's a bit floaty and willful. Plain rubber would probably be better suited.

 

[Roman_66]

I would say that 98% (if not 99%) of scuba divers TODAY use a 36 to 40 inch hose on the secondary and donate that regulator (conventional octopus) and have a 22 to 26 inch on their primary. You can live in scuba board fantasy land if you like. You do not need to worry about what we did in the 70s, it is still the most common by far method and is taught in nearly every Basic course, world wide and for a good reason, it works.
.................
but if you think your way is the only way, welcome to the world of scuba reality.

Agree with mentioned above. How it related to my post ?
You miss read, not me raised how divers were in 70s, I only said that it can't be argument, changes happened in life.
TS wrote that HE likes idea of long hose.
I described which hoses length I have and why.
I didn't push or invite anyone to do the same.
TS post : ---I would appreciate feedback for what you guys----
I provided mine feedback, you can provide yours without touching me personally.
I DIN'T ask your opinion about my diving level, regardless if it is true or not --you are just a beginner--.

 

[RJP]

although I like the idea of the HOG style of 5' or 7' hoses, they sound a little too cumbersome for travel, on a small dive boat etc before even considering the extra weight for travel.

My Miflex full 7' hose rig plus stage rig fits in a standard size reg bag and is LIGHTER than a "typical" rec reg set up with rubber hoses.

 

[NAM001]

I had the same debate with my self about hose length. I used on when i got into cavern/cave, and have not taken it off since. I tried the longer hose in various scenereos and found it more functional thatn the short hose. Yes the short hose is more compact and yes if youhave to use it most will prefer that the victom has a death grip on your harness. The first time I had to put a divers tank back into his bcd the long hose was worth its weight in gold. I could supply him and get behind him and put things back to gether again. Next going up in doing share air is much more stable with a longer hose when one persons movement does not directly transfer to the diver in need. For me anyway. I dont know if a full 7 ft is needed but a 5 works just asd well. Use the length that allows you to wrap it the best. If you dont like the long hose as the primary then use it for the secodaqry reg hose. I dont like a panic'd diver in my face. id prefer to give him a couple of feet if he needs it till he stables out.

 

[RJP]

A long hose is designed for sharing air within a restriction (cave/wreck/etc.) and for sharing air while continuing the dive. As a recreational diver you will not be doing either of these things...

Long hose is NOT designed to share air while "continuing the dive" but rather to share air while ENDING THE DIVE.

Keep in mind that while a recreational dive is - by definition - one where direct, immediate ascent to the surface is always possible... it's not always DESIRABLE and, in fact may not even be SAFE to do so. You may need to navigate and swim a distance back to an exit point or up line. Ever try air sharing, with a standard recreational rig while navigating with a compass? There may be boat traffic, surface vegetation, waves, current or other reasons why ascending immediately upon air-share would be best avoided if at all possible. A 7ft hose provides recreational divers with that option in a way that a standard recreational set up simply cannot.