In the pursuit of 'trimness'.

[redacted]

personally , i DID have to hold the airII in my mouth, or it would pop out , i found it very uncomfortable. if facing an ooa , i don't want to have anything else to think about besides getting (me and my buddy) to the surface safetly. so i chose to go with an octo..... whatever makes you more comfortable, though.

Yes, they can be somewhat uncomfortable with the two hoses and the restricted head movement due to both the length and stiffness of the hoses.

 

[all4scuba05]

There are a number of options. One is to use the right shoulder dump if your BC is so equipped (All modern Scubapro BCs).

Exactly, I have one one those BC's and therefore couldn't understand why he made that statement. Thankyou for clarifying.

 

[all4scuba05]

Lots of them. Many divers consider pull dumps an unacceptable risk, and deliberately replace them. Many BCs (especially wings) don't come with them, and in some cases they aren't even a standard option.

An unacceptable risk? I wouldn't know, I vent from right shoulder and right hip.

 

[in_cavediver]

1. Remove my standard octo, and get a BCD hose octo (Oceanic Air XS II)

I'd skip this. Go for the bungeed octo.

2. Change over my Veo 100 computer from a console to a wrist band.

Good Move.

3. Have the air pressure gauge hose go over my left shoulder and velcro-strap it to the BCD hose.

I am not one to normally expouse a DIRism but I did hear this from thier forum and agree. The only problem you have when you do this, is if you see a failure, you now have to identify if its an SPG or LP inflator. It gets worse if you add the Air II octo/inflator. How much this matters in a rec setting is a different matter though.

If you are used to having a large console, simply removing the console and adding a bolt-snap to the raw pressure gauge may take care of the issues you have.

Ultimately though, your gear needs to work for you and those you dive with. Never stop looking to refine it and your dive skills.

 

[Curly]

I'm thinking of making a couple conversions to my equipment since I really dislike the left-underarm gauges & right-underarm octo setup.

So I thought I could:

1. Remove my standard octo, and get a BCD hose octo (Oceanic Air XS II)

I still trust the real reg. Just enough extra hose. You could do the long-hose primary, with the spare on a bungee necklace. Nice trim with this.

2. Change over my Veo 100 computer from a console to a wrist band.

I did this about three years ago. Put the compass on the other wrist. Never going back. And I took the SPG that was part of the console with the computer and the compass, and simply clipped it off at my left waist. It's always tight to the left, so I have to look down and to the left. But no dangly crap.

3. Have the air pressure gauge hose go over my left shoulder and velcro-strap it to the BCD hose.

See above.

 

[bentex]

I'm thinking of making a couple conversions to my equipment since I really dislike the left-underarm gauges & right-underarm octo setup.

So I thought I could:

1. Remove my standard octo, and get a BCD hose octo (Oceanic Air XS II)
2. Change over my Veo 100 computer from a console to a wrist band.
3. Have the air pressure gauge hose go over my left shoulder and velcro-strap it to the BCD hose.

Any inherent problems here?

TIA

I didnt like the left-underarm gauges or the right-underarm octo either so I trimmed the fat (off my dive gear, working on my gut) last year by replacing my console with a wireless computer/spg. I also replaced my octo with the Atomic SS1 octo/inflator and couldnt be happier with the setup. It breathes easy and the buttons are easier to use than my original inflator/dump buttons.

Now I only have 2 hoses coming off of my 1st stage and 1 small transmitter. Very streamlined and compact, nothing drags the bottom and no clips on my BC. I know that some people dont like this set up but it is very efficient and comfortable to me. I keep my old computer from my console in my bc pocket as a backup.

My main dive buddy has the same setup and we practice buddy breathing regularly. I have not had any problems breathing on my octo and dumping air from my inflator hose.

Good Luck!

 

[spectrum]

I'm thinking of making a couple conversions to my equipment since I really dislike the left-underarm gauges & right-underarm octo setup.

So I thought I could:

1. Remove my standard octo, and get a BCD hose octo (Oceanic Air XS II)

There's no real streamlining benefit there as long as your alternate second stage is correctly restrained to begin with.
Some thoughts:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1169848&postcount=3

2. Change over my Veo 100 computer from a console to a wrist band.

Still nothing significant in terms of streamlining and now you have more items to fumble with. I'm not saying don't go on the wrist but put it there because that's where you want the instrument.

3. Have the air pressure gauge hose go over my left shoulder and velcro-strap it to the BCD hose.

That is an interesting and creative idea. You'd need to read it upside down, right?

Any inherent problems here?
TIA

Pete

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I love my octo/inflator. I also hold the bottom in place with a 6" diameter rubber band, so it doesn't hang down when I am prone. I NEVER hold my arm up to let air out. After practice, you can let little puffs out with little pulls on the left dump. You can use either hand to pull it, which is also nice,m rather than alsways having to raise you left arm. I have a Seaquest Diva XL. It is so easy to work with.

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

3. Have the air pressure gauge hose go over my left shoulder and velcro-strap it to the BCD hose.

I am not one to normally expouse a DIRism but I did hear this from thier forum and agree.

Except that it's not DIR - in DIR, the SPG is attached at the left hip, using the straightest, shortest hose possible. Bringing the SPG over the shoulder puts extra strain on the HP hose at the swage fitting, plus adds additional (unnecessary) stiffness to the LP inflator hose, due to pairing with a second hose. It also potentially interferes with stage bottles.

Definitely not DIR.

 

[in_cavediver]

Except that it's not DIR - in DIR, the SPG is attached at the left hip, using the straightest, shortest hose possible. Bringing the SPG over the shoulder puts extra strain on the HP hose at the swage fitting, plus adds additional (unnecessary) stiffness to the LP inflator hose, due to pairing with a second hose. It also potentially interferes with stage bottles.

Definitely not DIR.

Sorry but you missed my point. I never said it was DIR and I summarized what I though was the high points of GI3's (ughhh) rant about why which I saw in the DIR forum. Either way, DIR or not, its not a good idea to mount the SPG on LP inflator in my opinion.

Sorry if it was confusing