long longhose question

[vkalia]

[*]if i dive solely on singles and have absolutely no intention of wearing a can light should i go for a 7' or 5'? what's the REAL diff?
[*]is the bungeed octo the only alternative to a longhose rig? are there other options?(excluding air2-type BC regs)
[*]how much will a longhose affect the price of a reg kit?
[*]does the faceplate of the primary reg have to be yellow? (not all manufacturers have good regs in octo-yellow)
[*]what are the pitfalls of a longhose regulator rig? (please be comprehensive but not epic - you may cite noob pitfalls and/or long term pitfalls)
[*]do i have to be aware of anything special? i dive in a country that treats divers like a king? (carry all equip, load onto boat after dive, carry onto boat, etc.)[/LIST]

- I prefer the 7' hose primarily b/c it tucks in well enough on my rig, even with single tanks. 5' may be more streamlined, but 7' works well enough for me and I havent found any great reason to switch. Also, when I share, I am less likely to kick/be kicked by the other diver

- you can have a regular octo as well, I suppose. But why bother? A bungeed short hose is easier to manage with a long hose. The regular-length octos always tend to drag - especially if you are close to the bottom.

- no, doesnt have to be yellow. The reason octos are yellow is so they are easier to find. However, if the OOA diver is taking the reg from your mouth, then s/he doesnt need the yellow (it is quite obvious where the reg is!)

- the biggest pitfall for you is going to be having the reg hitting the sand, or getting in the way - especially if other people are putting the gear together for you.

- make sure you tell your buddy/group that they should take the reg from your mouth, not d*ck around trying to find your octo.

Vandit

 

[StSomewhere]

IMO (whatever that's worth) the bungeed backup really works with the long hose, they don't get tangled. Its a good system. Just make sure you take off the bungeed backup before you take off your rig.

 

[Snowbear]

- the biggest pitfall for you is going to be having the reg hitting the sand, or getting in the way - especially if other people are putting the gear together for you.

I've never had anyone put my gear together for me, so I dunno about that part.

The reg doesn't "hit the sand" or "get in the way" if it's kept clipped off to the right side shoulder D-ring when it's not being used to breathe. Part of the process of setting up my own gear includes clipping off the primary reg and the SPG to the harness.... just part of the setup procedure, like attaching the first stage to the tank and plugging in the LP inflator.

As for the 7' v 5' hose.... even though I'm short, I prefer the 7' hose. The 5' is too short if I loop it under the can light, but there's not enough excess to tuck into the waist strap of the harness. I also like the extra room the 7' hose offers when doing air share drills.

I used mine in Palau and had no issues or problems with it. I've seen it recommended that the long hose is unnecessary and possibly even not a good idea for warm water recreational vacation dives. There were 6 of us on the boat with long hose configurations and none of us had any problems with the setup, even when buddied with non long hosers. Just a pre-dive briefing about, "If you need air, I'll give you the reg I'm breathing." If the OOG diver *needs* to be nose to nose and have his BC held, it's no big deal to just not deploy the excess.

 

[shugar]

PM'd you. The only time I have free is Saturday and that's if you want to dive with a matabang (fat/chubby) pinoy .

i'm not diving this weekend.... ooops i thought you were talking about this "matabang pinoy"

Jag

 

[shugar]

I've never had anyone put my gear together for me, so I dunno about that part.

it's done all the time here... usually you rig up your gear for the 1st dive, it's carried to the boat by the boatmen and re-rigged for subsequent dives while you SI

i'm not knocking being responsible for your own lifesupport but it does rock hehehehehe

Jag

 

[midwestdvr]

it's done all the time here... usually you rig up your gear for the 1st dive, it's carried to the boat by the boatmen and re-rigged for subsequent dives while you SI

i'm not knocking being responsible for your own lifesupport but it does rock hehehehehe

Jag

I know what you mean but while I was there, I set up my own tank but didn't carry it to the boat. I like setting up my own gear but the not carrying part was nice

 

[DA Aquamaster]

@aquamaster: thanks! you got a pic of how your octo is rigged?

Here are picks of the o-ring and boltsnap and of the boltsnap installed on the mouthpiece.

It's a standard 1 3/4" I.D. / 2"O.D. hardware store o-ring.

 

[Whale Whisperer]

@whisperer: what kind of swivels exactly? are these any good? anyone care to comment on hose swivels?

Hey Shugar, The Reg I have (Atomic B2) came with their famous "Comfort Swivel". It's a great thing to have on the hose the reg comes with, I didn't have to worry about the feeling of the reg ripping out of my mouth when ever I looked to the right side! Although after talking to friends, and LDS I decided against it (It isn't cheap either!). In my experience the standard swivel on the 7' hose is routed in a way that allows you to move your head around with no discomfort, so in my opinion the standard basic swivel that I think all hoses have is good to have.

 

[Ben_ca]

@whisperer: what kind of swivels exactly? are these any good? anyone care to comment on hose swivels?

Failure point.... You don't need it. You have plenty of hose to position properly and tuck in the rest.. if it is for the back up replace the hose with the proper length.

Put reg in mouth then turn head to side.... if it pulls reg out of mouth then the hose is too short.

 

[lamont]

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[*]what are the pitfalls of a longhose regulator rig? (please be comprehensive but not epic - you may cite noob pitfalls and/or long term pitfalls)

If you put the long hose on before the necklace, you'll trap the long hose in a very bad way. You must do at least a modified s-drill before diving to make sure that the long hose is unobstructed.