Equipment
- Thread starter Kellykins
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A basic regulator set usually comes with a 1st stage and a 2nd stage. The octopus is just a spare 2nd stage. There is usually no difference between the primary second stage and the octopus 2nd stage except many people usually spend a little more on their primary 2nd stage and get an adjustable vs a non-adjustable for the octopus.
For your basic gear it depends on where you are diving. You will start off with a Buoyancy Compensator with or without integrated weights, and of course mask, fins, snorkel. Your choice of wetsuit or drysuit depends on where you are diving and the water temp.
Good luck getting started in the sport. Scubaboard is a great place to learn from other divers
Larry
For your basic gear it depends on where you are diving. You will start off with a Buoyancy Compensator with or without integrated weights, and of course mask, fins, snorkel. Your choice of wetsuit or drysuit depends on where you are diving and the water temp.
Good luck getting started in the sport. Scubaboard is a great place to learn from other divers
Larry
OldNSalty
Contributor
To clarify a little further, the 1st stage is the part that all the hoses come out of and it mounts to your tank. The 2nd stage is the part you put in your mouth. The octo, like the good CPT said, is just another 2nd-that you put in your buddies mouth should they run out of air. You will also need gauges to tell you how much air is in the tank and your depth-some people will use a small computer for that.
k374
Contributor
I recently saw a new style BCD at the shop which had the spare 2nd stage integrated into it. In an OOA situation you give the other guy your primary and then switch to the one on your BCD. I wonder if this is preferable to having a conventional octopus.
rstofer
Contributor
Well, there's a ton of debate on that subject. The answer is: it is probably never preferable but it might be workable.
I had one on my BC for many years and when I first started diving, it was in warm water. The device worked well because my buoyancy didn't change a lot from top to bottom. I didn't need to add or vent air unless I was at the surface.
In cold water, buoyancy is always changing so you have to keep on top of it. But the real problem comes up when you have to control your buoyancy (vent your BC) while you are breathing off the device and trying to ascend. Even worse, you are doing a rescue and you have to control both buoyancies and yours is complicated by the device being in your mouth.
One current methodology: use a 5' or 7' hose on your primary and hang you octo on a necklace. In an OOA emergency, you hand off your long hose primary and your octo is right below your chin. The 5' hose is used by open water divers while the longer 7' hose is used by cave divers so they can swim in tandem. Wreck divers, too, I would imagine.
For starting out, don't get sophisticated. Hang your octo from your BC with an appropriate device and donate it to your OOA buddy if they haven't already ripped your primary out of your mouth.
It's your gear, you're diving your gear, you make the decision about whether to use an AIR 2 type device.
Richard
tk trekers
Contributor
I don't want to get to far from "Kellykins" post. But I will also add that, in some locations, these octo-low pressure inflators are not allowed (even illegal). But in most places it's up to you. But let's get back to Kellykins post.
A good place to get back on track is to start with Captain Larry's post - which is right on.
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When you mean this..... well so am I.
@ drdaddy,do you have a link to your statement.
I would love to see where that is.
paddler3d
Guest
Do a search on AirSource or Air2. Personally I prefer diving with someone that has an actual Octo as opposed to these. When you actually practice the air share thing with these, the owner realizes how uncomfortable and impracticle it is do dive. I've got to remember though that this is for use in an emergency situation. It does the job, but there are better options.
Personally I like and used the method above. My primary is on a 5' hose that goes under my left arm, across my chest, around me neck to my mouth and I have a SS clip on it. My secondary is on a 'necklace' I wear around my neck and dangles under my chin when I dive. My primary is an Apeks ATX100 and secondary is an Apeks XTX200.
In an OOA situation, I would donate my primary on the long hose to the OOA diver. I then switch to my secondary, around my neck.
The advantage of this is I know my primary is working, I've been breathing on it. I know that my secondary is just under my chin and hasn't been dragging around the bottom. Also, a typical octo hose is 40 inches, which makes for a cozy ascent. The 5' hose makes for a much more comfortable swim and ascent.
Unless you get a longer hose for your primary using the Air2 or AirSource system, it is a real short hose.
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