Octo on Left side

Well I was talking to my lds owner and he mentioned having the octo on the left side instead of the right.

Here are the pros for having the octo on the left side (as far as I can tell):

1. If you have an octo with the exhaust facing down it would make it easier to deliver.
2. The hose would be longer
3. Easier to signal your buddy (because your arm is crossing in front of you

I know during your buddy check you would tell your buddy that your octo is on the LEFT side and not the RIGHT, but this got me thinking though. We (in the states) are trained with the octo on the right side and if there was an OOA situation your buddy might be expecting the octo on the right side. This may seem pretty insignificant, but a split second could matter.

Sooo , what would yall think if I decided to put it on the left side? Is it just as simple as personal preference or are there some concerns
I was just curious what you thought about this.

The second part of that scenario is whether or not you are donating your primary or your Octo. An out of air diver may grab you primary which means you then have to bend the octo hose around to present it properly for your use if it is on the left side. If donating the octo then it is a much cleaner donate without hose links coming from your left.

Do you always dive with same buddy? The key to all of this will be the pre-dive buddy check and how you were taught during your OW training. Not everyone does it the same and it will be important to make it clear.

There is nothing wrong with having it on the left but it is not a typical configuration for most divers.

Put it anywhere you like. The hose length is what it is, it doesn't depend on the placement - but putting it on the left could take up some slack off the hose. Don't know about #1 and #3, I doubt it makes any difference.

Since you are thinking about it (good), look into the long-hose + bungeed octo setup. Works a lot better for three reasons: 1-You have a 5ft hose that is streamlined because it's behind your neck. 2-You don't need to worry about people going for the regulator in your mouth because that's what you'd donate anyway. 3-If YOU need to access your octo it's a very quick and obvious switch since it's right under your chin.

+1 on the long hose/bungee backup. It just works better.

Since an octo inflator set up is on the left, I see no real valid argument why you cant put the Octo on the left. Being a lefty and giving it some thought in the past, I decided to leave the octo on the right because its kinda of the standard way its trained in OOA situations.

Keep in mind how many hoses you will have on the left. For me it would be HP gauge hose, LP inflator (for BC) and LP hose for drysuit. I can find my reg hose by reaching over my right shoulder if needed so I like there only being 2 hoses on the right side of my reg.

I think as long as it is in the front and most are a different color I would find it.

Just my 500 psi.

Greetings Sooner and this is a good question that has many correct answers but what is the best for you? I would try several different options and then make up my mind.
This is my advice to you the same that was given to me.
With that being said and trying the different placements I have come to DA Aquamasters conclusion. The long hose / bungee works best for me and the buddies I dive with. It just is so easy once you have give it a try. No more reaching or grabbing for your alternate it is under your chin. Donate your primary and let your buddy have the extra hose. It is so much easier to continue swimming to the exit point or ascend with a little elbow room. I have found it to be very fast and easier to stow once the donation is over. This is just my findings go out and try it for yourself under safe conditions, always with a buddy who knows what configuration and procedure to follow.
Not everyone is comfortable with different configurations and while diving with different buddies one must stay on your toes and ask questions pre-dive to make sure everyone is in agreement and understands Out Of Air procedures. A few extra minutes of questions and answers can make a huge difference. Good luck and have fun experimenting I did!
CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

My UK Friends have theirs on the left, and I just set up mine that way when I got my reg set up. My LDS actually tried to tell me it was wrong. But I prefer the way to donate the octo (it just rolls right over and is set up for them. As far as the dry suit line, I have that on my left so there is no issue with that.

It does come down with what you are comfortable with (and by extension your buddy)

Alrighty sounds good! Yeah, I'll just have to play with it. This question just struck me, because I was looking at an octo that is side exhaust compared to others that are bottom.

Submariner I didnt think about all the hoses! Good point! I'll just have to see because I will be having a back up SPG on my left. That would probably be a pain in the arse to have that many hoses over there.

Cam, yup I agree! I will just play around with it and see what works. Just waiting to get my own gear so I can do that (which will be very soon!)

cwhitpan, thats what the lds and I were discussing. I want to go over seas and do some diving eventually and he said that in Europe they have it on the left and its the norm.

Bottom line ill just have to mess with it! Hmm I will have to look into the bungee, not too sure what yall are talking about with that.

Thanks for the info!

There are one-million (to be conservative) threads talking about the long hose configuration, but you'd want pictures so look at paragraph #2 on this page and the associated pictures:

DIR Part 2

(For open water your long hose would be about 5ft, so it'd route straight under your right armpit instead of down and under the pocket like in the picture.)