question for dir people

[dnj30]

i am new diver with octo/inflate combo on my rig.(please don't crusify me, i'm well aware of you're objections, but i'm going to use it for now). my primary only has 30" hose which i know is too short since i'll be giving it up if bud is ooa. i'm going to get longer hose. i noticed that the dir set-up has the primary hose wrapped around the neck, and dir says that you give up the primary in ooa situation. if your bud is ooa and grabs your primary out of your mouth in a panic, won't it still be wrapped around your neck, potentially choking or at least straining you? i'm not challenging dir principles here, just that as a newbie i want to understand the reasoning. thanks for any info. also, how long a hose should i get for my primary in order to be comfortable sharing in an ooa.

 

[archman]

The long hose should be looped under the right shoulder, not around the neck. I have however seen photographs in national geographic where DIR divers have in fact done the "around the neck" thing with the long hose. They're silly.

I'll be switching to a long hose presently myself, but haven't decided on day-glo yellow or '70's orange. Not sure if I'll get a six or seven footer though... I don't use a canister light.

 

[dnj30]

i don't mean to be argumentative, but the "what is dir" thread specifically states that the primary hose goes under the arm AND around the neck. this is what confuses me about giving away a hose(or more likely having it yanked out in a panic) thats wrapped around my neck.

 

[archman]

You're right. I thought you were referring to having the long hose looped completely around the neck. That IS a choking hazard, and not very useful as a "long" hose since it has to be looped twice.

That said, if the long hose is looped under the right arm and then back around, it's not REALLY around the neck... it's around your body. So no choking hazard. Once you donate the thing, you just twirl around once counterclockwise and poof! full hose extension.

 

[Snowbear]

i don't mean to be argumentative, but the "what is dir" thread specifically states that the primary hose goes under the arm AND around the neck. this is what confuses me about giving away a hose(or more likely having it yanked out in a panic) thats wrapped around my neck.

Yep - the hose is routed under the right arm (excess stuffed in the waist belt or under the light cannister), across the chest, behind the neck from left to right - the reg is then in the right side up position for use. When it is handed off (or as you said - "yanked out in a panic"), the hose that is behind the neck just slips over the back of the head. It is not looped around the front of the neck, so there is no choking or strangulation involved.

 

[H2Andy]

that's how i wear my long hose (i am not DIR) and i just "duck" my head a little when practicing air sharing, and all is right.

even if i don't duck, like Snowbear said, the hose just slides across the back of my head.

 

[dnj30]

thanks for the explanation, that set-up makes alot of sense. what length hose should i get for that? 7ft? thanks again--dave

 

[Wendy]

The long hose should be looped under the right shoulder, not around the neck. I have however seen photographs in national geographic where DIR divers have in fact done the "around the neck" thing with the long hose. They're silly.

Archman,
What DIR divers have you seen in National Geographic or are you just trolling?

 

[Snowbear]

thanks for the explanation, that set-up makes alot of sense. what length hose should i get for that? 7ft? thanks again--dave

7' is standard. Some prefer 5' for open water. Go to www.gue.com - from there you can purchase the fundamentals book with explanations of the DIR equipment configurations and proceedures.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

also, how long a hose should i get for my primary in order to be comfortable sharing in an ooa.

I assume you are wearing a Bouyancy Compensator of some kind. What kind of BC are you using? What kind of diving are you doing with it? (What type of rig does your buddy have?...e.g., are either of you uncomfortable doing OOAs at the moment?)

If you are doing recreational diving, there is nothing at all wrong with your hoses in your current format. A 30" hose is adequate to be handed off; as it will be if it's your primary and your secondary is some sort of Air II or the SeaQuest or Atomic variant. Just as you were instructed, in the event of an OOA you and your buddy rendezvous, someone grabs someone somewhere, s/he gets your primary, you go to your secondary, you both ascend, hopefully together. What you have should work comfortably for both of you. No worries.

You could put a 5' hose on your primary, but many BCs with cumberbunds, integrated weight pockets, etc. don't offer a suitable position in which the long hose may be secured yet re-stowed without assistance.

If your's does, great. Some do, some don't. It all depends on what you have for a set up currently.

The thing about a system is that the parts are integrated in a manner that all the elements of the system are mutually supporting. That is what makes it a system.

If you pick and choose different aspects of the system to add to your current rig, this is not "bad" - you may be more efficient or effective than you were previously.

The point is, however, that the result is unlikely to work together in the same manner as the entire system does, because you've isolated one part of it and tried to add it to something else.

If you'd like to add a long hose to your rig, go ahead - a 5' hose should be adequate, running under your right arm, up across your chest, around the back of your neck and with the second stage into your mouth. You'll find that some way to secure it (where you can restow it yourself) may help you to keep it from going adrift at extremely inconvenient times.

Depending on how your buddy is equipped, how you and your buddy train, what you have for a BC, etc, however, you might also discover that its more of a PITA to deal with than what you're currently using.

FWIW. YMMV.

Doc