What is the most logical place to put an Octopus?

[MyBuddy]

No. Not really. I have two OW certs (PADI, YMCA). I have also attended two OW clourses with my daughters (SSI). Out of all those, only the PADI instructor taught Octo donate. The others taught mostly primary donate, but also explained that some may be using Octo donate.

As @boulderjohn said he’s not aware of agencies having a policy one way or the other on which donation method should be taught.
I know instructors that teach primary donate but my YMCA OW instructor taught octo donation, as did the NAUI instructor I assisted in exchange for free diving (He did teach primary donate when a divers individual reg setup called for it.), as does a shop owner I know who will vigorously debate it’s merits ad nauseam after a few beers. My experience before heading down the tech path was the opposite of yours. But the bulk of divers I see on recreational dives boats are setup like the divers in the pictures earlier in this thread. Of course all of this is anecdotal and off topic.

 

[Cthippo]

I was taught to donate my octo, but pretty much immiedatly went to a pony with the second stage on a necklace.

The headache I have had is that if the alternate second gets pulled out of the necklace it is nearly impossible to get back in while under water. The last time that happened I just stuffed it through the necklace and kept going, but that was far from optimal.

 

[BlueTrin]

Because it is not KISS:

you get the missive behind the back looper variations
View attachment 816032
View attachment 816033

Stuffer variations:
View attachment 816034

over the shoulder tuckers:
View attachment 816035

The down low clippers
View attachment 816036

I agree it’s not ideal for the perso who is OOA.

But he seems to say that it is easier for him to find his own octo. He is making a different point here.

Surely you can find your own octo?

 

[Pbdiver84]

This seems like an extremely fringe case so I don’t think I’ll be modifying my setup to account for a harness lift entanglement. Being mugged by an OOG diver although rare seems much more likely than being entangled by a device I’ve never encountered.

I’m still trying to envision the device you’re describing. Was this a mechanical lift on a boat or a dock? Or is it a manual lift using a harness to help the diver back to shore?

Climbing harness type lift. I work with Classified Divers, so I’m around this type of arrangement being up close and personal more often than most

 

[FishWatcher747]

As a result of this thread I am switching to primary donate.

1. Ordering a 22 inch hose for alternate to go on necklace.

2. I presently have a 29 inch primary hose and 36 inch octo hose. I will put the 36 inch hose on the primary regulator and run the hose under my arm.

Right now the primary regulator hose comes off the anterior right side port of the first stage and the alternate comes off the posterior right side port. Does this configuration stay the same with the new setup?

If I take the cavern course in the future I will put a long hose on and get a long hose keeper like in the video below. I have no aspiration to ever do doubles. Just single tank with slung Pony.

Thank you to all that contributed to the thread.

 

[boulderjohn]

2. I presently have a 29 inch primary hose and 36 inch octo hose. I will put the 36 inch hose on the primary regulator and run the hose under my arm.

That might be too short. For OW dives, I use a 40" hose under the arm for the primary with a swivel.

 

[boulderjohn]

I agree it’s not ideal for the perso who is OOA.

But he seems to say that it is easier for him to find his own octo. He is making a different point here.

Surely you can find your own octo?

I don't think this is what was meant, but seeing students unable to find their own octos because they fell out of their holders is one of the reasons I became sold on the necklace system.

 

[tursiops]

What is the difference between telling a buddy to take the secondary regulator from the triangle and telling him to take the one from the necklace?

You cannot remove the second stage from my necklace unless you either break zip ties or break the necklace itself. It is for my use, not someone else's.

 

[tursiops]

I don't think this is what was meant, but seeing students unable to find their own octos because they fell out of their holders is one of the reasons I became sold on the necklace system.

I see a LOT of dangling octos, especially after giant stride entries. Storing it anywhere would be better than dangling.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I didn’t read every post in detail but isn’t an Air2 a form of primary donate?
They use those in OW classes all the time and on rental gear.
But here’s the catch.
What length primary should you be using then if you have an Air2? Obviously at least a 40”. But a 40” over the shoulder is unwieldy and too much hose unless you run it under the right arm and in most cases use a swivel. But how many new divers do this and how many shops or operators will set up rental fleets or set gear up this way?
Most I’ve seen using an Air2 end up using a standard 32” (or shorter) over the shoulder without much thought as to how it would go if they actually had to donate that primary and get on their Air2.
A 32” is not enough to be a donation length.