Streamlined OW Regulator Setup

[Smiling Armina]

Thanks for all the help. I'm going to try out the streamlined rig. I've watched some videos, and read some of the threads you guys have linked to. Boy was that a rabbit hole.

I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[tursiops]

Does anyone have any additional resourses regarding the "Streamlined OW Setup?"

I think DiveRite invented this, or at least popularized it. See

Also - this system introduces a swivel into the reg. I've heard conflicting information regarding swivels (prone to failure, reduces flow).

The new swivels are fine, but you're not really using a swivel, you are using an elbow. See next quote.

The swivel in this case is a right angle adapter that brings just a single additional oring, it isn't the more complicated swivels with multiple orings that most consider failure prone.

This specific setup has no colour coded octo, and you would not want people to pull on your necklaced backup reg. One option is to change the cap on your primary to yellow as a reminder to what you specify in your buddy briefing.

You could also use a 40-inch yellow hose, to be even more indicative of which reg to grab.

This has little to do with 'streamlined' by the way. You can dive pretty much any configuration streamlined by taking good care of hose routing and adjusting it with custom length hoses.

It is quite streamlined...no hoses sticking out to the side. But the major advantage is to remove side pull on the primary reg as you turn your head.

What is starting to be commonly referred to as an open water “streamlined” rig has very little to do with using a long hose. Sure you can adapt a 5 or 7’ primary hose, but I am pretty sure most of the setups I have seen use a 40” primary hose that goes under the right arm and up the chest, using a 90* elbow/swivel to put the primary second stage in the proper orientation.

Exactly.

 

[Divectionist]

I know this is not a popular bastardisation of the concept here, but if you have a regular OW peasant setup like a primary on a short hose and a clearly marked octopus on a longer hose, you can put the octo on one of those silicone bungees (holds the octo at your neck, but can also be pulled out easily and sits at the top of the 'triangle' most divers are taught) and keep the primary as usual.

You have your own octo right there and yet it is also easily grabbed by an OOA buddy. If you get to choose what to donate, you can donate the octo. If an OOA diver grabs your primary, you have the octo under your chin. If they grab your clearly marked octo, happy days.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Perhaps the OP should contact DGX and ask if they could sell him/her a more conventional set up based on Deep Six?
Bungee, long hose, swivel etc etc is NOT everyone cup of tea.

Remove the swivel, bolt snap, and bungee after that you have a conventional setup, the standard octo hose is 40". If you ask they can probably provide a yellow octo hose too, I know that they have them and are pretty much a same price as a black flex hose.

 

[tursiops]

I know this is not a popular bastardisation of the concept here, but if you have a regular OW peasant setup like a primary on a short hose and a clearly marked octopus on a longer hose, you can put the octo on one of those silicone bungees (holds the octo at your neck, but can also be pulled out easily and sits at the top of the 'triangle' most divers are taught) and keep the primary as usual.

You have your own octo right there and yet it is also easily grabbed by an OOA buddy. If you get to choose what to donate, you can donate the octo. If an OOA diver grabs your primary, you have the octo under your chin. If they grab your clearly marked octo, happy days.

This seems overly confusing...it is neither here nor there. It loses the advantages of the "streamlined" approach, and loses the familiarity of the standard approach.

 

[Nemrod]

---- if you have a regular OW peasant setup like a primary on a short hose and a clearly marked octopus on a longer hose, you can put the octo on one of those silicone bungees (holds the octo at your neck, but can also be pulled out easily and sits at the top of the 'triangle most divers are taught) and keep the primary as usual.

You have your own octo right there and yet it is also easily grabbed by an OOA buddy. If you get to choose what to donate, you can donate the octo. If an OOA diver grabs your primary, you have the octo under your chin. If they grab your clearly marked octo, happy days.

Yes, and my wife and I do exactly that. But I do not use the silicone bungee as they tend to release when not wanted. I just use a standard bungee with the fisherman slip knot. It will release cleanly when tugged. I have never had an issue in practice or in the real event where I did donate my necklaced octopus. I dive a double hose regulator most of the time as primary and I will not buddy breath with an untrained diver unless in dire circumstances where I will have to feed the OOAD air. It is minimalist and it works just fine and the octopus/backup is in the triangle where most divers (when OOA) are taught to look for it.

N

 

[lowwall]

I pretty much duplicated this hose setup except I needed a longer necklaced hose since I have big shoulders and it's a long way back to my first stage. I'm temporarily using my old primary, but it's a bit too long. I also used my old 40" yellow octo hose for the primary to make it obvious which second stage is for donation.

I dived it for the first time today and I'm not 100% sold. I'm going to keep using it and see how I feel at the end of the week, but I suspect I either need a longer primary hose or I made a mistake by getting the 110 elbow instead of the 90. You can see how it kind of pulls down on the hose side. (That's my dive buddy trying to photobomb my selfie.)

 

[Divectionist]

This seems overly confusing...it is neither here nor there. It loses the advantages of the "streamlined" approach, and loses the familiarity of the standard approach.

It depends on who you encounter. If I go boat diving here, it is a special day indeed when I see a DIR setup or rebreather.

In reality, nobody is confused (or cares) if you have your octo bungeed around your neck, it just looks like any other weird octo holding mechanism out there. Due to the above, no distressed DIRhead is going to appear from the depths pulling on my primary and then brooding over the short hose

I think it's actually the cleanest way to dive a harness and have an octo, not bothering any D rings.

I was diving like this for a few months until I switched to always bringing a pony, even for buddy diving, and my secondary setup stowed on it. Now my primary first stage only has my primary reg on short hose, AI transmitter and LP inflator hose (sometimes drysuit inflator hose). I really enjoy that setup.

 

[Charred]

I pretty much duplicated this hose setup except I needed a longer necklaced hose since I have big shoulders and it's a long way back to my first stage. I'm temporarily using my old primary, but it's a bit too long. I also used my old 40" yellow octo hose for the primary to make it obvious which second stage is for donation.

I dived it for the first time today and I'm not 100% sold. I'm going to keep using it and see how I feel at the end of the week, but I suspect I either need a longer primary hose or I made a mistake by getting the 110 elbow instead of the 90. You can see how it kind of pulls down on the hose side. (That's my dive buddy trying to photobomb my selfie.)

View attachment 555679

Your issue is with the hose routing. If you had the 40" hose coming out the bottom of your turret and at a 45 degree angle, the hose would route perfect. You could also try changing which LP port the hoses come out as well. You could try swapping your primary and secondary. Your secondary looks to be too long anyway - is that a 22inch hose? I'm diving that say setup in my picture to the left and you cannot see my 22 hose.

Alternatively, you have a hose that just isnt very flexible and so it is fighting you. I cant tell if that is rubber or miflex. It really does work best with a miflex-type hose.

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

I dive a 40” yellow hose routed under arm to yellow primary second. It comes off turret at a 7 o’clock ish orientation with 110 swivel. Avoids that pulling down.
Black short hose on a necklace.

The only complaint I have is that I have been asked by divemasters why I always dive using my octo “is there something wrong with your primary?”

If I was to redo my setup. I would lean toward 2x40” hoses one under right arm, one under left and necklaced with a releasable connection no color coding, either both black or both yellow. I saw someone diving this set up and it looked very useable, someone else was talking about it on here too. User name was something like Dive Dubai though that can’t be it exactly, as it doesn’t come up as an option to tag.
Of course I couldn’t know if I actually preferred it unless I tried it.