ucfdiver
Contributor
The con that jumps out at me is the fact that you have to purchase another hose, and you're going to have to remove a working 2nd stage from your mouth in an emergency.Great video. I had never seen this done. Anyone know of cons? it all looks good to me.
I started out with an AIR II as a new diver. I have since gone to an octo for better BC control in the event of an OOA emergency. I wasn't aware of this possibility. Very interesting.
The main pro's in my mind are-
-You always know your OOA buddy gets a WORKING 2nd stage.
-Cleaner hose routing.
-Gives you some distance from a panic'ed diver.
-You can pass through single file restrictions (in the case of cave/wreck diving)
-You can donate much faster this way, since you don't have to fumble for the reg, unclip it, or unbungee it.
I apologize for jumping to conclusions. Here's why I assumed that you hadn't used one.I have dived with a long hose, I do dive with a long hose, and I will dive with a long hose. I have dived it as my primary, I have dived it as my octo. I have dived with it behind my head, and I have dived with it bungied to my tank. Right now, I dive a 5 foot hose as my octo, because I find that configuration superior.
I know there are people who won't accept that for an answer. If I don't agree that their way is the best way, than I am accused of spreading misinformation. The next step is always the accusation that I haven't really tried it. But the fact is, having tried both, I don't just don't agree.
I could go into all the reasons that I find having my long hose on my octo superior, but as I said, I don't think we need to turn yet another thread that direction. I accept the fact that you, like many here, like diving with a long hose primary. I know you think that way is superior, and I wont accuse you of spreading misinformation because of your choices. All I ask is the same courtesy in return. Just as there are those in this thread who are critical of the "donate the octo" method, there are also those that are critical of the "wrap the hose under your canister and behind your neck" method, and s that doesn't make either camp liars, spreaders of misinformation, or ignorant.
Simply put, you're describing a problem that doesn't exist here. What you're describing is one of the main reasons divers breathe the hose they donate. When someone grabs a working reg from your mouth with the gear configuration we're talking about here, the system works as planned.One could also see this as an excellent example of why one shouldn't have their hoses wrapped under their equipment and coiled around their body. If the taking diver comes at you panicked and with saucer eyes, they may not wait for you to uncoil the hose and gently hand the reg to them.