Another opinion: To buddy or not to buddy

[tracydr]

i can swap out hoses, I just will need the special tool Aqualung uses for their ports, thanks.
7', wow! Wasn't expecting that. How do you keep it under control?

Tuck excess under a knife or weight pocket at the right hip, ( I have a can light but I used to use a weight pocket that fit on my waist band of my harness), than it wraps around the body across the chest, behind the head.
Hard to explain but if you look up a picture of "Hogarthian configuration" you will see how its done.
I'm 5'1". Larger/taller people will have far less excess hose than I do.

Oh, I was talking about a different person who said that the hoses which came with his regs were very short and didn't allow air sharing except at extremely close distance. I'm not sure why he doesn't just change out the hose if that bothers him.

Here are some pictures:
http://www.sfdj.com/fall/beyond2.html

 

[D_B]

if your referring to me (?) I did put on a longer hose , only 52" but I see it fits the 4' to 7' mentioned for OW in your linked to article ... it's sufficient for my needs right now and is what I went to right after OW

My thoughts on if you get a 7 foot hose is that you need/should practice with someone that is familiar with, and uses that configuration

 

[TSandM]

There is a reason that most octo hoses are 36" or 40" -- it's because that's the length you need to be able to share gas comfortably. Most regulators are set up with a 24" hose on the primary second stage, because that's all you need if you aren't going to share it, and it means you don't have any hose loop sticking way out around your neck.

If you go with a primary donate system, whether it's Air2 or not, you need a longer hose on the primary regulator. This can be 30" or up to 7'. With any of them, you are faced with the issue of what to do with the extra hose when you aren't sharing gas. For a 40" hose, you can route the hose under your right arm and up to your mouth, but the reg won't sit comfortably without a 90 degree adapter or swivel (and swivels have an unhappy track record of failing). A 60" hose can be routed under the right arm, across the chest, behind the neck and around to the mouth, but this hose length may be too short to be comfortable for people with bulky BCs or broad chests. A 7' hose routes down behind the diver on the right side, is captured either by something on the waist band at the right hip (light canister, knife, shears, or pocket) and comes up across the chest, around the back of the neck, and to the mouth. It's a little harder to manage this with a standard, weight-integrated BC, but it can be done.

I recommend either the 40" hose with the right-angle adapter, or the 7' hose for most people who are using a primary donate system.

 

[drrich2]

Oh, I was talking about a different person who said that the hoses which came with his regs were very short and didn't allow air sharing except at extremely close distance. I'm not sure why he doesn't just change out the hose if that bothers him.

I'm one of those 'allergic to hands-on modifying gear' people. I owned an Oceanic VT3 & transmitter for years before I finally broke down & 'installed' the transmitter on the 1'rst stage & got the thing paired up. Finally had to change a battery in my wife's VT Pro when my buddy was out-of-state & couldn't do it. Messing with regulator hoses? Anxiety provoking just thinking about it!

Richard.

 

[divin'dog]

I have a daughter who is 10 1/2 and will probably get certified within the next two years. I'd say I wouldn't want the vast majority of the local instructors to teach her to dive. I've only met 2 so far that I would trust her with which probably represents about 10% of the instructors that I know. The rest turn out divers that are horrible.

... Sad but true.

 

[fnfalman]

I'm new to diving with only 15 dives. I recently outfitted myself with all new top of the line gear, which includes black ice BC, airsource, suunto cobra 3 computer, dry suit, steel tanks, etc.
I have an opportunity to dive with a neighbor who has a lot more experience than me.
My problem is that he is wanting me to forgo the use of my integrated computer for a traditional console setup. Also, he wants me to give up the airsource, for an octo setup. When I tell him I want to use my drysuit, he discourages me from using it and says my 7mm wetsuit should be fine. I tell him I want to use my steel tank because I believe it works better with my bc, he says that I should get use to using an aluminum tank. He says that if I want to dive with him, I need to use the gear that he considers best. He believes in more simplicity in gear. Which I don't totally disagree with him, but I feel he's being a bit narrow?
My dilemma is this, since I've made a big investment in gear and I want to be comfortable using it, I feel that I need to practice with it. But by telling him that I want to use my gear might jeopardize my diving with him.
So, should I stand my ground or should I give in and do it the way he wants it to be done? And just learn what I can from him.
I could use other opinions on this.

I'd tell him to pound sand.

My gears, my dive. If he can't accomodate me, then I can't accomodate him. There are plenty of friendly divers in SoCal. You don't have to settle for some old curmurdgeon.

Hell, I'll go with you for some outings if you don't mind doing boat dives, cuz the brother is too old to be lugging gears and fighting the shore waves.

You can dive half naked with split fins for all I care, as long as you do it in a safe manners and don't mind following some tips on buoyancy skills.

---------- Post added August 3rd, 2013 at 11:25 PM ----------

I do not have a backup SPG yet. On my list.

I have a backup SPG for my wireless air integrated computer too. It sits in my dive bag.

Well over 300 SoCal dives in the past six years with two different wireless air integrated computers. Neither of them have yet to have a transmitter issue. I take it back, one of the transmitter did die on me because I was an idiot and kept ignoring the low battery signal. Can't blame a piece of equipment for operator's stupidity.

---------- Post added August 3rd, 2013 at 11:32 PM ----------

Imagine this... you just splashed and your computer isn't reading your wireless transmitter correctly,

You telling me that you wouldn't check on the surface as part of the pre-dive check list to make sure that your computer links up with the transmitter?

but your depth gauge and bottom timer are still working. Would you want to abort a dive because you don't know how much air you have, or continue using your computer for depth and time and your SPG to know how much air you have.

If you were to check your gear the way it was meant to be checked, then the problem would have been detected AND resolved on the surface ala whipping out and installing the backup SPG then go to town.

Even if somehow that highly improbable case like you wanted all of us wireless transmitter divers to believe were to happen, well, it wouldn't stop me from diving. Depth gauge function still work? Check. Dive time function still work? Check. Let's go diving. Why exactly do you need an SPG? Don't you; as a skilled diver, know your SAC/RMV? Your tank got however much air in it today just like yesterday and the day before that (assuming that you checked the tank pressure with one of those tank SPG thingie). Your breathing rate should more or less be the same; unless you hit current. Then you'd simply cut your dive time shorter.

You DO know that divers have made thousands upon thousands of dives in the early decades in quite safe manners without the use of SPG?

I'd expect wireless transmitter failure to be more common than the entire computer crapping out. If our transmitters crap out, I can finish my dive safely, while you'd be back on the boat.

Yet everybody and their brothers, including the tech diving computer manufacturers, kept coming out with wireless air integrated computers?

 

[gekodivebali]

Also what alternatives do you have? Are there any other divers around you?

 

[fnfalman]

Also what alternatives do you have? Are there any other divers around you?

The OP is in Southern California. Plenty of other divers around to help out.

All he or she has to do is go down to the Southern California subforum and post there for buddies.

 

[Peter69_56]

I often dive with inexperienced divers. I would never consider dictating to them what gear they should use. I might chat with them about what they have and why there might be better options, but never dictate to them. I might however not dive with them if I thought due to their gear (perhaps badly maintained, or lets say no Occy just one secondary reg etc) created a real risk to them or me. I would however explain the issue and that I am not comfortable diving due to the risk etc etc.

I particularly don't see the logic behind steel vs aluminium. Often with my LDS, they supply both aluminium and steel to students and for hire. What they have is what they have and they use what they have. It could be like saying one must always use exactly the same BCD so you know what you are using, ideal but not absolutely necessary.

I use an air integrated PC when diving twins, however have a SPG on the right post as backup. Not a DIR setup but I like backup. So if a "set in concrete" DIR diver wants to tell me I have to dump the computer and shift the SPG GUESS WHAT !!!!!! looks like we will be diving with separate buddies! My point being if they don't like my setup I respect their opinion, however unless they have a very very good reason why I shouldn't dive this way, or I have missed the bleeding obvious my setup will remain, and I will dive with others more tolerant. In saying this, my tech instructor spent some time ripping all my carefully prepared gear apart and rebuilding it (leaving some things out and made recommendations on other items) before the class. Most of what he did remains and I understand the logic and why. My recommendation to you is to do the same with your neighbour in relation to letting him know you want to dive with the gear you have and if he really objects, perhaps it best you don't dive together.

I would have some concern re the dry suit as they do entail more workload and given you are a new diver, there is some risk. However given you have had training, once again I wouldn't raise a red flag, might just chat with you about it.

I don't like the Air2 reg but hey, I don't like lots of things in life but each to their own.

There is more than one dive buddy to dive with, and its good for your experience to dive with varying people, some good and some bad, some fussy and some reckless and everyone in between. You will see the good and the bad of divers and the exposure to this should help you learn.

 

[sailordiver11]

Sorry, no special tool just a hex