Mounting octopus on left side of 1st stage?

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Scubaroo

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Hi,

I've only ever seen this once but it seems to make sense to me, and seeing as I'm about to assemble a new reg set I thought it would be a good topic to raise.

My PADI training taught me to hold onto your buddy's BC and keep them facing you in an out-of-air situation where they are using your octopus. However, both my (and most other peoples') 2nd stage and octopus have the air hose mounted on their right hand side. Both regs are also normally mounted on the right side of the 1st stage (when looking at the diver from behind). This is pretty standard. However, this means that the octopus is in the ideal usage position for me, not my buddy. My buddy facing me would have an s-bend or kink in the hose in order to use the octopus the correct way up while still facing me.

An article in an Australian diving magazine last year suggested mounting the octopus on the left side of your first stage, and moving your console onto the right side (just for symmetry, they are on different HP/LP ports), in order to put the octopus in a more ergonomic position for your buddy in an air-share situation, ie without any hose kinks. Try it - lay your reg set out on a table, with the 1st and 2nd stage in the position they would be in if they were on a tank and in your mouth, then try and put the octopus in your imaginary buddy's mouth facing your 2nd stage. You have to twist the octopus around to face them - putting the hose on your left, when it is coming from your right shoulder.

Naturally a longer hose, or a DIR configuration, would alleviate or eliminate this problem, but not everyone dives like this.

Any thoughts? Is this "standard" configuration a left-over of days when the octopus was designed to be a backup for the wearer, rather than their buddy? Guessing this might have been the case in the early days of regulator technology. Does anyone see any problems with using this suggested configuration? I'm planning to give it a go. It seems logical to be able to hand your buddy the octopus the right way around ready to slip in their mouth, rather than back-to-front and having to deal with getting it the right way around, when they are presumably gasping for air in a life-threatening situation. The only downside I see to this configuration is that your octopus is then your left side, not your right, where your buddy might be expecting to find it, but that's why they make them yellow, hey?

Ben
 
Several divers I know wear the octopus on the left. Works fine.
There are arguments both ways, and good reasons to do either.
In my own case, I expect to give up the reg I'm breathing, whether that be a 7' hose while caving or a standard short hose in open water, so it's a non issue - but for those who intend to hand off an octopus, the left side rig makes good sense.
Rick
 
I've thought about this concept as well and am looking forward to the replies.

However, consider how I am about to have things setup. While I don't utilize the DIR long hose on my primary 2nd stage, I plan to bungee my secondary 2nd stage under my chin where I can easily pick it up with my lips if I duck my head. The logic being if I were in a situation where my hands are full and a panicked buddy rips my primary out of my mouth without warning. This way I don't have to search for it and I don't need my hands to access it.

So with your idea, how would you "work it" if you buddy steals your primary?
 
I tried having my backup closer to my chin(on bungee) but i found that i couldnt look down because my primary reg would press against the backup.
 
I run my ocy off the left side for the reason you stated. If I have to bring someone up I prefer to be able to eyeball them than have them facing away from me. I have an AirZO2 so the consol isn't an issue, but I used to run my previous console from the left as usual. In the event of handing off my reg, I have done so, but then swapped when things settled down, making us both more comfortable. On Monday my ocy started to free flow, so I used it instead of the primary reg. If you feed it back behind your head and round from the right, it's quite comfortable and adequate to complete the dive. And before I get jumped on, I'm not diving in a tight overhead environment or some other situation where I can't reach my gear. If I was, I'd configure it appropriately.
 
I did my OW in slightly sunnier climes than good old Blighty and used to pass my octopus to the right. Never really considered that the recipient either had to make an S bend or invert the 2nd stage to use it - just accepted it as what was the norm

I now dive with my octo passed under my left arm (with a nice 4 ft hose) as I use an Apeks TX40 octo and it really breathes wet when used upside down - anyway, I now pass my dry suit inflator hose to the right so it all seems to work out ok!!
 
I am interested in these comments, as my instructor and his dive operators set all their "safe seconds" up over the left. I just returned from Maui, and no one else there set up theirs over the left. Of course since I brought my reg with me the dive operators all commented on this configuration as being very unsual. Personnally, it is all I have known and find it comfortable, but each to his or her own. We also were taught how to hold the second from the left for our own use and to purge it by looking downward. When giving to a buddy it is easy and in the right position for them to use, while you hold them by their BC. I still have my dive computer and inflator hose on the left with them in the holder on the BC and I bring the second down under my arm and across my front to clip into a mouth guard on the front D-ring on my BC. This holds it in nicely and keeps it from getting caught dragging behind.
 
During an OOA situation you are going to surface, how are you going to control that octo and your BC with your left hand. The method taught in your OW class teaches you to hold onto the persons right BC strap and surface eye to eye, this keeps the octo from twisting and the S bend you talk about. Also keeps the hose from coming across your body and in the way of your hands, Lord knows you are busy enough as it is without anything else in the way.

Also in an OOA situation, logic does not come into play, rather instinct and training takes over. Most likely they will grab what's in your mouth, then you have to go to your octo.

Another point. I dive the same gear config all the time, no matter what kind of dive it is. This way when and emergency occurs, instinct and training takes over and I don't have to stop and think....how is my gear configed today, where is my octo, etc. Everything is in the same place all the time.

Just my thoughts

ID
 
Can you elaborate on "how are you going to control that octo and your BC with your left hand" please - I'm not quite sure what you mean. While surfacing, I'd expect to be holding my BC air in my left hand, and my right hand on my buddy's BC keeping them facing me. The octopus should be in their mouth. And surfacing "eye to eye" is exactly the configuration that causes the S-bend on right mounted octo's, unless I've misunderstood what you meant.

I'm diving an black Apeks TX50 2nd stage, and a yellow TX40 octopus. Hopefully my buddy's training and instinct is to go for the yellow spare air, otherwise I'm not sure I want to be diving with them as my buddy. Naturally anyone can panick though and grab "the one with the bubbles"! I think I'll go with the left mounted octopus, and make it part of my pre-dive buddycheck to show it's left mounted to my buddy. It will still be mounted in the triangle of my ribs and chin, where we're trained to look for it. A longer hose than the ones typically supplied does sound appealing though. Now I just have to experiment with the console on the left and right side to see what is most practical with this configuration.

thanks everyone for your input

Ben

 
Folks,

Since I have an Air Source alternate air device, it is naturally mounted on the left side. However, it has always been my assumption that in an emergency, that I will use the Air Source and the "victim" will use my second stage.

I have concluded this for two reasons:

(1) The Air Source's tubing is shorter than my second stage's.

(2) My second stage breathes easier.

When Barbara and I do our practice drills, that is the way we do it. However, my assumption has also been that someone out of air could be in a panic and will grab whatever is around. Thus, I am prepared for either alternative.

This is a long way of saying right or left should be okay as long as the diver knows where it is and is reflexive in reaching for it.

Joewr
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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