Newbie - how do I wear a long hose for primary regulator?

[RayfromTX]

I have heard that the 7' hose has no place in open water but for me it does. The seven foot hose is comfortable without the need for an angled fitting at the reg and when diving with my wife we sometimes are able to extend our dive by a few minutes by sharing air if one of us has breathed down our tanks faster than the other for some reason. As a result, sharing air for us has become second nature without the need for drills. Air? Sure, here. The seven foot hose makes sharing while continuing the dive easier. This is something that we do at the midpoint in the dive, not at the end to squeeze out the last possible minute of dive time. The variables among divers and dive sites are too broad for a one size fits all philosophy to what is appropriate gear.

 

[halocline]

Sure, but the 5ft hose would do exactly the same thing as the 7ft hose, without the need to find some way to tuck the extra 2 ft someplace.

I use both; the 7ft in my cave set up where it's really required, and the 5 ft in OW. I can see how some people would like having an elbow to basically extend the reach of the hose a couple of inches, but to me that might make things less comfortable for the air sharing.

I really hope some smart dive gear company starts offering standard hoses in 5'6", 6', and 6'6" lengths.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I use a 7 ft hose for both my single-tank and double-tank configurations, even if it may be overkill for the former, because I prefer the consistency of feel. A 5 ft hose just doesn't feel the same as a 7 ft hose. My muscle memory is based on the 7 ft hose. I don't know how people switch between backmount and sidemount--I guess being equally fluid with two configurations is an acquired skill like any other. I'm not there yet.

That said, the 7 ft hose isn't the easiest thing to stow and can get in the way of things when, say, the crew has jammed my rig next to five others on a Zodiac.

 

[Dogbowl]

I’m thinking of switching back to recreational length hoses. The 7 feet hose is just getting too annoying for my recreational ocean diving from boats. Too much accidental dangling and dragging of the long hose/2nd stage by myself and the guys who handle my rig.

 

[TASCPA]

I’m thinking of switching back to recreational length hoses. The 7 feet hose is just getting too annoying for my recreational ocean diving from boats. Too much accidental dangling and dragging of the long hose/2nd stage by myself and the guys who handle my rig.

My wife couldn't deal with that long hose either. Just too much to deal with for her. Switched the 7' to a 40" hose, still colored and treated as the Regulator to be donated. Omni swivel made this comfortable. Backup for her is still via necklace.

 

[Dogbowl]

My wife couldn't deal with that long hose either. Just too much to deal with for her. Switched the 7' to a 40" hose, still colored and treated as the Regulator to be donated. Omni swivel made this comfortable. Backup for her is still via necklace.

I’m considering different alternatives, your wife’s being one of them.

However, I have to say that I REALLY like the comfort of the hose being routed around my neck. Coupled with an Aqualung Comfo Bite mouthpiece, it’s simply amazing.

 

[Stoo]

I've never understood the point of a long hose in an openwater environment. It's unnecessary and in many cases, it's desirable to be face to face, and hanging on to the harness of the OOA diver.

 

[Lochard]

Thanks for the responses to my post. I really appreciate the detail and the differing opinions about this subject. Some clarification: I have a jacket style BCD (Scubapro Glide). The hose is 7'. Is this going to a problem? I will also be carrying a pony.

The reason I got the LDS to set up this configuration is because a) reading Scubaboard has left me with the impression that this long hose/primary donate thing is best practice. b) I am going wreck diving in the Solomon Islands. Limited penetration. I thought that a long hose would be the standard set up on this kind of trip.

Nevertheless, I am here to stand corrected. In fact I am rather intimidated by the prospect of getting things wrong/tangled up, and looking like a fool if I show up and the other divers on the liveaboard (who are likely to be far more experienced than me) have the standard configuration.

Assuming I go with this long hose set up, where would I get hold of a clip to secure it, and a bungee for the secondary?

 

[GJC]

Thanks for the responses to my post. I really appreciate the detail and the differing opinions about this subject. Some clarification: I have a jacket style BCD (Scubapro Glide). The hose is 7'. Is this going to a problem? I will also be carrying a pony.

The reason I got the LDS to set up this configuration is because a) reading Scubaboard has left me with the impression that this long hose/primary donate thing is best practice. b) I am going wreck diving in the Solomon Islands. Limited penetration. I thought that a long hose would be the standard set up on this kind of trip.

Nevertheless, I am here to stand corrected. In fact I am rather intimidated by the prospect of getting things wrong/tangled up, and looking like a fool if I show up and the other divers on the liveaboard (who are likely to be far more experienced than me) have the standard configuration.

Assuming I go with this long hose set up, where would I get hold of a clip to secure it, and a bungee for the secondary?

You dive with a pony and you have 2 regulators off your main tank?

When I dive with a pony I just have 1 regulator off my main tank with a short hose, and my pony has a 40 in hose. I clip my pony to my left shoulder and waist rings.

If I have to give someone else air, I can unclip the pony and give them the whole rig.

 

[wheeledgoat]

I also let myself be seduced by the seemingly overwhelming consensus here on scubaboard about the long hose. To put it in perspective, much of that consensus is from the tech community. I believe I understand correctly that the initial purpose of the long hose is for sharing when you need swim in a single file, e.g. narrow corridor, which is why so many chime in with the long hose having "no place in open water diving." My experience closely mirrors Dogbowl's report above.

I'm currently set up in a bit of a hybrid - standard length primary hose, with octo necklaced. I've decided I don't like the octo necklaced either because it gets awkward if I'm trying to avoid a MOF (mask on forehead) if I'm in the company of a bunch of try-hards and I'm not in the mood "that" conversation.

For me (and everyone is different - you have to find what works for you) I've decided to come full circle and go back to standard length hoses for both primary and octo. I'm beginning to realize that there might be a reason it's so popular.