Question about 40" hose under arm

[netdiver]

I just switched my rig to use a 40" Miflex hose routed under my right arm and mounted to my second stage with a 90 degree elbow. I dove with this setup for the first time a few weeks ago and I liked it a lot better vs. the usual 30" hose on a straight coupler to the second stage.

Why is this not the standard setup vs the shorter hose routed over the shoulder in an tight arc back to the head?

It seems to be better than the usual setup for recreational divers. Am I missing something about this setup that is dangerous or flawed?



Pros:

• 
  Comfort-Less hose push/pull on the second stage
  Longer hose if you need to donate your primary
  The 90 degree elbow makes donating the primary easier
  Cleaner dive profile
  Fewer opportunities for hose entanglement
  Fewer opportunities for getting your reg pulled from your mouth

Con:

• 
  Longer hose can make it more challenging to sweep arm and find reg

Please share your thoughts and other items to add to the Pro and Con list.

 

[Nemrod]

Why is this not the standard setup vs the shorter hose routed over the shoulder in an tight arc back to the head?

It seems to be better than the usual setup for recreational divers. Am I missing something about this setup that is dangerous or flawed?

Pros:

Longer hose if you need to donate your primary---

The 90 degree elbow makes donating the primary easier

Most abc dive instruction agencies teach donation of the secondary on a longer hose and the donating diver keeps his/her primary in place. If you decide to breath the long(er) hose as primary and donate the longer hose primary then you as the donating diver you have to switch to a bungeed secondary (usually around the neck), this is not the training most divers are given and that most divers expect to see in use in the general population.

This gets into the long hose minority vs the short hose majority arguments that are simply worn out and of which there have been about a dozen or more in the last few weeks.

Your question, yes, what you want to do works very well, does make a streamlined configuration and many will tell you from that point you might as well go to the 5 foot or 7 foot hose and then a you should probably be diving a BP/wing which will then have you in a Hogarthian (Hog) rig.

Anyways, good luck.

N

 

[netdiver]

Most abc dive instruction agencies teach donation of the secondary on a longer hose and the donating diver keeps his/her primary in place.

This gets into the long hose minority vs the short hose majority arguments that are simply worn out and of which there have been about a dozen or more in the last few weeks.

I think you misinterpreted the vein of my intent. This isn't a "why not" for 7' long hose, light canister, primary donation and other topics associated with DIR, Hog, BP/W, etc.

I fully intend to keep donating my "yellow octo" hanging from my chest since I mainly dive on vacation with groups of other lesser experienced divers. It's just another benefit that the primary could be donated. Once I had a buddy rip the primary from my mouth, though. I would've enjoyed the longer hose then.

It's a simple rig, doesn't require different equipment except for the elbow, doesn't require different skills, doesn't require different lessons in dive training, etc.

That's why I'm confused why it's not the "norm" for recreational divers with jacket BCs and the usual set of gear.

Do you know of any cons associated with this setup that I'm missing?

 

[SteveAD]

Only con that comes to mind is that primary routed straight under arm to mouth, if simply released from the mouth will drop all the way to the right hip every time. Primary routed over the shoulder will drop to the right chest, and have IMO a quicker more efficient recovery.

I dive a 7 footer.

 

[netdiver]

Only con that comes to mind is that primary routed straight under arm to mouth, if simply released from the mouth will drop all the way to the right hip every time. Primary routed over the shoulder will drop to the right chest, and have IMO a quicker more efficient recovery.

I dive a 7 footer.

I find that dropping the primary with the "over the shoulder" rig sometimes results in the reg falling behind also. That's why they teach the "lean and sweep" and "reach" technique. It does sometimes fall on the chest, mostly when on the surface.

The longer hose does make it more challenging to find the reg when this happens.

Thanks for your response.

 

[SteveAD]

I was originally referring to at the surface drops. My 7 footer never drops anywhere but my chest.

 

[Nemrod]

I think you misinterpreted the vein of my intent. This isn't a "why not" for 7' long hose, light canister, primary donation and other topics associated with DIR, Hog, BP/W, etc.

I fully intend to keep donating my "yellow octo" hanging from my chest since I mainly dive on vacation with groups of other lesser experienced divers. It's just another benefit that the primary could be donated. Once I had a buddy rip the primary from my mouth, though. I would've enjoyed the longer hose then.

It's a simple rig, doesn't require different equipment except for the elbow, doesn't require different skills, doesn't require different lessons in dive training, etc.

That's why I'm confused why it's not the "norm" for recreational divers with jacket BCs and the usual set of gear.

Do you know of any cons associated with this setup that I'm missing?

You are asking why not route two 36/40 inch (or longer) hoses under your right arm, one for the primary and another for the octopus?

No, don't do that, the hoses can get crossed. That is why both the standard sport diver method and the tech/Hog methods separate the hoses, one under arm (and around), one over the shoulder. True, the primary and secondary designations change but when you think about the routings, they do not so much.

If you mean one under the left and one under the right, no comment, that is a configuration once used for independent doubles not so much used in N.A. anymore.

N

 

[netdiver]

Like this.

 

[RJP]

Please share your thoughts and other items to add to the Pro and Con list.

I think your approach doesn't sound that much worse than what you switched from.