Questions about history of octos...

[TrimixToo]

So do I. At least PADI and SDI call it Master Scuba Diver...which is somewhat better.

As you say..."somewhat." I'm with you on this 200%.

 

[vjb.knife]

I started diving with NASDS in 1970, at which time I had a UDT swimmers vest (used like a BC). So in 1970 most people I dove with were using some sort of horse collar vest /BC. In 1974 I went to SBCC for the Marine Technology Program and most of the guys were using a horse collar vest of some type. And I believe that by that time I had a Scubapro horse collar, although a short time later I bought a Fenzy big orange doughnut. While commercial Diving through the 1980's I never wore a BC at all, and continued to sport dive with the Fenzy. I did however dive with dry suits like the Poseidon Unisuit and a Viking Pro, mostly without a BC. I did not dive commercially through the 1990's and until the last two years, where I work now for a Submarine company in Hawaii. We just dive with SCUBA gear now, but I am trying to talk them into surface supplied equipment. So currently I dive an APEKS Black Ice, an Atomic Aquatics BC2 and an APEKS WTX on tiny doubles; all back inflation BC's and I love them.

I have always had an SPG on every one of my regulators right from the first in 1970, which to me seemed mandatory, even when diving with a J-Valve on the tank. I did not add a backup second stage octo to any of my regulators until much later in the 1980's or 1990's. I had a Scubapro Mark V, at that time it only had one HP port and two LP ports. Later, maybe around 1978 or so I added the turret port end to it which had several additional LP ports which allowed me to add a power inflator hose to my BC's and and Octo second stage. I still had two other Poseidon regs that I dove without octos until the last few years. Now I use a Poseidon Cyklon 5000 with two second stages or an Atomic Aquatics ST1 with two second stages, when I sport dive. At work I use a Scubapro Mk11 / C370. I use the C370 as the backup / octo and I added an S600 second stage which is on a Scubapro Full face mask.

 

[tep]

I did NASDS in 1978 - "safe second" was the preferred and recommended method, but we did cover buddy breathing. In the pool as part of the "games", and in the ocean at least once on the check out dives. Just kneel facing each other and pass a reg back and forth a few times to get comfortable with the idea that you could take the 2nd stage out of your mouth and not die instantly

All the course gear and rental gear from that shop was 2x 2nd stages and an SPG - it was "just assumed" that this was the way to go.

Of course, we also used AT-Pacs as BCDs from the beginning, too.