Using your octo as your primary

[RESTOVM1701]

I have been diving since 1954 when I built a rebreather for a cost of $65.00
I became a certified diver in 1959 and an Instructor in 1960. I have owned a dive shop and instructed since 1960(51 years) I am still active and teaching
and guiding trips to far away places. I am telling you this so that you know I am a well experienced diver. I am a PADI Master Instructor. In 1980 I started writing and promoting the octopus to be part of the scuba course. In 1983 it became a requirement for instructor to have one to show students how it worked. In 1985 it became a standard. As for the Octo you do save normally
buying a cheaper second stage called Octo. However it is made to get one safely to the surface. I sell my regulators with two second stages just alike.
You can dive with either with comfort and confidense. It only cost about $40.00 more to go first class than to save the few bucks. SInce I repair/service regulators sent to me from all over the US I am very particular
about what I sell. Having been servicing regulators for some 50 years it gives me a lot of insight as to what is very good and duraable and ease of breathing. Also whether I can buy the main service parts from other suppliers than the manufacturer. Several brands build their regulators
where they are the ony one that willever have the parts for what you buy from them. In a new class of beginning OW divers today they said that my regulators breathed so easy. That the ones in the Bahamas that they used in a quicki resort course were hard to breath.
I do not advetise to sell on the internet. However if i have a request from someone I will give them a quote. If a person comes into my shop to buy a set of gear and they did not take from me and use what I see, I invite them to try it out in my pool whicch is only 16 feet away from the entrance of my shop. I have never in 51 years had any complaints of the equipment I have sold. I am very particular.

Your local dive shop has invested thousands of dollars for a compressor alone to be able to fillyour cylinder or rent you a cylinder to dive with. The amount the shop takes in from air sell will never pay out the compressor.
While the internet may save you a dollar or two, it CAN NOT fill your tank.
If you have a local dive shop and want his/her services I would highly reccommend that youdo your very best to trade with them and not just for air sells or they may not be around to serve you.
Also you do not have to pay an arm and a leg for great equipment, but don't let price keep you from buying gear that will make your diving more enjoyable. All I have said is from more years of experience than most anyone you might run into in the dive business. Don't begruge your local stor making a decent profit. Your lucky if you have a nearby scuba center.
I am Bullfrog, PADIM1701@aol.com, PADIM1701

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

Both my regulator hoses are octopus length. That is after I dived in a drysuit which made my main reg hose not reach properly and so I had to dive on my octopus reg.

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

I have been diving since 1954 when I built a rebreather for a cost of $65.00 ...

What did you make that rebreather out of? Have you still got it? Any chance of a picture of it?

 

[EMT_diver]

Don't let price be your primary factor in choosing a reg. Your life literally depends on it. Having said that, there are ways to save if your timing is right. I bought a used ConShelf 21 reg/octo for 75.00 from a dive shop that was upgrading their rental gear. They have to maintain their stuff for liability reasons if for no other. Bought it in 1992, service it and still use it.

 

[suprane]

Or forget about the "free parts" and just service as needed. Most regs will go along time with just inspections. It is cheaper to pay for a full service & parts every 3-5 years (but have inspected more often) than to pay the 50.00 to 75.00 year labor in order to get "free parts". Been my experience that Apeks or Aqualung can easily go for 10 years or more with same internal parts (assuming good maint.)

Oh My Gawd!..

It frightens me that anyone could have that mind set! Are you serious?!?

I own (among several other regulators) an Atomic M1. I have had it inspected and rebuilt religiously every two years.

Now here is where it gets really interesting..... A few years ago the dive shop where I had purchased it went out of business. They had always done my service on this regulator. I was at my two year mark (this was less than two and a half years ago) and I needed it serviced. I called Atomic and explained my situation and asked if I could send it directly to the factory for service. They indicated I could. So the regulator was sent to California to the Atomic factory repair center and completely rebuilt. I then dived this regulator multiple times over the next two years without problem.

Less than six months ago I was one again at the two year mark. And with a trip coming up soon to Barbados I elected to send it this time to Dive Right In Scuba for the rebuild. Very soon I got an e-mail from them saying I had big problems. Seems the environmental seal had somehow failed and leaked salt water into the first stage. The first stage was totally corroded out! They even attached photos of the damage.

After several phone calls between me and DRIS and the Atomic factory and between DRIS and the factory repair center, the reg was boxed up and sent to California to the factory repair center. After they had inspected it they agreed that it was indeed corroded beyond repair and replaced the first stage for free. They refused to speculate on why the seal had failed or take responsibility for the problem. Duh!? But keep in mind this last service was by this very same factory repair center! Who better qualified to work on this regulator?

Also note that there was absolutely no external evidence of the damage inside! They and DRIS both indicated that it could have had a complete failure at any point! Now how would that have played out at 120' or 130' (or maybe more). And, perhaps, while in the bowels of a sunken ship! We are talking the first stage failing! Kind of leaves you in a bind if your not diving a tech configuration with two first stages, doesn't it?!

So just how safe do you feel letting your life support equipment go "for 10 years or more with same internal parts"? Just how cavalier are you?..... And, do I really want to be diving with anyone that has this mind set?!? I really don't want to have to try and save your ass in the confines of a sucken ship at 100 + feet because you didn't have the good sense to have your equipment serviced as is reccomended.

Gives one pause to reflect on their choices doesn't it?

 

[suprane]

Unless things are drastically different than when I was teaching for PADI, if you are unfortunate enough to have someone come to you out of air, THEY should find and use your octo. An octo is an unbalanced regulator and very often harder to breath off of. In an emergency situtation this is fine, but to rely on your octo as your personal primary is not a good idea. They could come up short in a hard breathing scenario. Save a penny, but lose that dollar! After all, isn't your primary reg your lifeline?

I would argue this premise. On all three of my current kits the octo is identical to the primary! And, in fact, I always breathe my octo as I dive a long hose (DIR) configuration. This is the case with my Poseidin, my HOG D1, and my Atomic M1.

And I think you will find this becoming increasingly more common as time goes on. This configuration really makes more sense and is actually safer once you have trained in it and gotten used to it. If the person out of air approaches you in a panic they know exactly where the working air source is.... It's currently stuffed between your lips! Give it up to them and simply retreive the one tethered around your neck. Then with the long hose you have more wriggle room between you. This is especially important if you happen to be in a tight overhead environment. But, still is more comfortable (as opposed to a short hose) in open water as well!

 

[suprane]

Also when diving with others! consider them. Underwater if a diver needs air and is looking for your "octopus" and you have two of them in the same color? they may grab the one your using instead of the intended octopus.

Thus, the system setup of a Regulator being a black or dark color, distinguishes it from an Octopus being a brighter color yellow or green. So divers know which is which.

Green? That is normally reserved for 100% oxygen. I think it is a very bad idea for anyone to use this as an octo color. Or, for any new diver to think they can grab the "green" regulator if they are out of air!

 

[aquaman47]

Here's a thought. I've been diving since 1967, over 5,000 dives, Instructor since 1979. In my personal experience, the average sport diver will probably never have to share air. My personal preference is to put my primary second stage on the longer hose and dive that. The octopus goes on the standard length hose and clips on in front of me on my BC. Whether another diver yanks the regulator out of my mouth, or signals "out of air", they are going to get the longer hose. With an air integrated air source on your BC, you'll have to give up your primary anyway, unless you really go redundant and get an octopus, also! Set your equipment up for the way you dive; go through your mind what you would do in possible emergency situations (if not actually practice those scenarios), then if you have a situation, your reaction is going to be pretty much automatic; get comfortable with your equipment setup; and of course, theirs no substitute for experience!

 

[aquaman47]

Hello, I have a question about diving that I cant seem to find an answer to by just browsing online. That is: If buying an Octo is cheaper than buying a normal/primary regulator, then why cant you use the octo as your primary if this would enable you to buy a better reg? Could you buy two octos and use one as back up and the other as primary?

Thanks for the help!

Here's a thought. I've been diving since 1967, over 5,000 dives, Instructor since 1979. In my personal experience, the average sport diver will probably never have to share air. My personal preference is to put my primary second stage on the longer hose and dive that. The octopus goes on the standard length hose and clips on in front of me on my BC. Whether another diver yanks the regulator out of my mouth, or signals "out of air", they are going to get the longer hose. With an air integrated air source on your BC, you'll have to give up your primary anyway, unless you really go redundant and get an octopus, also! Set your equipment up for the way you dive; go through your mind what you would do in possible emergency situations (if not actually practice those scenarios), then if you have a situation, your reaction is going to be pretty much automatic; get comfortable with your equipment setup; and of course, theirs no substitute for experience!

 

[kylgod253]

i wouldnt.. however, i suppose you COULD if you wanted to breathe through a stir-straw at 60 feet.. try your octo at ~60 feet and see how much it sucks to breathe through.. youd be better off just waiting and saving up for a decent primary.