# Anyone dive tech setup w/ longer primary 2nd stage hose?



## Sailor612 (Oct 3, 2007)

Does anyone dive their main 2nd stage on a long hose, with their backup on a necklace? I was reading up about using your primary 2nd stage (long hose)and passing that on in an OOA emergency and the diver w/o the emergency switching to their backup 2nd stage(short hose)hung on a necklace? Does anyone do this? If so, how long of a primary hose do you have?

I mainly just want to work on streamlining my setup, and the only option I can see being practical w/ a BP & W is to use a necklace with a short hoseas backup 2nd stage...

Any help on "outfitting/configuring" a BP&W for single tankwould be GREAT!

Michael


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## FelixH (Sep 28, 2007)

Hi Michael,

Sounds like you've been doing a bit of homework on this. 

It seems that whena diver is out of air, they will reach for the first source of air they see. Typically, that's the one in your mouth. 

The setup you're describing is very popular, in fact it's considered standard for cave diving. A typical cave setup will use a 7' hose for the primary second stage so that it can be easily donated. The longer hose is needed in a cave environment because there may be tight passages that two divers cannot fit through. The 7' hose is long enough to allow the divers to pass through such a restriction in single file.

If you're not planning to do any cave diving, there is no real need to go with a 7' hose. I don't do caves.

On my rig, I wear the octo on a necklace, on a standard length octo hose (which is longer than the hose for your primary second stage). But I'm not using a 7' hose for my primary. Right now, it is still the standard length hose. I do plan to get a longer one, but just the length of a standard octo hose. What is that, about 30"? I can't remember the exact length.

I just don't want to have to deal with 7' of hose. Some people wrap it around themselves, and I've seen others that bungie it in such a way that it will be releasedby pulling on the hose or reg. Either way, it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth for open water diving.

That's about all I know on the subject, so if you need more info about it, try to get with the guys at MBT. Josh has been into cave diving for a while, and can give you lots more info about those gear setups than I could.

Felix


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## Sailor612 (Oct 3, 2007)

Yep felix! Thats exactly what i've read...about the 7' for caves! I'm not getting into caves yet...and if I do i'll just look into the proper hose then!

I was just wondering if anyone has a set up like that. I was reading on the scuba board about people changing their setup and using the OOA reg as their primary...and then they were talking about how they have seen people put their OOA reg on a necklace (it seem like they were just making fun of people to put their long hose on a necklace) but to me, either way, with a necklace works good. It just brings your backup, either primary or octo, closer into your body and helps streamline you and keep stuff from hangin loose! I made a necklace the other day a jumped into my parents pool a few hrs ago to test wether I like to normally use to long hose or short hose....i liked using the short as a primary and my "long" octo on the necklace!

BTW...MBT has set me up with the Hollis BP&W! I LOVE IT! I just need to get it all situated the way I like. I'm just trying to set it up "DIR" and incase I get more into tech diving so I don't have to competely change everything around to accomadiate it all!


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Most streamlined setup, a Air2 Inflator/octo. U lose an entire hose, and it is always right there on yiour chest, easy reach. If someone grabs your primary freakin...you got yours right there in your left hand, no "lookin" around for your octo. I love it.

Next step, I'm gettin the hoseless computer with tank transmitter, and now I am one less hose still!


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## Harry Brosofsky (Oct 4, 2007)

Clay,

That sounds like what I am diving, except I have a mini hose for a backup pressure gauge incase I have a transmitter problem. Only one hose in hanging out...my primary 2nd stage...the AIR2/inflator, and mini gauge tuck right on the left side with the gauge just below my shoulder.

Harry


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

Keep reducing the number of hoses and you'll become a free diver.


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## FelixH (Sep 28, 2007)

> *Sailor612 (7/26/2008)*
> 
> BTW...MBT has set me up with the Hollis BP&W! I LOVE IT! I just need to get it all situated the way I like.


Awesome, that's the rig I'm diving now. It took a little while to get the harness adjusted properly, but now it's great.


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## bmoore (Oct 10, 2007)

I do cave dive and tech dive in the gulf and use a 7ft hose in a cave just like what was mentioned above. If I am solo I will forgo the 7 foot hose but if I am buddy diving, even in the gulf, I will use it. It makes air sharing much easier.

There are a lot of instructors that teach to pass you "safe second" to the out of air guy keeping your primary in the mouth. I dont follow this line of thinking, being that the out of air diver will go for the first working regulator they see if they are in a panic. His response was during the passing you would have two divers with no regs. But I disagree. You have a out of air diver with a functioning regulator and the (hopefully) calmer donar with a good reg around his neck.

With practice and the right length of the "necklace" you can pop that baby right in your mouth hand free.

http://dir-diver.com/en/equipment/backup_reg.html

http://www.gue.com/

This is my favorite site for gear configuration and I refer to it often:

http://www.gue.com/?q=en/Equipment/Config/index.html


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