Posted by Eins on January 20, 2001 at 20:34:49:
In Reply to: Incorporation of Surgical Tubing Octo Holder Into Non-DIR Setup... posted by mattschechter on January 20, 2001 at 14:15:30:
Matt,
You asked the question to whom the octo goes.
One of the "new" ideas of DIR is that in an OOA situ, the distressed diver gets (or grabs) the working reg--the primary which will be on the long hose. The donating diver now uses his back up that is on the bungee under his chin.
There are sevaral reasons for this:
The long hose gives more freedom of movement to the OOA diver and even allows single file diving through narrow passages. It is the reg that is proven to work, so it presents the least stress to the OOA diver, and it is the one a less disciplined OOA diver will very likely grab anyway--the one you are breathing from now.
The back up only needs a short hose because you will be the one using it in case. This back up reg is not a high performance reg to prevent free flows.
The only problem I have with this setup in SoCal beach diving is that the back up will collect sand as I transit through the surf zone. A plug would prevent that (but would also prevent an instant deployment of the back up reg). I'll make that a separate post.
Eins