Retractor vs Coil Lanyard

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Tiptopperoo

Thanks compu dude! I dive a Mares abyss 22 with proton octo, have a nemo excel wrist comp and a Zeagle Brigade BCD. I have the Tusa SCA 240 console to go with it. Not a heap of stuff, but I just want to keep it all well trimmed.

On the retractors, that seems to be the general opinion (ie they WILL break). However I need the gauge to be available for regular pressure checks, and sometimes loose so I can use the compass to navigate. Bolt snaps do seem more reliable and will last longer, but how fiddly are they to unclip all the time?

Practice makes perfect. That's pretty much all tech divers will use to attach things, and some things get clipped and unclipped all the time. Some evenings spent sitting in front of the TV, clipping and unclipping without looking, and you won't even have to think about it any more.

[snagel]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

Instead, use a simple snorkel keeper. Costs $1-2, lasts ages, holds securely, but releases with a simple yank. Loop one end through a d-ring (simple slip knot) and stretch the other end around the mouthpiece of your octo. That's the way everyone used to do it until some schmo who wanted to make a buck realized he could charge people $6-10 for a 25 cent piece of plastic if he made it a pretty color and sold it as a specialized octo holder.

I second the simple snorkel keeper. However, I can't seem to find the ones that are real pliable anymore. I'm told the company that made them went out of business. I bought two of them a couple years ago, one broke. I haven't been able to find them since. The only thing I've seen are the hard plastic ones that don't work too well for the octo. If you have a source, please post.

S. Nagel

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by snagel

I second the simple snorkel keeper. However, I can't seem to find the ones that are real pliable anymore. I'm told the company that made them went out of business. I bought two of them a couple years ago, one broke. I haven't been able to find them since. The only thing I've seen are the hard plastic ones that don't work too well for the octo. If you have a source, please post.

S. Nagel

My LDS, Sport Chalet... I can't recall the last time I went to a local dive shop that didn't have simple snorkel keepers.

http://www.scuba.com/scuba-gear-39/0...-Silicone.html

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQUSKBK.html

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/AQUSK.html

Trident makes the ones that most shops carry, I'd imagine: http://www.tridentdive.com/Export215.htm

...and I'm sure ScubaToys has them, although they're not listed on the website. Just call and ask for them.

[whse56]

I bought one of the big retractors from ST, man that baby has got some strong retractor spring. You let it freewheel badk in and anything hooked to it is going to hurt when it hits you.

[Tiptopperoo]

Well I ended up going with the tech boys on this one. Bought 2 stainless steel snapbolts from ST. One I will use to mount my octo the other my gauges. Just unclip when I need em.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by Tiptopperoo

Well I ended up going with the tech boys on this one. Bought 2 stainless steel snapbolts from ST. One I will use to mount my octo the other my gauges. Just unclip when I need em.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

I'm not sure a bolt snap is the best choice for an octo, since a paniced OOA diver needs to be able to grab it in a hurry without messing with a hard attachment. Thus the snorkel keeper recommendation.

We "tech boys" have our octo (aka secondary) on a very short hose hanging around our neck on a bungee necklace, not with a bolt snap. The bolt snap goes on the primary reg (which is on a very long hose) so you can clip it off when not in use. (If WE manage to go OOA or during deco gas switches, or on the surface to keep it off the ground.) When donating air, we switch to the secondary reg and offer our primary on the longer hose.

Good call for your gauges, however. See here for attachment instructions (or you can go with a zip tie, but there is some controversy there)

[SarahBella]

I use a retractor for now on my console and an octo holder for the octopus...its all preference and what is easily available. Do what feels right to you and stick with it.

[Hollywood703]

I have started doing something a bit different, for my octo, i use a small to medium thickness Rubber band, I attach it to my D ring by passing it back through itself...pull tight, then just open it up big enough to go over the regulator to the hose......Most of the time, it slips down the hose if i grab it, worst case scenario, it snaps the rubber band leaving it cinched to the D-Ring. I wouldnt use this on anything that isnt attached somewhere....like a camera.....But to keep an octo in place and tight to the body, this works great...

[CompuDude]

I knew I took photos at some point, and just stumbled across them. Plain ol' snorkel keeper is all you need.

This is how I rig my octo on my Avid BC, which I use for pool sessions when assisting classes.

[Tom A]

iv always had a clip to hol console