Alternate Regulator - Octopus - Trivia

[Neutral Buoyancy]

Ok ok this thought has popped into my head form time to time and I never gave it much thought but now I want to know. Why is the alternate air source regulator called an octopus?

[Aquanautchuck]

Because the hose looks like a Octopus arm over your shoulder.

Just a guess.

[diver-dad]

I always thought it came from the rough resemblance of the whole reg assembly as a octopus (the first stage = the body & all the hoses = arms).

[Dave]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,, I would have to agree
](*,)

[Neutral Buoyancy]

From what little I could find about it I would also have to agree.

[sparky]

we tried calling it a Hog Snout

But sadly this catchy just never tok hold
you just never can tell with them pesky Scuba Divers




SORRY MY BAD!!

But I thought it was funy


Sparky

[Neutral Buoyancy]

Actually I that was quite funny. Thanks.

[RSdancey]

Why is the alternate air source regulator called an octopus?

The concept of adding a "safe second" wasn't feasible until divers went to the current "regulator on the end of a hose" configuration that is common today. Prior to that, SCUBA used a continuous hose with the second stage regulator on the tank or at the back of the neck (ala old Cousteau shows).

After the more modern 1st stage-2nd stage configuration became common, divers with the ability to do machine work on those regulators experimented with other uses for the feed from the 1st stage, including the low pressure "power inflator" for BCs and eventually drysuit inflation hoses and safe seconds.

With the number of hoses proliferating off the 1st stage, the idea that the configuration resembled an octopus was pretty self evident.

You might not need a power inflator hose or a drysuit hose and many divers started with one hose on their 1st stages, but once the safety and utility of the safe second became manifestly obvious, its commonplace addition to a rig "turned it into an octopus", and that's how the name got associated with the reg, not the overall look.

[BbbleMkr]

You were a professor in some past life, weren't you.

[Uwscotch]

It was either Bottom time radio or Pod Diver Radio, I forget what podcast, anyways they had the history of the "octopus" and the inventor/coiner of the name. Listen to these podcasts, and you'll eventually here the story. I am quite certain it was Bottom Time Radio episode.

[Neutral Buoyancy]

Kewl! I didn't even know they had these pod scuba shows.

[Uwscotch]

podcastalley.com

go to the sports section. I believe pod diver is within the top 15 of all of their podcasts. I was amazed that they interviewed a woman that did cave exploration in ice caves. She was mapping the ice shelf that broke off in antarctica and it was breaking apart on them while diving. The next day, the entire shelf completely disintegrated. About a month ago, studies came out showing that the destruction of the ice shelf once it was floating free was caused by an earthquake in Alaska. It is amazing they weren't in it at that time. pretty cool stuff. bottom time radio I think can be found with a simple google search. Pod diver radio also has pod diver TV, but I can't get it to work on my ipod and i usually don't watch stuff on my computer. They have interviews with all of the manufacturers, the big names like kohler and chatterton, etc.

best