Browsing Tag hoses
How do I tie a good knot?
Attaching bolt snaps to dive gear like SPG hoses, regulators and backup lights make them easier to stow.
Now a common question I get is: So how should I tie a long lasting knot?
We’ve addressed the different types of knots in a previous article, so read this if you would like to find out more about attachment options.
In this article, I’m going to show you how to get a good solid knot tied, so that it lasts (almost) as long as your gear.
A lot of other articles and videos also show how to tie a knot, but I’d like to highlight some of the more important things that I look out for to make sure the knot stays tied over a long period of time.
At the end of the article, I’ll also show the common errors that might cause a knot to fail.
Line choice
Traditionally, most people would use the same line found on their spools to tie their knots.
I’m not a great fan of this, for 2 reasons.
Firstly, it shortens your spool, resulting in an unknown length of line left on the spool.
This is a problem especially if you have a lot of things to tie. I would never recommend going diving without knowing the length of line you have on your spool.
Secondly, and more importantly, I don’t find the braiding on that line appropriate. It’s much too heavy.
A tighter and thinner braid on the line doesn’t stretch as much when wet, creating a more secure knot that doesn’t slip.
Image of a thinly braided line on the left and a heavy braided line on the right
Loop around the connection point and bolt eye
I normally go for 3 or 4 loops around the connection point and the eye of the bolt snap.
For long hoses and SPG hoses, I tend to do 4, but for heavier or other more dynamic knots, I would use more, sometimes up to the width of the bolt snap eye.
Looping the line through the eye of the bolt snap
Cross over and pull tight under the bolt snap
After getting the loops nice, neat and tight, I would bring both ends of the line to the same side of the bolt snap.
Getting the line to the same side of the bolt snap
Then cross both ends of the line and pull them tight, pulling them under the eye of the bolt snap.
Crossing the line and pulling it tight
Pulling the line under the eye of the bolt snap
Ensure that the line is tight around the original loops, making sure that the outer loop is cinching the original loops tight together.
Right over left, left over right
A nice solid knot requires a good tie, and the best one for this situation is the square knot.
Right over left and left over right, that’s a simple phrase I remember to get this correct.
It’s a good knot because the lines tighten on themselves, and it forms a nice flat knot that doesn’t stick out and get abraded.
Tying a square knot
The final square knot
Cut and burn one end at a time
Once the knot is nice and tight, it’s time to seal the ends by cutting and burning off the tips of the nylon line.
The trick here is to cut and burn only one side at a time.
Cut the line as close to the knot as you can, about 1 or 2mm away from the knot.
Only cut one end of the line first, do not cut both sides!
Use a lighter and place it perpendicular to the line, using the heat from the blue part of the flame to melt the line onto the knot itself.
Use a lighter to burn the tip of the line and melt them onto the knot
The melted line on the knot
It’s important to make sure that the excess line is melted into the side of the knot.
This is critical so that the line doesn’t pull out when you cut the other side of the line.
The final knot in all its melted glory
Make it last forever!
I’ve tied knots that have lasted 5 or 6 years with this method, so by following this guide, I’m sure you’ll be able to get a good knot going. Good luck!
Common errors to look out for
Wrong knot
It’s very common to tie a granny knot by repeating the same half knot in the second half of the square knot.
This is not a good knot and tends to slip.
It also tends to stick out, making it prone to abrasion.
An old timer granny knot
Not doing one side at a time
The problem with this is that pulling on one side of the knot will cause the other end to slip out if you’re not careful.
In the least, this will cause the knot to slip and open up a little bit, making it looser.
Cutting both ends of the line before burning them results in a loose knot
Not burning the line into the knot
Burning the tips of the line away from the knot allows the line to slip back into the knot, loosening the knot over time.
Burning the tip of the line away from the knot results in pull back and loosening of the knot
Should I use a 5 foot or 7 foot long hose?
There are two schools of thought regarding the length of a long hose.
5 or 7 feet (1.5 m or 2 m)?
Let’s explore where they came from and the rationale behind each of them.
7 feet – longer than the average human
The 7-foot hose came from the cave diving environment.
Divers would need to share gas, but sometimes having to go through a restriction swimming in single file.
This made the regular short hose unusable, as you wouldn’t be able to share gas with someone in front or behind you.
The 7-foot hose was used so that divers could have the out of gas diver in front of the donor in single file and still have enough hose to be comfortable (unless you were sharing gas with an 8-foot tall giant…).
Ocean divers then discovered that a longer hose would help in keeping the divers further apart, allowing for better maneuverability and comfort.
However, some people thought that the 7-foot hose was too long because you would never really be sharing in single file in an open water environment.
A 5-foot hose was then adopted as a compromise to having a longer hose to manage while sharing.
5 feet – still a long hose but is it too short?
Personally, I would always use a 7-foot hose, but not for the reasons of sharing ironically.
The longer hose is definitely harder to manage when you’re learning it, but overall, I think it loops better and stows away better into the waist belt or behind a canister light.
This holds the hose in position during the dive, and if managed properly, the hose will stay in that location and not move around.
The 5-foot hose would be trapped under the right armpit when used by a larger diver.
In some cases (8-foot giants especially), this can get uncomfortable to the point of not having enough hose length to turn your head to look left.
Smaller sized divers would not have this problem.
However, as the hose is not secured, it will float and move around behind the arm and potentially above the head.
This may create problems when diving doubles, as the hose extending from the second stage tends to get looped around the isolator manifold or right regulator and knob.
Once there, a sharp turn to the left can actually pull the second stage out of the mouth!
7 feet – a Goldilocks length
For these reasons, I personally would always recommend using a 7-foot hose.
It’s long enough for everyone to be able to tuck it securely under the canister light, or into the waistband.
If your waistband is tight enough, then the hose should not pop out on its own accord and float around.
Having stuff in places where they are secure is a big thing for me, as is keeping things nice and neat.
I really hate it when equipment comes loose and causes problems during a dive.
Equipment should be there to support me, not cause additional issues!
Are miflex hoses worth the effort?
In my opinion, I’d say a definite no! There are multiple issues with Miflex hoses, which I’ve witnessed multiple times throughout my experience, both with my own gear and with other divers’ gear.
Softer and more flexible, a solution looking for a problem?
Most people tout the benefit of Miflex being its greater flexibility over regular rubber hoses, but is that flexibility really all that useful in a diving environment? I think not.
I only care about the functionality of the hose while you’re diving, not while it’s coiled up in your regulator bag.
A Halcyon regulator with rubber hoses curled up in a regulator bag
In regular use, I can’t imagine anyone needing a hose that would be more flexible than a regular rubber hose. After all, your body isn’t that flexible, and the hoses are connected to you, so I don’t see why a flexible hose is necessary.
The second benefit that’s touted is the higher burst pressure of the hose. Hmm, not sure about anywhere else, but who uses tanks which are filled to 600bar anyway? I’ve never seen any application outside of industrial use that has such high pressures.
A third benefit is the braided covering, which is supposed to be more durable, but I can definitely prove that this is not the case.
Kinky hoses make bad wrestling partners
Now, to the negatives. The braided hose has a funny memory, and sometimes kinks in weird ways, not in a smooth curve like a rubber hose would. I’ve seen more divers wrestling with Miflex hoses in recent years than I’ve ever seen with rubber hoses.
Apart from that, over time, the braid tends to undo and break off little hairs that stick out of the hose, making it a very uncomfortable if you happen to have that hose rubbing on the back of your neck.
The flexibility of the HP SPG Miflex hose also causes the weight of the SPG to pull downwards, so it tends to hang lower. This makes the whole SPG assembly less streamlined than the harder rubber hose, which tends to stay in place nicely.
Perhaps the hose routing is easier with a Miflex because the hose can bend easier. However, I do find that this tends to constrict the hose and eventually cause a bigger tear in the hose around the metal crimp.
Without even having to mention the recent spate of Miflex hose failures, I’d say those negatives, coupled with the increased price, make this an investment that is unworthy, and unnecessary at best.
A Miflex hose that has degraded and rubber has started pushing through the nylon braids