Diving Octopus (secondary demand valve) is a common alternate air source or simply an additional second stage that allows you to share air from your Scuba Tank with your diving buddy or any other diver in need. The octopus regulator is inexpensive, convenient and very easy to use. The medium pressure hose is made longer than that on the primary demand valve to allow for more freedom of movement when sharing air. Technical divers often need to use hoses as long as 7 feet on their octopuses. This is done to ensure that the divers sharing air can swim in a single file in such restricted areas as caves or wrecks. Another peculiarity is that the octopus and the hose are often colored in yellow to help locate it quickly in case of an emergency.
If you don’t want to add an extra hose to your gear set, you can use a hybrid octopus model. It combines a secondary demand valve and a BC inflation valve. Keep in mind though, that the hose of such hybrid valves is usually shorter.
Even though octopus is not something you will use during your every dive, it can make a real difference in case of an air supply emergency. Therefore, you need to make sure, that the octopus you purchase is of high quality and convenient to use. In addition to a variety of functional secondary demand valves, Dip 'N Dive also carries combination regulators and power-inflators for your Buoyancy Compensator.
To ensure maximum security during the dive, you can also purchase Spare Air (redundant air source), making the system totally independent of the primary air source.