Purging, Pony's and Panic

[Abdullah]

Old school did not have power inflators nor octopus regulators?

You're right, I didn't clarify how old school. More modern diving, not Leonardo's leather hood and balloon BCD.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I really appreciate that I learned to dive in the late 70's. This was a brief time when we had most of the new safety items were available and recommended (BCD w/ power inflation, SPG), but the old school style (Mae West vest for surface flotation, just a j-valve on the tank) was still considered normal. When we trained, we learned buddy breath and octo use. We did some dives with and without BCD & power inflation. This forced us to dial in weights early in the process. The dive computer was not available, so we became really familiar with the tables. I don't miss the good old days, but I do appreciate the extra skills they taught me. It's like learning to light a fire with flint and steel, nothing you really want to go back to doing on a regular basis, but a nice tool to have in the box.

 

[ppo2_diver]

Getting back to the original issue. I think the root cause the OP had was the overall lack of comfort in the water. 1) Not being comfortable with the reg out of the mouth, 2) not being comfortable with the equipment and 3) not being comfortable with the gas switch procedures. The arguments about purging methods and bottle valves in the open/closed position doesn't really matter as people are free to do what works for them. The lesson learned from the situation should be to gain comfort in the water before adding new equipment and procedures to the mix. When adding the new equipment and procedures, do so in a controlled environment to gain comfort with them before moving into a less controlled environment.

Just my 2 bubbles FWIW.

 

[TSandM]

My point on sucking water down is that I was able to manage the issue without flipping out. It was no more of a big deal than getting a drink down the wrong pipe at the dinner table.

If one simply gets water in the hypopharynx and coughs, it's no big deal. If it causes laryngospasm and leaves the victim unable to breathe at all, it's not "no big deal" any more. Better to avoid the issue in the first place, if at all possible. Remember to do SOMETHING to clear a regulator -- if building the habit of tapping the purge button does that, I don't think it's a bad approach.