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Bonaire accident issues Close Call
- Thread starter Thook
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- bonaire dive accident
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I will keep you guys informed if we can get an indication of the cause of failure...also it was not a mouth piece issue, I replaced that last hear with a custom fit. The guys at the shop on the island indicated that modern parts in a reg this old may not be a wise idea and I agree... so it is retired from use... but I'll have it looked at when I can get to a shop which is not easy around here since the two closest ones have closed down....
R
redacted
Guest
Perhaps you can tell us a bit more about the regulator involved. In the last 20 years there have been few, if any, changes in regulator technology, design, or materials. Most changes have been cosmetic. But shops do tend to jump on any opportunity to sell a diver the latest and greatest.
Man I remember my first panic situation. I was still a new diver - I think it was my 6th dive - in Boracay at about 35 feet. I never found out what exactly happened, I think I was just stressed and was having trouble breathing, but it felt like there was nothing coming out when I took a breath. I remember panicking for about 3 seconds (which felt like forever) and turned my head upwards to the surface, which I guess made it more difficult to breathe. After the first 3 seconds, I started telling myself I'm a new diver, it's probably just something I'm doing wrong, rather than an equipment failure or an OOA situation. My guide did an extremely good job of keeping me calm, making his air available and keeping me from inflating my BCD. Kudos to him and it definitely made me more comfortable in the long run.
K
KeithG
Guest
Ouch...I have brand new parts put in my 30 year regs all the time. That is what keeps them in good shape. Dive shops make money by selling you new stuff. Of course they will say old stuff is no good anymore.
Since you have retired the reg, this is also a great oportunity to learn a bit about your gear by examining it yourself. No need to wait for a shop. You have nothing to lose. Second stages are actually very simple devices. The number of reasons you could breathe water are also very short.
K
KeithG
Guest
My short list of things that would allow stuff to get from the water side to the dry side of the second stage is
- Crack / hole in the case
- tear in diaghram
- hole in mouth piece
- faulty exhaust valve
Could also be caused by incorrectly installed diaghram or exhaust valve....
Guys I just don't know at this point. She was breathing fine and all of a sudden she inhaled water. My first guess is a first stage main spring or diaphragm failure... a regulator is basic mechanics, but even when maintained, although rare, basic mechanics can fail and does have a shelf life. We put it on air at the dive shop and it was making a hideous noise on inhaling which sounds to me more like a possible diaphragm issue....but we didn't examine it further than that. I'll know more when we can have the thing dissected. Regulator is a Seaquest Mirage purchased in 1995.
Fin Finder
Contributor
Ok, now that is settled, can we go back to talking about cake?
(Thook, glad your missus is ok. Thanks for the report).
Perhaps Thook's decision to retire the unit is more a case of lost trust, rather than for any technical reason. How will Thook or his wife feel about diving again with that reg after what happened? If purchasing a new unit makes them feel better about diving again, I say that's a valid reason for their course of action.
(I had a similar experience caused by a poorly reseated diaphragm after servicing of my ScubaPro MK25/D500. I had the unit repaired and it's still operating fine after 18 years. Let's face it, servicing is not a panacea that guarantees nothing will go wrong. Sometimes it causes problems.)
(Thook, glad your missus is ok. Thanks for the report).
Perhaps Thook's decision to retire the unit is more a case of lost trust, rather than for any technical reason. How will Thook or his wife feel about diving again with that reg after what happened? If purchasing a new unit makes them feel better about diving again, I say that's a valid reason for their course of action.
(I had a similar experience caused by a poorly reseated diaphragm after servicing of my ScubaPro MK25/D500. I had the unit repaired and it's still operating fine after 18 years. Let's face it, servicing is not a panacea that guarantees nothing will go wrong. Sometimes it causes problems.)
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R
redacted
Guest
The shame is that you seem to think you have fixed the problem by replacing the regulator. You should not think that way. The problem was not because the reg was 20 years old and it was not a failure of the first stage. The problem was quite likely a user or service error. So, what makes you think it will not happen again?
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