Brand new Scubapro MK25 sputtering

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the_one_who_waits

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I'm somewhat of a new diver (3yrs, ~80 dives). I purchased only a mask and had been renting the rest of the gear whenever I dived. During my dive trip, I experienced two regulator failures (from two different dive shops) that nearly caused me to drown as I swallowed a few mouthfuls of seawater. After that, I decided that was two too many and went to a dive shop and picked up a new Scubapro MK25.

I brought it to an indoor dive facility to test it out. Towards the end of every breath, it would sputter (as in the delivery wasn't smooth and would rapidly cut on and off). I then took it back to the dive shop, and the owner hooked it up to some machine that measured the pressure output and assured it was working perfectly and was not defective. He said that it is likely that I am not drawing my breaths consistently, and recommended that I work on my breathing.

The main selling point he made for regulator is that you could inhale as if you're breathing normally and effortlessly. Whereas many regulators I've gotten as rentals had me inhaling pretty hard to to draw air.

I realize this is a reputable brand and model, so defect incidence is likely very small. So my question is is there a proper way to inhale to ensure smooth and consistent air delivery? Am I supposed draw breath at the same rate/pressure throughout my entire inhalation?
 
I don't know if this is the same issue you're having, but check out this video.


Regs work better in the water than in the air.
 
I don't know if this is the same issue you're having, but check out this video.


Regs work better in the water than in the air.
Strangely my issue is the exact opposite. The shop has a tank where I tested it out after I purchased it and it's fine out of the water; only experienced it when I was under.
Also forgot to mention that I tested on my backup reg (R095) and it also had the same issue but not as pronounced, which means that it's happening at the first stage, or it's just me(?)
 
While when horizontal, my regs hang quite loosely against my lips, but I am still able to maintain a constant seal
exhaling I treat sometimes a bit more casually where I sometimes break the seal and exhale past the mouthpiece
as well as through it
 
While there may be some issue with the tuning of the regulator, it can't hurt to review your scuba breathing pattern.

I always suggest to new divers to adopt a consistent and repeatable pattern. Breath in slowly on a count to 4, brief pause, exhale on a count to 4. Slow, steady, deep. Give this a try and see if it helps.
 
What second stage do you have?
Scubapro R095

Find an experienced dive buddy and see if he/ she notices the same problem.
The dive instructor that accompanied me on my test dive at the indoor facility also tried it. He was signaling me asking why I was using my backup second stage and I handed him the primary. Could see in his eyes he was shocked and confused after he took a breath. Afterwards he mentioned he's never experienced that before and it's strange especially for a new regulator.
 
Scubapro R095


The dive instructor that accompanied me on my test dive at the indoor facility also tried it. He was signaling me asking why I was using my backup second stage and I handed him the primary. Could see in his eyes he was shocked and confused after he took a breath. Afterwards he mentioned he's never experienced that before and it's strange especially for a new regulator.
Is it the R095 octo that's acting up or is the primary second stage? Ask him to exchange the second stage or have it rebuilt. Sounds like something is way off.
 
He was signaling me asking why I was using my backup second stage and I handed him the primary. Could see in his eyes he was shocked and confused after he took a breath. Afterwards he mentioned he's never experienced that before and it's strange especially for a new regulator.

What is your primary and what is your alternate/octo/backup second stage?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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