Cleaning regulator in countries without "drinkable" water

[2airishuman]

My personal philosophy is to keep my immunity up through constant exposure to new pathogens. I dive in freshwater rivers so I have to think like that to stay sane.

That aside, if you let your regs air dry after rinsing them, they'll be fine. Waterborne pathogens are generally not able to survive on a dry surface. Alternatively, you can bring some betadine with you and put a few drops in the water before you rinse. Much easier on the equipment than chlorine but it will stain. Stearamine and other commercial sanitizers will also work and are generally weaker, proper mixing is more important with these and in some cases you have to control pH.

 

[tridacna]

We are going to Roatan.

I guess the meta question is, "is this something that people typically worry about or am I worrying about nothing?"

Been there 5 times. Never worried about it. Feh.

 

[Storker]

My personal philosophy is to keep my immunity up through constant exposure to new pathogens. I dive in freshwater rivers so I have to think like that to stay sane.

My only trip so far to a freswater site was to this place. That water was quite clean, and I loved being able to take a sip or two when my mouth dried up. Can't do that in saltwater...

That aside, if you let your regs air dry after rinsing them, they'll be fine. Waterborne pathogens are generally not able to survive on a dry surface.

This. OP, don't worry. Just dry the regs, and you'll be fine. The old "I got it from the toilet seat" line is a pretty poor excuse if you know a little bit about pathogens and infections.

 

[chrisch]

I would be more worried about all the crap in the sea.....

 

[Alastor]

I would be more worried about all the crap in the sea.....

Do you mean us, the divers ?

 

[stuartv]

Do you mean us, the divers ?

If you're getting any of those in your mouth, we don't want to know about it.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I'm going to Honduras and just thought ahead to how I will clean my gear each day.

How do people usually clean their regulators in countries where it's not advisable to drink the water? Seems like I'll blow through bottled water like nobody's business that way.

Thanks.

On Roatan, you will dunk it in the same rinse tank as all the other divers. Hundreds of divers do the same thing every day of the year without getting sick. Sure, there is a possibility. If someone gets sick, I think it's more likely from contamination of the water by a fellow diver's cold germs than from the local water.

I'm not a microbiologist (consult the CDC on this one), but I believe you are unlikely to contract hepatitis, typhoid, giardia, etc,--the diseases commonly associated with contaminated water--unless you actually ingest some water. When you dunk your regulator, you generally hang it to dry afterwards. A drop of water remaining in the reg the next day is not going to be any worse than brushing your teeth with tapwater or getting a drop in your mouth while showering, which some of us daredevil risk-takers do in Honduras. Of course, if you're staying at a resort, their tapwater may be better treated than some.