Define Over Breathing a Reg

[Mo2vation]

What would be the proper way to manage this situation?

Stop, relax, breathe, think?

On dive 50 it happened to me. Supposed to be a big day for me. I wrote about that trip here. In my case, it was 100% caused by stress. I was sick, lost and not confident... and I was sucking gas at a rate that was alarming...

One other time I was diving with a new buddy - very competent diver, but we were just new to each other. I was on about dive 120 or something. My primary light was out - so we were diving (daytime, pretty hazy viz) on a wall in PNW with my overrated Scout light.

He lost the dim red dot on the wall that was me (better: my B/U light) and thought he lost me. So my buddy makes a couple of turns doesn't see me (I was above him, and off his shoulder) and then bolts into the abyss. I give chase so this guy doesn't panic... Well, he's about 13 years my junior - so he's much stronger than I am. By the time I reach his fin, I'm puffin. We eyeball each other, confirm its all good and I feel myself start to overbreathe my reg.

We do a slow ascent to the agreed upon depth (where we were before the dash) and I start trying to amp down, and breathe deeper, not faster or harder. It took a few moments, but I got it back under control. This time it wasn't stress, but exertion that caused it. And because I had a level head this time, I was able to get it back together.

My regs are Atomic - smoov breathing regs to be sure. But it can happen if the demand greatly exceeds the ability to supply - and as Fred said, its also a head thing.

Just be cool, take a moment and you can get it back under control.

K

 

[FredT]

What would be the proper way to manage this situation?

Stop, relax, breathe, think?

Step one is to stop whatever you are doing to drive the need for maximum airflow. If fighting a current, drift! There are VERY few reasons to fight a current, and if you are swimming into a current and overbreathing the reg it's time to not do that anymore. It's abundantly clear you aren't going to win this one. If spearfishing let the fish go, and let the buddy go if chasing a fool. Two casualties are a lot more work to deal with later than double one casualty. Rescue effort seems to increase on a log scale with victim numbers.

Step two is to relax and think. It's always easier to solve the problem than to panic and drown. It's also normally easier to solve the problem at a reasonable depth. In my over 5000 hours underwater "go to the surface" has been the correct answer to an emergency exactly ONCE!

Step three is to head up at a reasonable rate to half the original "oops" depth. If it is a reg maintenance issue you'll be moving less mass through the reg at a shallower depth so it will work "better". A bends hit is very unlikely at just half your previous depth even if you have a deco liability, and the greatly reduced amount of air in your bottle will last a bunch longer while you outgas & sort things out. I don't know of any cases where overbreathing started on the way up from a deep dive.

FT

 

[Xevious]

Overbreathing a reg is due to either poorly maintained gear or simple diver anxiety. The best way to deal with it is to relax and take deep even breaths and then figure out if the problem is you or your regulator.

...for instance, making sure that the Venturi assist knob (if you have one) is flipped in the right direction. :15a:

...not that I'd know that from personal experience or anything...