DIR position on custom mouthpieces

[do it easy]

Mine is in the bottom of my toolbox- I keep it around as a security blanket for the really cold dives. I don't use it, but when my jaw starts to ache from clenching because the water is cold, it makes me feel better that I could have put it on.

 

[cmalinowski]

Custom mouthpieces of any form are not allowed in WKPP, per my understanding. There may be others on the board who can respond from a more well-informed position.

The point is not whether they can be used by someone else in terms of being "doable".

The logic is that if you already have some form of issue going deep in a cave, whether its a seizure, bad gas causing disorientation (yes, actually happened), some incident involving a silt-out, etc. - stress is cumulative. It builds and builds over time.

The last thing you need, in a situation where significant stress already exists, is to create additional stress such as needing to donate gas and having the long ends of someone elses "Sea-cure" mouthpiece screwing up your ability to instantly insert and breath, etc.

If you are not in an overhead environment then your own comfort may be paramount.

But in an overhead environment nothing you bring with you is yours alone - not your light, not your gas, not your regs, not your knife, ...all of it is "team gear". It needs to be immediately available to anyone on the team who may need it, because you can never foresee every conceivable event that may occur or it's consequences.

FWIW. YMMV.

As always Doc, a great answer. It amazes me that people continue to want to debate it for another 18 messages after the answer was given.

If you want to use a seacure or other mouthpiece (and I can understand the desire), then do so. But it is not DIR. Period. The reasons are given. You can trim it all you want, but it may still cause a problem. There should be no more debate on it.

Hell, I'll even dive with you and probably be just fine with your mouthpiece. But it aint DIR. If you're OK with that, then great. But it really has no reason being argued here in the DIR forum.

If I tox for some reason and your mouthpiece kills me... or I have a catastrophic gas failure and your mouthpiece kills me, then I guess you will be more understanding about it. Since the odds of that happening are slim, then I guess you're just going to play the odds... something that is also not really DIR.

Chris
PS: might be pissy answer because ravens lost...

 

[SparticleBrane]

I'm one of those people who would probably drown on someone's custom mouthpiece. When I got my RG2500 regs and I tried them out in the pool I could barely keep from throwing up because the bite tabs were so long. I quickly replaced them with Comfo-Bite mouthpieces. They're standard on Apeks and Aqualung regs and are my mouthpieces of choice. Since a good number of DIR folks use Apeks regs, this is good for me.

 

[jeckyll]

Sparticle: I just about gag everytime my buddy and I do an s-drill. Hate his Apeks mouthpiece.

I'm used to the one on my Atomics and they are less 'invasive'

 

[nadwidny]

I'm one of those people who would probably drown on someone's custom mouthpiece. When I got my RG2500 regs and I tried them out in the pool I could barely keep from throwing up because the bite tabs were so long. I quickly replaced them with Comfo-Bite mouthpieces. They're standard on Apeks and Aqualung regs and are my mouthpieces of choice. Since a good number of DIR folks use Apeks regs, this is good for me.

I own 5 Apeks regs, none of which came with a comfo-bite mouthpiece (Thank god. Saved me the hassle of changing them out for regular mouthpieces). Is this a new thing?

 

[Bismark]

I like the atomics mouthpiece but I am not crazy about the apeks mouhpiece. (changed them out for the atomics mouthpieces....) Does it matter which mouthpiece you use as long as it is not a custom fit model? Amazing that I had a simple question that has turned into three pages!! Guess it was not such a simple question.....

 

[cmalinowski]

I like the atomics mouthpiece but I am not crazy about the apeks mouhpiece. (changed them out for the atomics mouthpieces....) Does it matter which mouthpiece you use as long as it is not a custom fit model? Amazing that I had a simple question that has turned into three pages!! Guess it was not such a simple question.....

Yes, it matters. Technically, I believe that the comfo-bites aren't even DIR because they make it difficult to get a clean seal if you need to "press" the reg against a toxing or unconcious diver's mouth... but I agree that they are comfy

Chris

 

[D_B]

hmm, I heard something that made sense.

I heard that when an unconscious diver has the reg held into their mouth, that the phlanges are not soft enought to flatten and conform, and thus not as desirable in a rescue situation. (an uncompliant jaw)

Anybody who has experience with airways, can relate to this, I think.

Thank you Catherine for making it so I can see exactly where my seacure mouthpiece differs from a standard one in such a way as to hinder use .. not the length, as it can be trimmed exactly the same as a regular one, but in the phalanges .. all makes sense now

Edit: I understand Doc's fine post on the matter, but Catherine's, and your post cmalinowski, tell me why

 

[Hoyden]

Yes, it matters. Technically, I believe that the comfo-bites aren't even DIR because they make it difficult to get a clean seal if you need to "press" the reg against a toxing or unconcious diver's mouth... but I agree that they are comfy

Chris

Comfo-bites need to have the cross piece (that would fit against the roof of your mouth and connects the bite wings) trimmed off in order to be DIR/GUE acceptable. Then they can be pressed against a toxing diver's mouth. This comes directly from a GUE intructor.


Jackie

 

[rainman_02]

Comfo-bites need to have the cross piece (that would fit against the roof of your mouth and connects the bite wings) trimmed off in order to be DIR/GUE acceptable. Then they can be pressed against a toxing diver's mouth. This comes directly from a GUE intructor.


Jackie

This is also what I was told about my Apeks comfo-bite mouthpeices. The cross-piece prevents a seal against the toxing diver's lips.