Diver's Tool?

[ScubaGirlJg]

My instructor hasn't gone over it at all but I was wondering when a diver should carry their diver's tool (knife) because it is something that the book went over but he did not, so I am not sure when to buy one?

Also, does anyone else face the problem of the regulator's bubbles hitting your mask and giving you a weird feeling because of the noise and how it shakes the mask?

Has anyone ever gotten seasick underwater because my instructor told us that his wife once was diving and got nauseous and ended up throwing up through her regulator where it then got shot out through the exhaust and then continuing to breathe through it....Definitely feel like packing some Dramamine just in case!

 

[DevonDiver]

Diver's generally be equipped with a cutting device - especially so if there is any risk of entanglement in your dive locations (lines, nets, kelp etc)

It doesn't have to be a whopping great blade strapped to your leg. A small (3") blade attached to your BCD or surgical sissors are equally useful.

People tend to get seasick on boats, but less so once underwater. It can happen, although in 16 years I have never personally seen it. And yes, you can vomit effectively through a regulator.

After a while, you just won't notice the bubbles anymore

 

[Saudi-Diver]

Carrying a cutting device on all dives is definatly a good idea, There are some marine sanctuaries where your not allowed to carry knives, shears or a monofiliment cutter are quite useful tools to have on you.

Different regulators have different length exhaust ports trying various regulators till you find one that dos'nt rattle your mask might be an idea.

Yes you can vomit through a Reg. I know through bitter experiance, just remember to hold on to it so you don't spit it out. Alternatively don't dive hung over, it just horrible.

 

[vladimir]

I am not particularly susceptible to seasickness, but I did vomit through my regulator once on a safety stop in the BVI. My wife and brand new buddy watched in horror as the fish swarmed me for morsels of vomitus and she became a non-fish-eater for the rest of our vacation. If you have to do it, just expel it forcefully and it will easily clear your regulator.

I don't notice the bubbles much, and I'm a photographer, so they can be a real nuisance. Are you horizontal in the water?

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It is a good idea to carry a dive knife all the time in the event of entanglement. A 3" to 5" blade is plenty. A Z-knife is also a good option and one that is more acceptable in many quarries where knives may be banned. Another option is to carry a pair of EMT tauma shears. They will cut through pennies and are far and away the best bet for things like steel leaders, ropes and spiderwire. A z-knife and trauma shears is a good combination and you should carry them where you can reach them with either hand.

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I have got nauseous underwater once on a deco stop in short choppy, 6 ft seas, in large part because I was was nauseous before the dive because the conditions were pretty bad. The important thing to remember if vomiting through a reg is to keep it in your mouth as you will possibly do a more or less reflexive inhale when done vomiting.

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People genberally fail to conisder the mask and reg as a system to address bubble issues. Divers have bought into the "smaller is better" marketring hype for second stages and it is not really the case. Smaller diaphragms in smaller second stages increase inhalation effort and smaller second stages tend to have smaller exhaust tee's and more bubble interference.

I have seen customers totally reject the idea of a standard sized second stage as they do not want to be seen using a "large" second stage. It's a reg not a frickking cell phone or fashion statement. It is unfortunately a circular argument. Marketing people (most of whom do not dive) promote them as the best thing sinced sliced bread and canned beer, people buy them, and then companies continue to make them despite their many faults because gullible people buy them just because marketing people said they should and because every one else buys them - an ad populum logical fallacy.

Masks suffer from similar marketing issues. Small volume masks are ideal for freediving as they reduce the dead space and the volume that must be equalized. That is however not really an issue for the average scuba diver and going extremely small is often counter productive as the mask has no mechanism to redirect bubbles smoothly around the mask. At the other extreme a very large and unstreamlined mask may actually vibrate as bubbles try to get past it.

What you really want when you get past the marketing BS is a medium sized mask with an under surface that will smoothly route bubbles and either a frame or a suitable lip on a freamless mask that will deflect any bubbles that may otherwise end up crossing in front of the lens.

When you combine a reasonbale sized mask ammenable to bubble deflection with a standard sized regular that has a standard sized exhaust Tee, bubble interference stops being a problem.

 

[philmayer]

I've puked underwater plenty of times. It's actually easier on my body than doing so above water. Keep your regulator in your mouth. If it gets clogged, pull it out and shake it to rinse.

The first time it happened, I was pretty scared. I was in 25 fsw with 8' waves on the surface and 6-8' washing machine surge going on. It went fine. I don't worry about it at all now.

 

[boulderjohn]

I many have a slightly different take on the bubble situation than others who have posted.

If you are still very early in your instruction, you may have an instructor who is using a traditional approach to teaching basic skills b y having you kneel on the bottom while you observe and then do the skills. In this case, the bubbles are going straight up into your mask. When we dive, however, we should be horizontal in the water, When you are in that position, the bubbles still go up, but they don't hit your mask much because your mask is at about the same level as the regulator.

 

[JohnQPS122]

On our last trip, my wife was following a diver who had been queasy on the boat, and suddenly the diver was feeding the fish. Being super-conscious of wildlife conservation and such, my wife thought, "This is a marine sanctuary, she's not supposed to be feeding the fish."

And then she realized what was REALLY going on, and that she was swimming through it.

Eew.

But it's no big deal, nothing to worry about.

 

[vladimir]

Are you horizontal in the water?

I many have a slightly different take on the bubble situation than others who have posted.

Same take.

 

[NJ to FLA]

I have not had a problem with the reg bubbles.. it may be the one you're using.

As for the seasickness.. I have never gotten seasick. BUT I take one dramamine pill on the drive to the boat and I am FINE.. when we didn't have dramamine i took a bonine pill and I felt nauseous the whole time I was on the boat. Gearing up made it worse but once in the water I felt fine. When we ran out of bonine and tried triptone. Didn't work. Got nauseous and only thing that worked was to get in the water. The funny thing is that girls hate that kind of stuff but guys DO NOT CARE. So don't feel bad if you do get seasick because its not a weird thing in this sport, although it may not feel great.. (and it helps if you fish during the SI) What I'm trying to say is.. take Dramamine up to an hour before going on the water and if it doesn't work then throwing up will only attract pretty fish.