Free-flowing Regulator

[Jeddah Aquanaut]

"TODAYS REGULATORS NEVER FREE FLOW" ??? ....... must be teaching PADI ..... the same bunch that decided teaching"buddy breathing" and wearing a snorkel durning your dive is now out of date.

Please save the agency bashing for the Whine and Cheeze section. I'm tired of it.

 

[Jeddah Aquanaut]

Hi all.

I have a question for the masses. I recently finished my OW training (pool & classroom) & have a friend taking the classes at the same dive shop, but with a different instructor.

I was warning him in advance about the "breathing from a free-flowing regulator" exercise that I described as "drinking from a fire-hose". I was all excited to hear how he handled it, as it was one of the more interesting moments in my pool training.

His instructor chose to skip that skill because "today's regulators never free-flow -- so you'll never find yourself in that situation -- so we're not going to learn the skill..." Or something to that effect...:11:

I would admit that with a grand total of 1 resort dive and 4 pool dives "under my belt" that I've never had a free-flowing regulator that I didn't create with the purge button -- but does this seem like good advice?? :06:


DocHueb

Having this skill is like having insurance. Most people don't need it, but some do. If something happens, then you're covered. If not, you're screwed. This instructor's employer needs to be told.

 

[RP Diver]

Hi all.

I have a question for the masses. I recently finished my OW training (pool & classroom) & have a friend taking the classes at the same dive shop, but with a different instructor.

I was warning him in advance about the "breathing from a free-flowing regulator" exercise that I described as "drinking from a fire-hose". I was all excited to hear how he handled it, as it was one of the more interesting moments in my pool training.

His instructor chose to skip that skill because "today's regulators never free-flow -- so you'll never find yourself in that situation -- so we're not going to learn the skill..." Or something to that effect...:11:

I would admit that with a grand total of 1 resort dive and 4 pool dives "under my belt" that I've never had a free-flowing regulator that I didn't create with the purge button -- but does this seem like good advice?? :06:


DocHueb

This is so wrong. It's a blatant challenge to Murphy's Law. If anybody is destined to have his regulator free flow when he's 90 feet down, it's someone who was never trained in how to deal with the situation. :thinkingo

 

[scubapro50]

here's a question or though ... does any manfucturer have a 2nd stage that the air can be cut off to stop a free flow without affecting the rest of the rig. It seems to me that a simple valve installed on the 2nd stage to cut off air would solve the problem. A diver with a free flowing regulator would simple have to turn a nob to shut off air then go to his octopus or other 2nd stage to finish the dive.

 

[Tom Smedley]

In the event of a high pressure seat failure - most common cause of an uncontrollable free flow. If you shut off air flow at the second stage the intermediate pressure hose would just scream and say bang. If you pinched the hose or somehow cut off the free flow from the primary then the octopus would start up. Cuf off the octopus by piinching or whatever - the LP house would respond with a very loud bang.

High pressure leak is a catastrophic failure. Practice and learn how to handle it.

 

[scubacurt]

Personally after instructing hundreds of students and many more dives than that I have never experienced a free flowing reg. nor have I known anyone who suffered from a malfunctioning free flowing reg. That said however, each SCUBA certifying agency has it's requirements which required instructors to teach very specific tasks/skills. I have taught through 5 different agencies and all of them address free flowing regulators. Now, what concerns me most is your comparison to drinking from a fire hose. Was that just an analogy as to the volume of air that you had to deal with or were you drinking water during the process? If you were drinking water, your technique has a certain amount of flaw in it.
-curt-

 

[Damselfish]

PADI was still teaching buddy breathing when I was certified, or at least my instructor taught it. True it's unlikely to be needed anymore, but it really wasn't that hard. As a practice exercise to increase comfort and skill in the water it's not a bad thing.

Party games - my instructor claimed he could breath off the bubbles from the air jets in a hot tub by doing a funnel with his hands. Never saw it done though, didn't have a hot tub handy

 

[StSomewhere]

curt, "drinking from a firehose" is just an analogy (non-scuba). It describes any situation where someone is handed more than they can possibly deal with at the time.

 

[bketchel]

We were taught how do this. It's kind of like drinking air from a high pressure hose, er..oh yeah, that what it really is. :11ztongue

It's so easy to do this, why not learn?

 

[aquamarin]

Dealing with free-flowing regs????

Oehm, ups, guess that's one of the (numerable) things, the guys forgot to mention when I did my OW. Think I'll check my theory books now, sounds like a good thing to know...