mouthpiece covers while diving

[Central Fla]

Hi all,

Lately I have been going back over my gear getting rid of unwanted items that I carry. My octo is also my inflator so it cannot be covered because it exhaust through the mouthpiece (BC also has dump valves) . I have recently rigged a pony ( this post is about covering or not covering the mouthpiece) and have considered tethering it with a mouthpiece cover. Currently my pony reg is clipped to a d ring on my chest, I took the hose apart and routed it through a bolt snaps open end and re-installed the 2nd stage. I was trying my best not to add anything else to this setup so I decided to ask what might be a silly question to some. Should I cover the pony reg to keep it clean, or leave it open for fast deployment and one less item dangling off of me? I guess my question is how easy can a second stage be damaged/harmed from being open during dives even with standard post dive care? Is your octo tethered to a cover or open during dives? Forgive me if this is a stupid question.

 

[captndale]

Why do you think you need to cover the mouthpiece? Do you really think a cover will "keep it clean"? Hint: Seasoned divers call those covers, "scum balls."

 

[spectrum]

Is your octo tethered to a cover or open during dives? Forgive me if this is a stupid question.

The question is fine. The fact the alternate second is open to the water is a point many miss.

You are right that some crud is apt to find it's way into that cavity especially compared to your primary that is kept in your mouth. The key is post dive clean-up. I always soak my regulators in a pressurized state in a pail of clean water. The last step is to purge and swish them and that seems to do a good job of clearing things out. With a white pail you can really see the stuff.

There are some ultra cruddy shallow water tasks where the alternate seocond is ommited as standard practice. One example is surveying or managing invasive aquatic plants.

Pete

 

[matt t.]

Add a bungee "necklace" and hang it around your neck?

 

[jeckyll]

I wouldn't want any reg covered. When the smelly brown stuff hits the spinning blades, seconds and tasks count.

None of my regs (including pony) have covers. Noone I dive with uses them either. And the water isn't necessarily crystal clear around here

Just my $0.02

 

[Central Fla]

Thanks for the help.

 

[redacted]

I don't cover any of my 2nds. But I have tried a scum ball to tether the 2nd on my slung pony. Not entirely happy with the results yet. I'll probably just stick with the piece of inner tube up high to hold the 2nd securely.

 

[jumbo]

I belive that the best benefit to having a cover for your alt. air source is you can dive with another high performance reg. Nearly all "octo" regs are detuned so they are less prone to free flow, the obvious down side is that it breaths like crap! You can get around that problem is by covering the mouth piece, so your "octo" doesnt need to breath poor, or you can use another nice 2nd stage

JUMBO

 

[Central Fla]

My pony reg is a cressy sub, I chose it because it has a pre-dive switch. I haven't had it deep yet but at 40' in the pre dive position it still breaths which gives me enough time get my act together. It has not free flowed yet so I am guessing I got lucky with my thinking. I also chose it because it claimed to be a lightweight first stage and had yellow markings and a yellow switch.

 

[james croft]

Use a surgical tubing necklace to hold it and you will have it where you need . Forget the scumball.