Reg goes missing during cave diving course

[SlugLife]

This incident happened about 5 years ago but has been on my mind. I'd quit a job and had a few weeks before starting my next job so decided to do a cave diving course in South Australia (I'm based in Sydney). I travelled down with my gear (sidemount) and met the instructor and fellow student. The night before we went for our first dive the instructor reviewed my gear setup. I usually dive with my main reg on a necklace which I'd left on. The instructor pulled this off. Apart from that the setup was fine.

A few days later we were finishing a dive when I breathed in and got a mouthful of water. It was confusing as the mouthpiece was in my mouth. The instructor was a few metres away so I went to her, gave the out-of-air signal, and she gave me her spare and we surfaced.

The problem turned out to be that the ziptie that holds the mouthpiece to the 2nd stage had loosened, probably when the instructor pulled the necklace off. The 2nd stage had fallen away leaving the mouthpiece in my mouth and me breathing water.

That night I reflected on how I'd reacted. I wasn't happy with my response. I had two independent systems so I should have gone for my other regulator. The next time the instructor pulled the reg out of my mouth during training I shoved my alternate reg in my mouth which promptly got pulled out (lol) before I signalled my buddy through the line and got his spare. The instructor was ok with this and said she was happy to pull out my regs as many times as required.

I'd been diving for quite a few years before this incident happened. I do wonder if I was a new diver what my reaction would have been. It seems almost like a design flaw that could result in a catastrophe.

Your reaction is understandable; I've not always reacted perfectly while underwater, and treat everything as a lesson for improvement.

A few things which stand out to me:

• Other people messing with your equipment, in any way, is always a risk-factor. Similarly, us messing with someone else's equipment may put them at risk. I'm like a bear or tiger protecting it's cubs, when it comes to other people touching my equipment. I do occasionally loan equipment, but always thoroughly go over any piece of equipment both before (so I'm not putting them at risk) and after.
• Sidemount divers should be very-comfortable with switching, but ... this is a good reminder. Back when I had this incident Lost Improperly Tightened 2nd-Stage Regulator I was a little surprised I couldn't easily find my secondary, which was a strong reminder to practice my skills. Since that incident, I also got into side-mount, but I do regularly practice switching even when I don't need to, to ensure my regs are where they belong and I'm not making any mistakes.
• A regulator mouth-piece becoming detached is probably one of the most "dangerous" and easy things to happen (more dangerous than losing a reg), but also something I don't hear talked about that often in "normal" sucba-training. IMO, that should be a beginner open-water thing that students are at least made aware of.
• Depending on your necklace-setup (i.e. bungie under the zip-tie), I could see how your mouthpiece came loose.

Thanks for sharing the incident!

 

[SlugLife]

My other point would be that standard training teaches us to check lots of things, but not the mouthpiece. Its been a while since I did my open water so please correct me if I'm wrong...

I carry a mouthpiece-sized ziptie in my drysuit pocket for just such an event. Mouthpieces do separate from regs occasionally. It happened to my wife once when we were doing S-drills in a lake, and she handled it calmly. I think the fact that we spent years doing this kind of practice before taking a cave class was beneficial. Cave class is not the best time to first experience this.

That's my experience, I only heard about the whole losing-mouth-piece problem online (here, youtube, & sidemoutning.com). Some people carry an extra mouth-piece and zip-tie(s) in their dive-pouch. I do the zip-ties, because they have many purposes, but not the extra-mouth piece yet, since I'm only doing open-water.

 

[SlugLife]

but I would lose the damn necklace. Can't fathom how people can have those around their necks; gives me the willies

A necklace is great.

Wouldn’t fly for diving sidemount like the OP and I do.

Some people fear being hanged or strangled even by accident way more than flying

Diving sidemount, technically there are two primaries. On the right-side, I have a 7ft bright-green hose, breakaway clip, and tell dive-buddies to always grab that one, regardless of which I'm breathing from. Left side is on a necklace, and therefore always very easy to find.

There are ways to make a necklace "breakaway", including these rubbery necklaces. You can also use "cord locks" in the back, two attach two pieces of paracord/bungie to make the necklace adjustable and breakaway. I also always carry 2x cutting-devices.


Anyway, I'm 100% in the necklace camp. Although I'd probably clip on left/right chest-d-rings if that wasn't an option.

• Never lose a reg & it's the fastest/easiest way to find a reg.
• If you pass out, the reg stays in your mouth. Similarly, slightly less likely to have a reg kicked out of your mouth.

 

[Marie13]

My short hose reg is on a necklace I tied myself from 1/8” bungee. It’s not attached by the zip tie holding mouthpiece. I just snug it up good and tight just behind the zip tie. If you pull hard enough, it will come off the reg.

 

[SlugLife]

You actually can do both DIR philosophy’s in sidemount with this UTD Z-system isolator.I’ve never used it but it’s out there.

The system seems to be a gimmick. Why risk a weak system (UTD Z-system isolator) in the team link? This could prove hazardous if you're behind a diver whom you have donated your long hose, if he happens to be using backmount, in an OOA situation.

I am not following? I know its a bad system with all its added failure points. it over complicates the system.

That system defeats the #1 reason I started sidemount; having two completely distinct redundant air-systems. It also defeats my #2 reason, not having to climb ladders with tanks attached.

I suppose nobody is "wrong" for using that setup, it's not really any worse than back-mount single or mainifolded-doubles as far as safety. Yes, some additional complexity and failure points, but you start to lose many of the benefits of side-mount.

My short hose reg is on a necklace I tied myself from 1/8” bungee. It’s not attached by the zip tie holding mouthpiece. I just snug it up good and tight just behind the zip tie. If you pull hard enough, it will come off the reg.

Mine is under the zip-tie, but I'm thinking I may modify the necklace. It's not hard to tie a "slip-off" version.

 

[BlueTrin]

Is it obvious that you would have found the zip tie issue by examining it pre-dive?