Reg removal skill

[bee123]

Hi, I recently became open water certified and have a question about the reg removal/retrieval skill. I hope to practice this skill on my next fun dive just to become more comfortable with it. In an actual real diving scenario, if the reg gets knocked out of your mouth, do you actually do the side tilt & arm sweep, or just reach back and find the hose? Also, if for e.g. it's knocked out of your mouth while exhaling, wouldn't you just reach for your octo? I have heard of regs getting knocked out of divers mouths, hopefully I won't encounter it any time soon, so I you could fill me in please, maybe if it has happened to you and how you dealt with the situation? Or any tips how to practice it underwater? Thanks so much

 

[northernone]

I practice the tilt and sweep because most of the time it's the fastest most reliable method. Switching to your octo is great too. But then you still need to sweep anyway.

Glad you're planning to keep your skills sharp and continue to build your abilities.

Enjoy!
Cameron

 

[CuzzA]

Don't panic. It's not like it went very far.

 

[guruboy]

If it gets knocked out by something hitting you, most likely it will still be in front of you within easy reach.

If it gets yanked out because it got stuck on something, reach and grab is probably more likely to succeed.

 

[Bob DBF]

If you swim beside your buddy, instead of behind him, you are not likely to have your reg kicked out of your mouth. Also situational awareness cuts down on all manner of supprises.

And yes, grabbing your alternate is a good plan if if you don't find your reg right away, it all depends on how long you can maintain without a reg in your mouth.



Bob

 

[bee123]

If it gets knocked out by something hitting you, most likely it will still be in front of you within easy reach.

If it gets yanked out because it got stuck on something, reach and grab is probably more likely to succeed.

Never thought of it like that, makes so much sense! Thank you. In class we did the throw it over your shoulder thing while kneeling at the bottom, but I want to practice it while actually swimming.

 

[johndiver999]

I think the smartest thing is to make one grab for it and if that doesn't work, immediately switch to the octo and then work on retrieving the primary. The regulator can get knocked loose more often than you might think.

An arm swimming buddy accidentally snags a loop of hose and violently snatches it from your mouth. You stick you head in the hole of a wreck and then turn to leave and a piece of something snags the hose and pulls it from your mouth. A buddy kicks you in the mouth.

The more practice you can do with the reg out of your mouth as you switch regs, practice orally inflating the BC etc, the better off you will be. In general, I think it is more important to be able to secure your octopus super fast than be highly skilled in the arm sweep recovery etc.

if your octopus is not secured in a very reliable and easily accessible location, these practice sessions will make that clear and may convince you to put the octo on a necklace or some other reliable location.

 

[flyboy08]

I guess it could happen! Get a bungee/necklace for your octo.......?

 

[JackD342]

When I brief that skill, I tell them “I am teaching you to recover it when it is hard to find, and you gotta find it. But in the real world, if you see it floating next to you, or have yor octo available, take the easy path to getting a reg into your mouth and then deal with any remaining issues.”

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I dive a fair number of sites that involve a long surface swim before descending. The sweep is handy on the surface in these situations.

Then there's the times you get SOT'D instead of SORT'D because you're not thinking. Not that I've ever done that......