Regulator Kicked Out of Mouth by New Diver

[KLY]

I had just returned from recreational diving at Tioman Island, Malaysia about 2 weeks back. I would like to share an unexpected incident that happened during one of my boat dives.

Due to the Covid-19 situation, border restrictions were in place and Malaysians were unable to travel. So, many took the oppprtunity to visit local islands. This was the first time I have seen so many divers, at Kampung Paya, Tioman island. In one of my dives, I doved to 18m with the Dive Centre DM and some other divers. The DM stopped at a location next to a reef and signalled to us to show us a nudibranch. I also noticed a group of new divers (I knew they were new by their vertical stance and furious fin-kicking actions) but which I thought was not too near to us. As I was going nearer to the reef, all of a sudden I found my regulator kicked out of my mouth by another diver's hard fin kicks, and I was taking in water at 18m. Fortunately for me, I was able to be calm and proceeded to retrieve my 2nd stage while i was blowing bubbles. After I have managed to put the regulator safely back to my mouth, I realised there was this new Diver near me. I pushed him away and signalled furiously to him that he had kicked my regulator out of my mouth.

Lessons learnt :-

1. Do not go near a new Diver or even think that they are not near to you when you see them.
2. If you see a bunch of new Divers at depth, observe them and do not focus on something else as they may suddenly end up very near you.
3. Remain calm if anything unexpected happens, as the basic equipment set up is there to support you.
4. Always dive near your buddy, if your equipment fails, your dive buddy will be there to save you.
5. Do not crowd up underwater, unexpected things can happen. If possible, do not dive at all if there are too many divers diving.
6. Distance and depth is an illusion underwater, it is hard to measure through the naked eye.

Hope that this sharing will create awareness of possible dangers that can happen unexpectedly.

 

[tbone1004]

had that happen before, it's unpleasant. Extra benefit of primary donate with a long hose. The reg gets kicked out and it doesn't go anywhere, but if using a shorter hose then your secondary is right under your chin.
I would not have bothered trying to signal the diver though, usually they don't even know they hit anything so it's not worth the effort.

 

[drakcheslav]

That happens almost constantly when I'm on pickup duty in my club when we're leading goups.
Especially in low visibility.

Got a mask kicked off, regulator, kicked in the head and such.
I kinda started to brace, and when I need to guard new divers, i shield my head when I need to approach them.

 

[KLY]

That happens almost constantly when I'm on pickup duty in my club when we're leading goups.
Especially in low visibility.

Got a mask kicked off, regulator, kicked in the head and such.
I kinda started to brace, and when I need to guard new divers, i shield my head when I need to approach them.

You're kinda experienced in this sort of mishaps

 

[flyboy08]

I wouldn't blame the new diver as much as myself for swimming in to see what a DM is pointing at...i just watch the scrambling then once thats done, ill move in for a view..

Know your surroundings.

 

[mi000ke]

Happened to me during my OW checkout dive by one of the other divers doing his checkout with us. I was pleasantly surprised that I reacted by calmly retrieving my reg (which of course we had already practiced over and over), and that I considered it a pretty minor issue. I wouldn't over-react to this. If this is the worst you experience while diving, you are leading a charmed life.

 

[KLY]

Happened to me during my OW checkout dive by one of the other divers doing his checkout with us. I was pleasantly surprised that I reacted by calmly retrieving my reg (which of course we had already practiced over and over), and that I considered it a pretty minor issue. I wouldn't over-react to this. If this is the worst you experience while diving, you are leading a charmed life.

No.. it's not a major issue but came as a sudden surprise when yr regulator is suddenly pulled out of yr mouth. For an inexperienced diver, it may have caused a panic though..

 

[V1P3R]

In my early days of diving 1985ish I was surprised by a Cabazon fish. Puget Sound area. Very aggressive. Head like a Tank. I never saw him until he knocked my mask sideways and my reg out of my mouth. He won that battle but my dive buddy and I ended his life. Boy was he good eating. Remember, it's not IF YOUR going to have an emergency at depth. It is usually WHEN.

 

[Still Kicking]

I havd always figured there's shared responsibility if you get kicked in the face. The other dive most likely cant see you but you generally can see them, unless you are in limited vis or are "attacked" from above etc. It's kinda like not walking behind a jet airplane when its getting ready for take off LOL.

Good to hear your training kicked in and you handled the situation.

 

[tbone1004]

No.. it's not a major issue but came as a sudden surprise when yr regulator is suddenly pulled out of yr mouth. For an inexperienced diver, it may have caused a panic though..

one of my incidents was quite sporty if you're going by that metric. I was using one of the camps regulator sets and I failed to properly check the zip tie on the mouthpiece when I grabbed it. One of my students kicked the regulator out of the mouthpiece. Since I was teaching, I was focused on the students, and I found out when I tried to inhale and sucked a mouthful of seawater. It's one thing to have the reg kicked out and you feel it. It's completely different to still have the mouthpiece in your mouth and not realize it got kicked out because you were task loaded... No issue, I just took the mouthpiece out, put it back on the second stage, and kept going, but it was a bit of a shock nonetheless