Regulator knowledge to stop panic

[MDM]

A relative new scuba deep diver.
I had a free-flow at 35mtrs and eventually ran out of air at 30mtrs and temp 6C.
No problem so far as my buddy was nearby.
We started up to 20mtrs all was fine.
At 20mtrs I turned my buddys Octopus(spare reg) upside down to give me more manoeuvrability.
I then started to breathe in water, at what point I started to panic and urged a rapid ascent to the surface.
Speaking to my buddy I asked why I was breathing in water from his regs.
He then informed me it was probably because I had them in upside down.

I have spoken to many other scuba divers and they did not know that having your regs upside down would have this effect.
I have done summersaults and dived upside down, without breathing in water so I never expected this.
I cannot remember being told about this in training.
I am passing this on so it can be made known to all, by your best dispersion method.
I had just had my regs etc totally full serviced and since re-serviced.
This was my second free-flow in my diving career, my first was a high pressure free-flow at 20mtrs and 5C.
I think this time it was my Octopus that free-flowed not my High pressure stage.
All ended well no decopression illness etc.

 

[stairman]

Upsidedown will inhale water. In your mouth right, while your upsidedown may breathe a little wet but no biggie. Diving deep its good to have an h valve with 2 regs so you can isolate the one leaking. A freeflow deep, with both divers near the end of their dive, and gas, could turn out ugly. Glad things worked out and a good learning experience. Its usually taught for the donor to hand off the reg to a possibly panicked diver, not only rightside up but also holding it out with the reg body exposed so the purge can be pressed quickly, or donor may purge it for you. Good post it may help someone out later.

 

[Angel_diver_biker]

If you were taught properly, your instructor should have tell you that using a regulator upside down will make you breath water (not all regulator do though)... Glad every thing went fine but as said above it could end up badly...

Cheers

 

[Jan Kruger]

First of all - i think you coped well with your initial problem- would it have helped to hit your DV against your hand to stop it from freeflowing ? What type of regulator are you using ?

At 20m when you started inhaling some water while breathing , did you purge it again or did you bail immediately ? What type of reg was that one ? I find with my Poseidon that you can use it any way you like and it will be working well.

Could it be because of the cold water that you have these freeflow experiences regularly ?

Anyway good luck and enjoy your diving !

 

[TSandM]

Not all regulators breathe wet upside down, but some do. Thank you for the reminder that we should mention this to our students.

 

[electrix]

That is one of the things I tell every class before we do the OOA drill, if you don't have the hose on the right side of your mouth then it is upside down and it is going to breathe wet, and that is the last thing a student wants to do is get a big wet breath.

 

[Angel_diver_biker]

That is one of the things I tell every class before we do the OOA drill, if you don't have the hose on the right side of your mouth then it is upside down and it is going to breathe wet, and that is the last thing a student wants to do is get a big wet breath.

Same here, before doing any alternate air source exercise with my students I explain again (because I already explain it during the diving gear briefing at the very beginning) that a regulator used upside down will give most of the time a wet breath adding that all regulators don't do that

 

[windapp]

For that depth and temperature combo, you should have en entirely independent alternate first and second stage. An H valve is good but a pony bottle is even better. The risk is that with two people breathing off one first stage, you could freeze your buddy's reg as well.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Relevant knowledge will likely help in increasing comfort. Knowing more about your regulators may help you deal with immediate problems.

 

[emoreira]

Considering the geometry of any 2nd stage regulator, it´s quite easy to breathe wet when breathing upsidedown. Also, owing to the little differential pressure needed to open the air flow, when breathing face up, the breath will requiere more effort than in normal face down or standup position.