Wife doesn't want to dive anymore due to botched freeflowing reg incident

[ferris213]

It's an interesting story Cliffpiper and I think you have had to defend yourself a little too much in this thread.
How long was your wife breathing off your octo before she bolted? If it was more than a few seconds could she have been suffering from CO2 retention?? I have experienced this once, and it felt like I simply wasn't getting enough air from the regs to stay alive. I knew what was happening and how to fix it, but still found myself fighting the urge to launch for the surface.

I agree with the others in terms of practice and perhaps more training. The simple things like mask removal and replace, reg removal and recover, air share and manually inflating BCD, practised every dive, might help her confidence when something unexpected happens again.

 

[billt4sf]

OK, so I am going to test myself as a fairly new diver -- what would I have done? Before reading the thread, I'll say that I think I would have done (creating this whilst I sit relaxed at my computer, which is of course not the same). BTW I have never heard of a freeflowing reg before, and certainly never been trained for it. So check me out...

1) Assuming that I has the wherewithal to sense lots of air flowing in uncontrollably, make sure I didn't have a huge lungfull of air, (breathe out
?), take the thing out of my mouth and grab my secondary. Purge it and stick it in fast. Start breathing. Assuming that the airflow is OK,

2) Check to see if I am ascending. Control buoyancy.

3) Fold the freeflowing reg on top of itself (bend the tube over hard and keep it pinched).

4) Check my air supply

5) Grab my buddy and ascend slowly.

Now I'll read the thread. Please comment if you wish.

- Bill

 

[Hawkwood]

Are you 100% certain that 3 years ago when you took your class and your confined water sessions that you were not shown how to breath off a free flowing regulator?

Is it a little bit possible that you might have forgotten?

I only ask because your profile states "PADI", and teaching breathing off a free flowing regulator is a required part of the course.

You can breath off a free flowing regulator much in the same way you "sip" water from a drinking fountain. How one responds to a free flow depends on what started the free flow in the first place.

 

[billt4sf]

Yes, after reading the thread now I do recall that it was taught. A good reason to read all the threads on this forum. Just because you had been taught something doesn't mean you will remember it or really know how to use it when the time comes.

I still think that if this happened to me I would reach for the secondary.

- Bill

 

[Hawkwood]

Bill,

It will depend on what caused the free flow. If it was due to freeze up or "malfunction" on the first stage, the secondary will start to free-flow also. However, if it was due to crud or something and isolated to your primary only, then sure, the secondary will function. The key is to be prepared to react should it happen.

 

[bj139]

Your wife should get first pick of any equipment you are diving with. It sounds like you should learn to check your own regs for problems. The dive shop would have you believe that a reg is extremely complicated and can not be checked by mere mortals. They are wrong. They are actually very simple to check. Get an IP (Intermediate Pressure) gauge ($18) which hooks to the BC hose. It is only to be used on the surface to check the reg, not underwater. The IP should be 125 to 145. On purging, it should drop then return to same value. Any slow rise in pressure when just sitting is a first stage problem, leading to freeflows. If you don't want to open the regs, telling the service tech this information will get you better service. If IP is steady, then your 2nd stage may just need to be adjusted to match the IP.
My first reg freeflowed on ~15th dive. After, I checked the IP and it was OK and steady. After studying the schematic, I removed an access cap and saw black particles on the HP seat with a magnifier. This reg was new so I assumed they were metal particles from machining. These could jam the HP seat. I removed the seat, cleaned it and the recess with a cotton swab, making sure no cotton fibers remained. I added lube to the recess and HP seat shaft and reinstalled everything. Now the reg is fine. I have used it many times and now trust it as much as any good, well adjusted reg.

 

[scoobydoodiver]

Thank you, Cliffpiper,for sharing your story. I am a new diver as well and I had more than enough of my fair share of mishaps and issues I can ever imagine. I felt like I am the only one having issues. I will post more details of my inexperienced experiences shortly.

 

[KD8NPB]

Does she have a regulator with both venturi and demand level adjustment?

If so, she may have them set too high.

 

[billt4sf]

a regulator with both venturi and demand level adjustment

What the heck are they?

 

[spectrum]

What the heck are they?

Some regulators have knobs that essentially let you tune them on the fly. If you go too far it will freeflow and/or deliver air aggressively. Go the other way and it will breathe like a brick.

Pete