One of the most common problems you can face or expect to face at least once at some point in your diving life is a free flowing regulator. It can be quite nerve-wracking when it happens, as air is a divers lifeline underwater. It’s also been a top cause for ascent-related incidents, as divers tend to shoot to the surface following a regulator free-flow, throwing caution to the wind. But that is just about the worst thing you can do.
Cold water is the number one reason for a regulator to free flow, however, an improperly maintained or faulty piece can also lead to free flowing. The Second stage in regulators are designed to be fail safe, meaning that if anything fails inside the regulator it will flow continuously rather than ceasing to work. So, in the event that you are faced with this problem underwater here’s a look at how to continue breathing from it safely and the best way to deal with the problem with a few options according to your situation.
Breathing from a free flowing regulator
It’s possible to breathe from the free-flow as air streams out of the regulator, but the technique takes practice to perfect and to feel comfortable with. So try practicing it in a controlled environment and in safe conditions to get a feel of what you need to do.
Start by tilting your head to the right (this is where your regulator hose comes out) and take the left side of the mouthpiece out of your mouth keeping the right side of the mouth piece firmly in your mouth.Pressing the purge button and using your tongue as a splash guard to prevent choking on water, it’s possible to breathe for a a limited time from the free flowing reg. Though it doesn’t sound easy, if performed correctly by holding the purge button fully and good amount of air comes rushing out and sipping it comes almost naturally as a survival instinct.
Your Other Options
1. If you are carrying a pony tank switch to your bail-out gas.
2. If you are not carrying a bail-out gas, immediately switch to your buddy’s alternate air source as you will lose air fairly quickly.
3. Take some calming breaths, assess the situation and and abort the dive safely with your buddy.
Prevention
It’s very important to make sure your kit is serviced regularly and if its not been in use a long time at least a moth before you dive again. When diving in cold water, especially fresh water as salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water, take your first check-out breaths submerged in shallow water immediately before the dive, rather than above the surface in the cold air. You should even consider a special cold water regulators designed with a whole host of preventative measures for free-flows, if you dive a lot in colder conditions.
Always remember, a great dive buddy and good dive planning including being prepared with safety gear and back-ups, goes a long way in situations like these.
*Photo Credits: photos by ParaScubaSailor and torbenator on flickr
