This incident happened about 5 years ago but has been on my mind. I'd quit a job and had a few weeks before starting my next job so decided to do a cave diving course in South Australia (I'm based in Sydney). I travelled down with my gear (sidemount) and met the instructor and fellow student. The night before we went for our first dive the instructor reviewed my gear setup. I usually dive with my main reg on a necklace which I'd left on. The instructor pulled this off. Apart from that the setup was fine.
A few days later we were finishing a dive when I breathed in and got a mouthful of water. It was confusing as the mouthpiece was in my mouth. The instructor was a few metres away so I went to her, gave the out-of-air signal, and she gave me her spare and we surfaced.
The problem turned out to be that the ziptie that holds the mouthpiece to the 2nd stage had loosened, probably when the instructor pulled the necklace off. The 2nd stage had fallen away leaving the mouthpiece in my mouth and me breathing water.
That night I reflected on how I'd reacted. I wasn't happy with my response. I had two independent systems so I should have gone for my other regulator. The next time the instructor pulled the reg out of my mouth during training I shoved my alternate reg in my mouth which promptly got pulled out (lol) before I signalled my buddy through the line and got his spare. The instructor was ok with this and said she was happy to pull out my regs as many times as required.
I'd been diving for quite a few years before this incident happened. I do wonder if I was a new diver what my reaction would have been. It seems almost like a design flaw that could result in a catastrophe.
A few days later we were finishing a dive when I breathed in and got a mouthful of water. It was confusing as the mouthpiece was in my mouth. The instructor was a few metres away so I went to her, gave the out-of-air signal, and she gave me her spare and we surfaced.
The problem turned out to be that the ziptie that holds the mouthpiece to the 2nd stage had loosened, probably when the instructor pulled the necklace off. The 2nd stage had fallen away leaving the mouthpiece in my mouth and me breathing water.
That night I reflected on how I'd reacted. I wasn't happy with my response. I had two independent systems so I should have gone for my other regulator. The next time the instructor pulled the reg out of my mouth during training I shoved my alternate reg in my mouth which promptly got pulled out (lol) before I signalled my buddy through the line and got his spare. The instructor was ok with this and said she was happy to pull out my regs as many times as required.
I'd been diving for quite a few years before this incident happened. I do wonder if I was a new diver what my reaction would have been. It seems almost like a design flaw that could result in a catastrophe.