Random mouth full of water?!

[Griff..]

Hi Everyone,

This weekend I was diving up in the Straits of Hormuz, and the final dive I did today was a drift dive.. about 25m max depth.
We were flying along in a very quick current, when all of a sudden, I took a breath, and it was nothing but water. I blew out, and again.. water. I pressed the purge button and breathed in as pressing it and got myself half a breath. Tried to breath in again, and... WATER!

At this point I swam (flew) over to my buddy signalling him a problem, whilst getting another mouth full of water, My instincts kicked in and I dropped the reg from my mouth and grabbed my backup bungee'd around my neck (another good reason for the long-hose setup) and it was fine.

After catching my breath, I switched back to my long hose and all was completely fine... I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what caused this?

I will be getting the regs serviced since I will not be able to trust them until I do, but they are only about 4 months old.

Cheers
James

---------- Post added ----------

if it helps/changes anything.. the reg was Apeks DS4 XTX50

 

[mala]

sounds like a bit of crap in the exhaust diaphram.

wash with water and it will be fine.

 

[TSandM]

I would agree. Sounds like the exhaust diaphragm got folded or got debris in it. There aren't too many things that will cause a reg to breathe that wet, and most of them don't get better by themselves.

 

[Doubler]

All it takes to fold over the exhaust diaphragm in strong current is to turn your head at the correct angle for the current enter the exhaust tee. Happens.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

.....

 

[vapourinthesea]

So after you switch to an octo, is this something you can fix underwater or it has to be fixed topside?

 

[KD8NPB]

Think of it as a free drink for a parched diver!

Mala nailed it, all it takes is a single pebble, leaf, stick, or other tiny bit to jam the exhaust valve open and flood the regulator.

So after you switch to an octo, is this something you can fix underwater or it has to be fixed topside?

I've had it happen before, sometimes you can clear it with a strong purge. Cram your tongue into the mouthpiece and and depress the purge button all the way. If that doesn't clear it and you have a design that allows it, you may be able to remove the front face and diaphragm to access the exhaust valve. You can then probably dislodge the debris with your finger.

The other possibility is a torn exhaust valve.

The safest idea is to abort the dive, do your safety stop, and fix it at the surface. That isn't always the most efficient or best option though.

If it's caused by a stiff current, then it would be wise to face in a direction that doesn't cause your exhaust valve to flap open...simply turn your head 90 degrees and that should keep it from blowing through the exhaust tee.