Are scuba regulators life-support equipment?

[TMHeimer]

It depends on how you choose to dive. Is it life support in water shallow enough to stand up in? Is it life support if you dive deeper than you can make a free ascent? Does your training and skill limit you to drowning if your regulator fails?

A regulator [-]is[/-] “should be” PART of a life support system in hard and soft overhead environments.

Agree 100% with this. If I must choose yes or no to the question I would have to choose yes with an *. I guess we're talking semantics here.

 

[Bob DBF]

A regulator is life support, however whoever wants me to spend $1000 for a reg or stop me from servicing my own regs because "they are life support equipment" are, to say politely, barking up the wrong tree. I hear the phrase mainly used as a marketing ploy to up sell rather than the literal meaning.

As Akimbo pointed out, if you are placing life on only one piece of equipment you are not taking your situation seriously. This is one reason I believe that divers should have good water skills as well as SCUBA skills.



Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[underH2Oman]

Lets use this definition (I agree with the dictionary people)

life′-support`

adj.of or pertaining to equipment or measures that sustain or artificially substitute for essential body functions, as breathing, or that allow humans to function within a hostile environment, as outer space or ocean depths.
[1955–60]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserve

 

[spoolin01]

OK, but I'm still missing what's interesting about it.

 

[DevonDiver]

I don't sell or service regulators, but I class regulators as 'life support'. UnderH20Man's definition is the one which I'd use to justify that.

They are a class of equipment that sustains/supports human life in an environment that is otherwise non-life sustaining (i.e. underwater).

That definition, in no way, makes an assumption they you'd die if the given equipment failed; because, as many have noted, there are methods and means to escape or exit from the environment in order to sustain life.

 

[The Chairman]

I can never remember referring to a regulator as life support. Most times that I can remember it being used by others was in an attempt to win an argument or to scare people away from trying to service their regs. It ranks right up there with "zero tolerance" and "you're going to die" in the useless hysterical phrases list. Too many divers don't understand how their regulators work and they are deathly afraid of opening one up because it's "life support"! Shenanigans. The average diver has more than enough mechanical aptitude to disassemble and reassemble a regulator after only reading Vance Harlow's regulator book. Heck, you might not even need to read the book: I sure didn't. But then, I've been playing with cars on a professional basis since 1969. I'm above average when it comes to mechanical aptitude. I'm way above average when it comes to curiosity about how things work. In any case, regulators shouldn't be a conundrum for you. Even if you don't service your own, learn how they work. Get someone who does understand how they work to help you if needed. You might even consider taking the Hog regulator class even if you don't own a Hog. Most of what you learn in there is transferable to other regs.

So the next time someone throws the "but it's life support" argument at you, realize that it's nothing but hysteria, an appeal to danger, that's being substituted for actual logic. The very same people probably think that a mask on your forehead is a sign of diver distress. Don't let your understanding of diving be formed by myths, hysteria and bad logic. Look past their hype and strip away the layers of ignorance and fear. Choose understanding over all else.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I can never remember referring to a regulator as life support. Most times that I can remember it being used by others was in an attempt to win an argument or to scare people away from trying to service their regs. It ranks right up there with "zero tolerance" and "you're going to die" in the useless hysterical phrases list. Too many divers don't understand how their regulators work and they are deathly afraid of opening one up because it's "life support"! Shenanigans. The average diver has more than enough mechanical aptitude to disassemble and reassemble a regulator after only reading Vance Harlow's regulator book. Heck, you might not even need to read the book: I sure didn't. But then, I've been playing with cars on a professional basis since 1969. I'm above average when it comes to mechanical aptitude. I'm way above average when it comes to curiosity about how things work. In any case, regulators shouldn't be a conundrum for you. Even if you don't service your own, learn how they work. Get someone who does understand how they work to help you if needed. You might even consider taking the Hog regulator class even if you don't own a Hog. Most of what you learn in there is transferable to other regs.

So the next time someone throws the "but it's life support" argument at you, realize that it's nothing but hysteria, an appeal to danger, that's being substituted for actual logic. The very same people probably think that a mask on your forehead is a sign of diver distress. Don't let your understanding of diving be formed by myths, hysteria and bad logic. Look past their hype and strip away the layers of ignorance and fear. Choose understanding over all else.

Well said, thank you.

 

[Splitlip]

Good Lord. Are we talking semantics here? Why do I use a long hose? Why does my daughter have an octo?

 

[Superlyte27]

My stance has nothing to do with you rebuilding your own regulators, or buying a, b or c brand of regulators. I don't care about any of that. The question asked if regulators are life support. As you can't sustain life without them in normal circumstances throughout a dive.... they are in fact supporting your life. This is not to say you can't abort the dive and live, but in order to make the dive, you need something supporting your ability to breathe.

It's pretty obvious you can't make a 30 minute dive to 80' without them... otherwise you drown. It's funny, because other than air, there's not a single other thing I need to descend to 80' and stay there for 30 minutes. You can take every other thing away from me and I can still make the dive. But take that tank and regulator and I have to abort. Dude, I don't know how else to convince you..... THAT IS LIFE SUPPORT.

For me, it has NOTHING to do with your ability to service your own regs. I believe any moron could probably stumble through it. I don't need to sell you the most expensive regulator and service. Hell, 5 of my 10 regulators are the cheapest Oceanic regs money can buy. And they are piston, and probably the simplest in the world to overhaul. I'm not hung up on trying to convince you that there's some voodoo magic inside that 1st stage. There's no hype or ulterior motive here. I could really care less about the politics of "You'll poke your eye out kid".

However, the above paragraph that regulators do support your life cannot be ignored. Until you can show me how to make a 30 minute dive to 80' without any regulators, suck up the fact that regs are life support and deal with it.

 

[The Chairman]

Until you can show me how to make a 30 minute dive to 80' without any regulators, suck up the fact that regs are life support and deal with it.

Mermaids do it sans regulators!

​

I think the song ironically fits the discussion...