Are scuba regulators life-support equipment?

[dfx]

how would you get to the middle of a dive without a regulator?

yes, could freedive, but that suggests that a regulator isn't necessary for that dive and by extension, not life support equipment.

Why do you have to be in the middle of a dive? All you have to do is to get under water. Try it and see how long you last without equipment which supports your life in that environment.

---------- Post added January 27th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ----------

I don't know how you would accomplish that. But if you find yourself without one at 35K you will certainly wish you had one.

Interesting idea to use something impossible as an argument...

 

[nimoh]

Why do you have to be in the middle of a dive? All you have to do is to get under water. Try it and see how long you last without equipment which supports your life in that environment.

I have gone underwater without a regulator, and I came back up without issue.

To me, life support equipment is equipment without which life would not be possible for an individual. For scuba diving, one can simply not dive and can live without the regulator.

I do think it is a rather silly discussion since whether or not you believe it is or isn't life support equipment doesn't change anything, unless my health insurance will pay for tank fills if my regulator is considered a life support system...wait, I want to change my answer

 

[dmoore19]

The question was if an airplane was life support. You contend it is not. My reply was that try living without one at 35K doing 500 mph and let me know how it works. If you are in a plane at 35K and you jump out how long would you expect to survive? You wouldn't without other live support systems, those would generally be located in the plane you just jumped out of. There may be exceptions though.

Why do you have to be in the middle of a dive? All you have to do is to get under water. Try it and see how long you last without equipment which supports your life in that environment.

---------- Post added January 27th, 2014 at 12:38 PM ----------


Interesting idea to use something impossible as an argument...

 

[ajduplessis]

If you plan and dive as a team, then NO. The regulator is not a life support device. Its just a "simple" valve connect to a breathing source. When it fails, it's a non-event!! Might make the late night fire story

If you dont plan well or become complacent in any form of diving (even in six inches of water) then it becomes life support. A simple failure (permanent freefow) will most likely result in a far more serious headline than camp fire giggle.

Incidents and accidents is never a single event.

The grey stuff between your ears is life support!!! Use it and dive safe.

 

[dfx]

I have gone underwater without a regulator, and I came back up without issue.

To me, life support equipment is equipment without which life would not be possible for an individual. For scuba diving, one can simply not dive and can live without the regulator.

No, that's exactly the point. You can dive without a regulator, just not very long. Human life being sustainable depends on several factors, the ability to breathe being an essential part of that. If you're in an environment where you can't breathe, then you either need to leave that environment sooner rather than later, or use some gear which allows you to breathe in that environment. Therefore, life support equipment.

The question was if an airplane was life support. You contend it is not. My reply was that try living without one at 35K doing 500 mph and let me know how it works. If you are in a plane at 35K and you jump out how long would you expect to survive? You wouldn't without other live support systems, those would generally be located in the plane you just jumped out of. There may be exceptions though.

Well, that's exactly what I said before. There are life support systems in the plane. But that doesn't make the whole plane a life system system. If you take a hot air balloon to 30k feet, you better have some of those systems on board. But you don't need the whole plane. Same with diving. If you're under water, you better have some way of breathing. Either that, or you get the hell out of there.

 

[nimoh]

No, that's exactly the point. You can dive without a regulator, just not very long. Human life being sustainable depends on several factors, the ability to breathe being an essential part of that. If you're in an environment where you can't breathe, then you either need to leave that environment sooner rather than later, or use some gear which allows you to breathe in that environment. Therefore, life support equipment.


Well, that's exactly what I said before. There are life support systems in the plane. But that doesn't make the whole plane a life system system. If you take a hot air balloon to 30k feet, you better have some of those systems on board. But you don't need the whole plane. Same with diving. If you're under water, you better have some way of breathing. Either that, or you get the hell out of there.

well, you quoted the first two statements in my post, although the third was the only one that was really relevant to this discussion

 

[The Chairman]

Why worry about it being a life support system? Here's the only reason for me: to determine any need for redundancy. In that case, if anything is essential for life underwater, I want a redundancy. Lights in a cave? Yup. Buoyancy control in a cave? Yup. Breathing system in a cave? Yup.

Now outside of a cave these become less necessary unless I am going into deco... then breathing gas would need to be redundant. Other than that, my buddy represents all the redundancy I need. However, I should point out that a regulator would be a part of the entire breathing system. Unless and until it's attached to a breathable gas mixture, any aforementioned regulator is pretty useless to sustain life. IJS.

Let's take another look at those mermaids dancing underwater without the use of a demand regulator, shall we?

 

[agilis]

The question was if an airplane was life support. You contend it is not. My reply was that try living without one at 35K doing 500 mph and let me know how it works. If you are in a plane at 35K and you jump out how long would you expect to survive? You wouldn't without other live support systems, those would generally be located in the plane you just jumped out of. There may be exceptions though.

Superman does it all the time.

Try traveling down the highway at 75 mph without a car and see how long you survive without your life support automotive device. Or try painting those second story windows and under the eaves without your ladder life support device.

 

[dmoore19]

Ya, well whatever. It is a stupid argument that means exactly squat, zero, zilch, nothin. I'll leave it at that. Have fun at 35K with no plane surrounding you.

No, that's exactly the point. You can dive without a regulator, just not very long. Human life being sustainable depends on several factors, the ability to breathe being an essential part of that. If you're in an environment where you can't breathe, then you either need to leave that environment sooner rather than later, or use some gear which allows you to breathe in that environment. Therefore, life support equipment.


Well, that's exactly what I said before. There are life support systems in the plane. But that doesn't make the whole plane a life system system. If you take a hot air balloon to 30k feet, you better have some of those systems on board. But you don't need the whole plane. Same with diving. If you're under water, you better have some way of breathing. Either that, or you get the hell out of there.

---------- Post added January 27th, 2014 at 02:30 PM ----------

Superman could do it. Unless of course there is kryptonite around and then he probably can't.

Superman does it all the time.

Try traveling down the highway at 75 mph without a car and see how long you survive without your life support automotive device. Or try painting those second story windows and under the eaves without your ladder life support device.

 

[nimoh]

---------- Post added January 27th, 2014 at 02:30 PM ----------

Superman could do it. Unless of course there is kryptonite around and then he probably can't.

Superman would be OK if the kryptonite were in a lead box, therefore lead is life support equipment...and by extension, my lead diving weights.