Difficult to breathe upward

[MightyDiver]

Is this normal to have a very hard time trying to draw air through your second stage when you look straight up at the surface? This is the only time it requires effort to draw a breath on my second stage. Happens every time though.

I am using a new Zeagle Flathead VI. My husband has the exact same model and he says it's tough for him, too. Doesn't matter if we're at 40' or 20' depth, still happens.

 

[Kayla]

I have the same problem, and when I asked the instrustor, he said that it was pretty normal.


Kayla

 

[happyfish]

I also found this and asked about it during recent o/w course.

Apparently according to my instructor you are still recieving the same volume but due to the way that regulators are designed when you look upwards it feels as though it is more difficult to breathe. It sounded feasible when she explained it...

Hope this helps

Shaneel

 

[srkdvr]

I really can't answer about your reg problem, I just purchased the Scubapro mk 25 first stage and 600 second stage and I can stand on my head, lay on my back, look up, down, side to side and it all breaths the same. It is the best...

Rich :mean:

 

[deepocean]

Hi

i have a Apeks atx200 and dont encounter any of your problems.

I think it i s reg related. Good luck.

Xerxes

 

[seabass]

It is definitely regulator dependent, and generally it is harder to breathe while upside down. Here is a rodales link which shows that regulators (yours isn't in the review I don't think) degrade. The breathing column is normal breathing, the positions column is breathing in various positions.

http://scubadiving.com/gear/16newregs/charts.shtml

 

[oxyhacker]

A regulator 2nd stage (the part you actually breathe through) delivers air at the same pressure as the water surrounding the 2nd stage. For it the breathe naturally and effortlessly the 2nd should be positioned at the same depth as the center of your lungs. If your lungs are lower than the 2nd, it will be delivering air at a pressure less than the pressure in your lungs, and you will have to work harder to draw it down, just as if you were using a long snorkle. If the pressure on the diaprha If your lungs are higher than the 2nd it will be delivering air at a higher pressure, and seem to be breathing exceptionally easy, or even "force feeding" you air. When you lift your head up to look up you raise it higher above your lungs, which increases the work of breathing.

This is, BTW, due to the immutable laws of physics and not the design of the regulator, so it hold true for every regulator made with this configuration, though it will seem more pronounced on a regulator that is already hard breathing, or delivers only a marginal amount of air - it's always amusing when people boast how their regs breathe absolutely the same in every position - it just doesn't work that way unless God has suspended the laws or nature for that marque. However, new or nervous divers tend to notice it more than more experienced divers, who have usually become so accustomed to the phenomenon that they don't even notice it anymore. The new Zeagle appears to be a very good reg, by the way, and should breathe as well in this respect as any other top reg. However the problem could be a sign that the shop didn't set up the regs right before deliver - new regs out of the box should always have a touch-up tune/check before being put into service. Or if your 2nds have an external adjuster it could be a sign you have it set too "tight".



QUOTE]Originally posted by MightyDiver
Is this normal to have a very hard time trying to draw air through your second stage when you look straight up at the surface? This is the only time it requires effort to draw a breath on my second stage. Happens every time though.

I am using a new Zeagle Flathead VI. My husband has the exact same model and he says it's tough for him, too. Doesn't matter if we're at 40' or 20' depth, still happens. [/QUOTE]

 

[seabass]

What you are saying makes sense from a physics point of view, but doesn't seem to correlate with reality. The parameters as I see them are, body Horizontal and vertical (Horizontal is body perpendicular to gravity, vertical is body parallel to gravity).

With respect to the horizontal position you can be face up or face down (up is towards the surface) and with regards to vertical heads up or heads down (head is towards the surface or head is towards the bottom).

Based on what you have said a heads up vertical position should be harder to breath than a heads down vertical position. This does not seem to be the case.

In addition, a face up horizontal position should be easier to breathe than a face down position.

The hardest position to breathe seems to be a face up horizontal position, next is heads down vertical position. Heads up vertical and face down horizontal seem to be about equal.

I will try to pay closer attention next time, because it could be that I just am misremembering.

 

[Bob3]

Seabass, Oxyhacker nailed it with his answer.
It may be easier to think of it in terms of the relative differences in depth between the reg and your lungs. The deeper your lungs are relative to the reg, the more water pressure is on your chest, making it harder to breathe.
You should try a double hose reg sometime, the difference is much more defined.
I also suggest having the reg checked, a little fine tuning may take care of most of the problem. A good shop may even test it out for you at no charge. :mean:

 

[reefrat]

Bob3 is right about the old twin hose regs.
In fact they were the opposite of modern two stage units to breathe off ie. horizontal face down = hard to inhale, horizontal face up=easy to inhale.
The reason is simply that face down the diaphram of the modern reg second stage is slightly lower (deeper) than your lungs and face up the diaphram is slightly higher (shallower).

The old twin hose units had their diapham where a modern first stage is ..at the tank!