DIR position on custom mouthpieces

[Cheekymonkey]

First of all in my first post I said heres my opinion keep in mind its not DIR. But personally in the GUE stuff other people have sent me I never saw a rule of no seacure mouthpieces, its quite possible I just missed it though. Rather then take shots at me you might as well direct me to a page that can show me why I am wrong on that. That would be more constructive in showing others and myself the DIR way regarding this topic, since obviously thats what this post was regarding.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

True, but I am not the "voice of DIR".

My impressions of what is DIR or not come from reading posts of cave divers who are associated with WKPP. I myself am not associated with WKPP. OTOH, the GUE instructors (MHK, Brandon, Sonya Tittle) it has been my good fortune to know have indicated also that custom equipment (mouthpieces, for example) is/are seldom as universally useful as equipment that is designed to be universally useful.

You guys indicate that you trim your mouthpiece wings way back. I'm sure you do, but the custom mouthpieces that I have seen on charter boats are not trimmed back that way...iow, it isn't a universal practice.

As you noted, the OP asked for the DIR response and - unless its changed - TTBOMK custom mouthpieces are still frowned on.

ChickDiver would know...she is/was/remains associated with WKPP, and she may be along here eventually with some updated scoop...

 

[jeckyll]

I was able to find this:

Standard mouthpieces must be used, since custom ones might create a gagging effect on another diver while sharing air

at http://www.dir-mexico.com/direquip.htm

FWIW

 

[Cacia]

hmm, I heard something that made sense.

I heard that when an unconscious diver has the reg held into their mouth, that the phlanges are not soft enought to flatten and conform, and thus not as desirable in a rescue situation. (an uncompliant jaw)

Anybody who has experience with airways, can relate to this, I think.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

I was able to find this:


at http://www.dir-mexico.com/direquip.htm

FWIW

Thanks for the link Jeckyll

 

[Doc Intrepid]

True. Kane demonstrated 'bringing a seizing/unresponsive diver to the surface' at the last DIR-f at Rawlings, w/ right hand run under holding mouthpiece in place while left hand worked the venting and/or issues. Issue was that during seizing the diver ascent must be halted as the glottis of the stricken diver is sealed, teeth clenching, donated reg must be held in because when seizure releases ascent must be resumed, but diver may gasp/inhale. As in all things, the devil is in the details. When our team mate died last June, he blacked out after completing the 10' deco hang. His buddy on that dive related that he tried to get the mouthpiece back into Denton's mouth, but given issues it proved to be more expedient to take him up.

The things that are of little account when all is going well can assume far greater magnitude when lives hang in the balance.

 

[RTodd]

Custom mouthpieces of any form are not allowed in WKPP, per my understanding.

Custom mouthpieces aren't DIR and many of the reasons have been covered. Also remember that DIR is designed to keep everything the same if you move to more advanced diving. For more advanced cave diving you don't/ barely breathe your primary so what is the point of having a custom mouthpiece that creates a problem in an air share emergency. Are you going to put custom mouthepieces on all of your stage regs that you are breathing. What about the regs for stage safety bottles a teammate may use.

Custom mouthpieces fall in the category of fixing imaginary problems. If cut back they are highly unlikely to cause a fatality on an open water dive and so probably fall into the nit picking category. Still, there is no reason to use them and a potential detriment for doing so, so the DIR answer is don't.

 

[rjack321]

My wife and another fundies student were practicing s-drills once. She just about drowned on his custom mouthpiece. She got her own reg back in and we had to ascend (from 20ft) because she was gagging so much and couldn't get a decent cough out or breath in. Even in OW at any substantive depth it would have been a very bad situation. Cave would have been a disaster.

I have no idea that mouthpiece was trimmed, but don't underestimate how much smaller your teammate's mouth may be. For those who have decided their mouthpiece isn't critical, I suggest having your buddies breath from it in your equipment check.

The simpler DIR solution is to use standard mouthpieces.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

My wife and another fundies student were practicing s-drills once. She just about drowned on his custom mouthpiece. She got her own reg back in and we had to ascend (from 20ft) because she was gagging so much and couldn't get a decent cough out or breath in. Even in OW at any substantive depth it would have been a very bad situation. Cave would have been a disaster.

I have no idea that mouthpiece was trimmed, but don't underestimate how much smaller your teammate's mouth may be. For those who have decided their mouthpiece isn't critical, I suggest having your buddies breath from it in your equipment check.

The simpler DIR solution is to use standard mouthpieces.

You can acutally trim it to be the length of a normal mouthpiece or shorter.

 

[Rick Inman]

What about a SeaCure on the backup? No one else is expected to use that but you.

Yeah. In my F class, the instructor said to move my SeaCure to my backup. Seemed pointless to me, so I just tossed the thing into my "stuff" box.