drbill once bubbled...
Although I had been warned off diving on Koh Tao, Thailand, I decided to go anyway. I was told the operator I chose was one of the better ones. On the way down to my deepest dive (Chumphon Pinnacle) I hear a pop and noticed air pressure dropping quickly. I immediately tapped the DM, signalled I was going up and pointed to the first stage, and he accompanied me up.
The first stage had blown (I've never seen that happen" said the DM, me either). We went back down with a new tank and reg.
The same operator gave me BC's that were so ratty that I could barely find the arm holes in them. They learned, after I returned a number of them, to give me better equipment.
Although I travel for long periods of time as a backpacker, I will be carrying my own safety equipment (reg, bc) with me in the future.
Dr. Bill