TheHuth
Contributor
Echoing what everyone else has said. Flip the reg over so the mouth is face down in the water. That will fix it 95% of the time.
Regulator blasting air
- Thread starter Bryan Mellenthin
- Start date
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2airishuman
Contributor
Are you practicing primary donate? If you are then you can secure the secondary with a bungee necklace. That's what I do. It keeps it out of the way but accessible.
You know what shocks me more than anything? A certified scuba diver that does not know what a free flow is. Was this not covered in your OW class? This is a legitimate concern and not me being the typical interwebz jerk.
The information you have so far is good, check for the venturi switch to see if you can set it to "pre dive" mode. This essentially restricts the flow of air coming through the regulator mouthpiece which, if tuned right should mean that it doesn't freeflow.
If you do get a freeflow there is no need to hit the reg, just put your finger in the hole in the mouthpiece where the air comes through and that will stop the flow. As stated above, if you are in the water when this happens then just turn the 2nd stage so that the mouthpiece is pointing downwards and that should fix it.
Another option is getting a retainer like this:
Its not that clear from the pic but there is a bit of plastic that gets inserted into the mouthpiece which restricts the flow and prevents a freeflow. The reg is still perfectly accessible if needed in the event of an emergency
If you do get a freeflow there is no need to hit the reg, just put your finger in the hole in the mouthpiece where the air comes through and that will stop the flow. As stated above, if you are in the water when this happens then just turn the 2nd stage so that the mouthpiece is pointing downwards and that should fix it.
Another option is getting a retainer like this:
Its not that clear from the pic but there is a bit of plastic that gets inserted into the mouthpiece which restricts the flow and prevents a freeflow. The reg is still perfectly accessible if needed in the event of an emergency
ScubaSteve858
Contributor
I agree with the others about turning it mouth piece down in the water. However, I usually just bite the mouthpiece and blow a quick hard breath back into it. Seems to always work quickly and without fail for me. I also suggest quickly re-configuring to the long hose primary to donate and keep your octo/backup on bungee around neck. I only have 30 dives under my belt but made the switch around dive 8 and it changed my life (streamline)!
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
I understand your concern and don't think you're being a jerk. Free flow was briefly reviewed as part of the OW certification during the water exercises. You had to simulate a free flow and just sip the air. Not too much was focused on what causes it and how to overcome it. It happens a lot on the surface and every few tanks I dive somewhere, they have to tell someone to turn it upside down because they don't know what to do with it and are caught off guard/overwhelmed.
Back to the OPs question, if this ever happens again, just flip it around so that the opening faces down. Some regulators also have switches (venturi?). Scubapro has dive and pre-dive modes. Otherwise, just keep an eye on the direction it's facing and it shouldn't be an issue.
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