removing regulator skill

[me_diver]

Taking the PADI OW class...finished all class and tests, onto the confined water.
Everything was going great until.....
Today we did the remove regulator/replace exercise. We were at the bottom of the deep end of the pool. I did it, got a little water in my mouth, no big deal, coughed, cleared, gave the okay. Then he signaled for me to do it again, "lose it" i.e. don't hang onto it. I a) didn't wait until I had a full breath of air to do this and b) for some idiotic reason kept "breathing" while I was finding my regulator. Breathed in a whole bunch of water, start coughing, finally get regulator in my mouth, forget the purge button exists, can't clear it, freak a bit, mask floods. Brain stops working, instinct takes over and all I want is to get to the surface. Luckily I didn't think to inflate the bcd so instructor was able to hold me from going up to quickly; and luckily we are only 12 feet deep.

First thing I say when I get to the surface is that was stupid and I know I shouldn't have done that. After a rest and making sure I was okay (more embarrassed than physically harmed) we go back to the shallow end and do it again there. I did it "okay" but he said he could tell I still was a bit scared. (YES!) .

So I need to get this skill down AND learn not to panic. I knew all the right things to do and didn't do them; mainly pressing the purge button.
I think it was so drilled into me - NEVER hold your breath - keep breathing that I forgot not to breathe in without the regulator.

Any advice on how to do this skill,what to do, how to relax?

 

[Hank49]

Unless I'm missing something, you did your first attempt at this in 12 feet of water? If so, that was a mistake. You should do it in water you can stand up in (4-5 feet). If there's a problem there isn't much danger of popping to the surface. From 12 feet you can cause some physiological problems if you bolt to the surface holding your breath.

Try practice it on dry land. Drop the reg, do the arm sweep or reach behind you head to recover and replace in your mouth. Then go in shallow water and do it again and again. Don't do it in deep water until you have it wired...or mastered.

And most importantly, don't try to breath without a reg in your mouth while under water.

 

[me_diver]

Thank you for the fast reply. My husband (who's taking the class with me) and I don't remember the instructor doing this in the shallow end first. I think he forgot.
I wasn't holding my breath, I don't think, I had breathed everything out pretty much and was just filled with water. Is there any symptoms I should be looking for now?

 

[JahJahwarrior]

For the drill, the big thing is to take a big breath, then exhale a steady stream of bubbles while finding the reg.

Technically, the rule is "don't hold your breath," not "never stop breathing." They kind of mean the same thing, but the "don't hold" version makes it easier to remember that you just have to exhale without the reg, not inhale

After time in the water, you'll get really used to using a regulator, and moving it in and out of your mouth.

I concur with the others, if you need to do this drill still to finish the course, which I believe you need to atleast once more in OW, and your instructor might ask you to do it a few times to demonstrate competency and calmness, try practicing above water. You can even do this at your desk, practicing inhaling, exhailing very slowly while sweeping your arm behind you to find an imaginary regulator. Perhaps ask your instructor if you can do this drill once in shallow water before doing it "for real" in deeper water.


Keeping working on it and before you know it, "instinct" will be to fix the problem underwater and keep enjoying your dive, not bolting to the surface. Good luck!

 

[me_diver]

Thanks, yes the instructor definitely said we are going to revisit this skill next time in the shallow end, and I will be practicing this at my desk all next week ! Thanks!

 

[TSandM]

The next time, you may want to start with regulator remove and replace -- just taking the regulator out of your mouth, spending a few seconds blowing bubbles, and replacing the regulator and clearing it. Once that is going smoothly and you feel calm doing it, THEN you can up the ante by throwing the regulator away and retrieving it.

Breaking things up into smaller chunks is one way of mastering a skill more easily. In this case, you cement the sequence of placing regulator in your mouth and purging it (preferably using at least two different methods to do so) before you add in the additional skill of sweeping and locating a lost regulator.

 

[Hank49]

The next time, you may want to start with regulator remove and replace -- just taking the regulator out of your mouth, spending a few seconds blowing bubbles, and replacing the regulator and clearing it. Once that is going smoothly and you feel calm doing it, THEN you can up the ante by throwing the regulator away and retrieving it.

.

That's very good advice.

 

[me_diver]

Thanks, well I'm glad y'all aren't telling me I'm not cut out for diving and I should hang it up, as up to that point we were having a blast and doing great. The other post has me worried - if I hurt myself, I'd know it by now, right? This was a couple of hours ago. I ascended w/o the regulator and I don't think any air left in my lungs - I got to the surface, coughed a bit, and was breathing normally pretty quickly. My chest is a little sore but I am also not used to carrying that weight around (tank) like getting out of the pool.

 

[mikediveguy]

another thing to remember is.. if u cant find ur primary reg by 'sweeping' u have an alternate that is hopefully clipped or otherwise attatched to ur chest, just go for it. u may have to redo the skill, but u got a reg- that means air!

 

[TSandM]

me diver, if you aren't short of breath or having significant chest pain or neurologic problems (numbness, paralysis) you're almost certainly unhurt.