Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
basx
Aug 16, 2004

Sassy old man!
Another diver here. Just chiming in to talk about one of the less wonderful aspects:

Vomiting into your regulator valve.

If you get seasick, the little boats that take you out to dive sites are your worst enemies. You'll plow through 8-foot swells for 30-45 minutes in a 20-foot boat, then they'll stop.

As the boat bobs from side to side, you'll get your gear on. Just as you backflip over the boat with 50 pounds of crap on your body, you feel that inevitable sense of an oncoming hurl as your mouth fills with saliva. If you're still on the surface, that's nice. If you're underwater when you spew, well, it's not very fun.

I'm a big pussy and just get back on the boat in shame, then watch the feeding frenzy as various sea life comes to the surface to feast on my puke. I'm not hardy enough to lose my breakfast and then plunge 80 feet into the cold depths of the Pacific, but some people do!

Here are some handy puking tips from About.com!

quote:

What Should I Do If I Must Vomit Underwater?:

1. Do Not Remove Your Regulator.
After vomiting, a person will reflexively gasp for air. If a diver removes his regulator to vomit, he may not be able to replace it in time and may inadvertently inhale water. Instead, a diver should hold his regulator in his mouth and vomit into the regulator mouthpiece. This will not contaminate his air supply – the vomit will exit through the one-way exhalation valve. The first breath after vomiting should be taken as carefully as possible, ensuring that any leftovers do not get inhaled.

2. Purge the Regulator If Needed.
After vomiting, a diver can use the regulator's purge button to flood the regulator second stage with air and force any leftover debris out the exhaust valves. A diver purging the regulator after vomiting should take care to place his tongue over the regulator mouthpiece while pressing the purge button, so that any remaining vomit does not get blown back into his mouth.

3. Be Prepared to Switch to the Alternate Air Source.

Depending upon a diver's last meal and chewing habits, vomit may be of different consistencies. If a diver is unlucky enough to have the chunky variety, pieces of puke could become lodged in the regulator mouthpiece and cause it to free-flow or malfunction. This is what alternate air source regulators are for! (They are also useful if breathing from a recently puked in regulator simply disgusts you). If a diver does switch to his alternate air source, he should end the dive because diving without an alternate air source regulator available for his buddy is unsafe.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply