Your Own Scuba Regulator, Should you Buy One When Traveling?
April 30, 2009 by Ed J Price
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One of the most important piece of equipment for enjoying diving comfortable and safely is a scuba regulator. A problem on a scuba regulator could be a matter of life and death with a malfunction or failure of any of your equipment can ruin your dive.
You will be glad you brought your own diving regulator with the heavy tank or even bulky buoyancy control device hired wherever you planning to go on a diving vacation. It is reassuring to have equipment that you know and trust. You can enjoy the dive and not waste your time worrying about equipment you are not familiar with. Do not trust your life too heavily on used rental equipment when you can easily bring your own regulator and other light equipment.
Basics of Scuba Regulators
Diving regulators consist of two stages and connecting hoses. The first stage connects to your diving tank and reduces the very high tank pressure to an intermediate level. The second stage is connected to the first via a hose that is long enough to reach from the tank on your back around to your mouth, but not so long that it will get tangled. The second stage further reduces the pressure of the air to a level that is comfortable to breath. It contains the mouthpiece and the valve that controls the flow of air so that it only comes out on demand.
For use in case of emergency, a complete scuba regulator will also have an auxiliary second stage. Should either of your primary regulators fail, it is attached with a slightly longer hose that reaches around and attached to your chest where it can be conveniently reached by you or your dive buddy.
To inflate it at the push of a button, the regulator will have an additional air hose with a coupling that is attached to your buoyancy control device (BCD).
How to Pick the Right Scuba Regulator
First you need to decide what features are important to you. Regulators come in two types, piston or diaphragm. If you are planning on doing cold water diving, go with the diaphragm type because it can be freeze proofed.
You need to look at options, once you have chosen the type because some regulators will have an adjustment on the second stage. This allows you to increase or decrease the effort to open the valve when you breathe in and controls how much effort inhaling through the regulator. As a matter of personal preference, go for the adjustable ones, if not, non adjustable models are locked into an average setting which may feel right to you.
On some scuba regulators, another option available is couplings in the line that allow the mouthpiece to swivel. One of the things of a nice feature is your hose does not get tangled.
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