Question about regulating your air on deep commercial dives

I was out on a 120-foot job off the coast of Galveston last Tuesday and noticed my air consumption was way higher than usual. I checked my regs and found a small leak in the second stage that I had been ignoring for months. Has anyone else dealt with a tiny leak that really messes with your bottom time?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_richard1d ago

Did you ever try using a spray bottle of soapy water to find those tiny leaks? I spent two whole dives thinking I was just out of shape and breathing like a freight train before I realized my second stage was farting bubbles at me the whole time... felt like a real gear idiot when I finally found it with a q-tip and a drop of soap.

hugo_robinson251d ago

Man I had the exact same thing happen to me about a year ago on a 100 foot wreck dive. I was burning through air like crazy and couldn't figure out why until my buddy noticed a tiny stream of bubbles coming from my second stage. It was barely even visible but it was costing me like 15-20 minutes of bottom time easily. I finally took the reg apart and cleaned the seat with a q-tip and some mild soap, then replaced the o-ring on the adjustment knob. That fixed it completely and my consumption went right back to normal. Honestly those little leaks are worse than big ones because you just assume it's your breathing or the current or something. Check every connection point with soapy water before you go in, especially around the second stage housing where moisture can hide the bubbles.

jamesroberts1d ago

Peek under the o-ring on the adjustment knob and you might find a whole colony of little air thieves plotting against you. @hugo_robinson25 nailed it with that fix. That second stage housing is like a camouflage factory for tiny bubbles. I spent two dives thinking my finning technique was off before I found a similar leak on my own setup. It was a pain to track down because the foam trim on the exhaust tee was hiding the bubbles completely. That tiny leak robbed me of a solid 12 minutes of bottom time on a reef I really wanted to explore deeper.