Clear Your Scuba Regulator Underwater
Take a deep breath, relax, and exhale, clearing your regulator is that easy!
Regulator clearing is the very first skills new divers will practice. First, your scuba instructor will take you to a confined water area like a pool or shallow ocean area where you can stand head above water.
Once in the water you can get comfortable in your dive gear, and start breathing above water using the regulator. You can practice sticking your face in the water taking your first breathe from the regulator until you feel comfortable to descend.
When you are ready your instructor will tell every to go down on their knees and prepare for skills demonstration and practice. The first skill you learn is how to clear water from your regulator.
By this point some divers are feeling comfortable or more often feeling some anxiety. Learning to clear your regulator is a great confidence booster for any nervous new divers, almost every new diver masters this skill in a few tries.
Scuba Regulator
Divers us a scuba regulator to breathe underwater. The regulator is connected to the scuba tank, and regulates the flow of high-pressure air in your tank, into a breathable pressure into your regulator mouthpiece.
There is no reason for water to get inside the regulator, but if and when it might happen scuba regulators are designed to let water escape with each new exhale. It is important to learn the techniques for clearing your regulator to avoid getting water in your mouth while scuba diving.
The two recommended methods for clearing you regulator are the blast clearing method and the purge clearing method. This article described how to become the master blaster, so you never have water in your regulator.
Blast clearing method
To perform this skill you want to grab your regulator, from the side next to the hose. Removed the regulator from your mouth, and remember the first rule of scuba diving, always breather, so you want to allow small bubbles of air to escape your mouth.
After a few seconds put the regulator back in your mouth, and blow a forcefully puff of air. After exhaling the water should come out of the exhaust valves at the bottom of your regulator.
Make sure you take a cautious first breath as there may still be a few drops of water left over. If you find there is still some water give it another good blast of air and all the water should be gone.
When you go to put the regulator back in your mouth, make sure the regulator is the right side up. Mouthpiece at the top and exhaust valve at the bottom. If you took it our of your mouth you should be good to go, but still something to consider.
Purge clearing method
The purging regulator method uses the button on the front of your regulator to inject a blast of air for clearing instead of using your own breath. This method is useful when you have less air in your lungs, or an easy way to clear water before a dive.
To perform this skill you want to grab your regulator from the side, next to the hose. It is important to practice grabbing your regulator off to the side so your hand isn’t blocking the purge button on the front of your regulator. Remember to blow small bubbles from your mouth when your regulator is out of your mouth.
When you put the regulator back in your mouth you want to use your tongue as a splash guard and lightly press it up against the inside of the regulator mouthpiece. This will help block any water from entering your mouth.
To remove the water gently press the purge button for 1 second. You regulator should now be cleared of water. Make sure you take a cautious first breathe as there may still be a few drops of water left over in the regulator.
