Your Most Important Piece Of Scuba Gear

We've talked about scuba certifications, we've talked about dive trips, masks, fins scuba diving safety - now we need to talk about the single most important piece of scuba gear you can own - your regulator. Your regulator literally is your lifeline underwater.

Basically Scuba Tanks contain compressed gasses, either air, or Nitrox. You could not breath the air directly out of the cylinder because the pressure would damage your lungs - it need to pas through a regulator. The regulator accomplishes two things, it reduces the pressure from the tank to a safe level, and it supplies air on-demand. The most important factor when choosing a regulator is as of breathing. The easier it is for your to breath through a given regulator, the less air you will use, and the more time you can enjoy you dive. Also you should stick with name brand regulators, as they will be the most serviceable around the world. Choose a regulator with as few moving parts as possible - less parts less to go wrong.

Of course there are specific regulators for specific dive conditions and you should choose these accordingly. For example if you plan on doing and significant cold water diving like say below 45 degrees - you must purchase a regulator designed to work in such temperature extremes, Mares makes a great regulator designed to keep working and not freeze up under these conditions.

I learned to Scuba Dive over 25 years ago - we were taught an ancient technique called "buddy breathing" where you shared your regulator with your dive partner in the event of an emergency. Today one all divers carry a back-up second stage regulator called an "octopus" regulator for emergency use. Most dive pros suggest that your octopus be from the same manufacturer as your primary to ensure ease of use and service. There are basically two types of Octopus regulators for Scuba Divers traditional style which are of the same size and shape of your primary, and Octo-specific which are somewhat smaller and more compact, making them easier to stow when not in use, but also do not breathe quite as well. One quick note about Octopus breathing - it is a lifesaving technique and is not intended to extend the dive if your buddy has a problem - once an octopus is in use you both should be on your way up immediately.

Saltwater can be very damaging to the inner workings of a regulator. It is important that you clean your regulator after every dive with freshwater. This will eliminate salt water, silt and other ocean "crud" that can retard or otherwise effect the proper operation of the various valves and membranes within the regulator. A scuba divers regulator should also be serviced at least once per year. Because the regulator is one of the most important pieces of equipment, many divers choose to purchase their own regulators, rather then rent) so that they can be sure of the quality of the piece of equipment and positive that the regulator is in good working order.