Buddy Breathing

[time2dive]

I figure that if I am going to teach a Vintage Diver Class I need to be able to teach buddy breathing with a double hose regulator comfortably. The few time that I have practice this skill with experienced divers who KNEW how with a single hose regulator left them a bit uncomfortable. So last night a friend and coworker that I trained as a divemaster and gave him his first DA hit the pool and worked on this skill. This is what we came up with. As long as the receiver was higher than the regulator it would free flow with lots of air bubbling out, a bit uncomfortable but no water. It was a bit like breathing from a free flowing regulator....breath the bubbles. It may have been a bit overwhelming for the average diver. If the receiver was lower than the regulator no bubbles but a mouthpiece full of water....also not comfortable.
Here is what we finally decided on. The receiver starts out lower than the regulator , put the regulator in his mouth (no bubbles) rises up a few inches which causes the regulator to try and free flow which pushes most of the water out of the regulator's mouthpiece past the one way valves. The only minor draw back was that it took a little more effort to exhale on the first breath.... you had to blow some of the water out of the way down the hose.
No bubbles, no water fairly comfortable.

Does anyone else have a better way?

Tim

[duckbill]

I've never had occasion to try it with a buddy, but I've heard if you rotate the mouthpiece down and around to the buddy that the air pocket will keep most of the water out of the mouthpiece.

Also, if the donor stays on his left side, then the exhaust will be the lower hose, keeping water away from the mouthpiece. Probably not so important with one-ways as it was when none were used.

Thanks for sharing. Buddy breathing is a pretty good skill to have under one's belt.

[nemrod]

Double hose buddy breathing for me has mostly been a vertical exercise, there is a problem, we are going up, we are swimming up head first, the regulator's mouthpiece is generally higher than the diaphram and therefore will be freeflowing somewhat as you pass it back and forth with a twist. You may have to block the flow with your thumb as you rotate it to your buddy. That is the way I was taught, horizontal swimming, pass the mouthpiece "high" and head down you will have to clear with a blow. The modern concept of panacake/horizontal ascents (and desents using a BC) are not really vintage. Since you will be head up and facing one another clearing should not be an issue. Like I said, place your thumb over the mouthpiece opening as you rotate and pass back and forth.

N

[scubadiverbob]

If I remember correctly (when I did the course using the Navy Dive Manuals a few years back), it had a section on buddy breathing. You have to keep the mouthpiece with the opening pointed down while passing it from diver to diver. Otherwise, the reg will flood. Check out copies of the Navy Dive Manuals from the '70s (Ok, it's not too many years back; I don't really believe I as old as I am .......)

You might want to get a copy of the manuals for the class your creating. They were the most informative source of information at the time.

Robert

[scubadiverbob]

On my DA I have a Dacor Pacer second stage (thanks to Dorothy) that I've completely rebuilt just incase I'm diving with someone who doesn't know how to buddy breath with a double hose.

[Captain]

Keeping the mouthpiece pointed down with the head tilted back when in the vertical is the key.
It is easier with the old straight mouthpiece because the mouthpiece is centrally located and can be rolled back and forth between divers facing each other. It is harder to do with the curved mouth piece because when it is rolled to the buddy it is upside down and the mask gets in the way.

[nemrod]

The "rotation" I mean is rotating/twisting the bite down as you pass to the buddy such that it essentially moves through a 180 degree arc, the mouthpiece bite that is. Your finger or thumb is over the bite opening to restrict and modulate freeflow. Captain is right, this method does not accomade well the curved mouthpiece because the 180 degree rotation of the bite the mouthpiece upside down and interferes with the mask.

Nem

[VintageBob]

The thought of buddy breathing with a two hose regulator sends chills down my spine. Yes it can be done under a sterile controlled environment where both divers are familiar with the mechanics of how they operate. But in a real world emergency where an O 2 starved diver may be at or near panic, I think the chances of a successful buddy breathing ascent to the surface with a double hose comes into question.

Don't get me wrong, I dearly love these regs and rarely dive with a single hose. With the exception of my son, who is an occasional diver, all my buddys use single hose regulators and have a limited understanding of the nuances of our dearly beloved regs.

So, on my two stage regulators, I connect a swivel adapter to the Hookah port and have an octopus reg along with a low pressure hose for my BC. Plus I carry a spare air.. (I don't do free ascents well) When I use a Mistral, I carry a 13 cu ft pony bottle which runs the BC and also provides an alternate air source.

I know I'm not a purist, but I guess I have grown more cautious in my ascending years..

I think two hose buddy breathing is a good skill to learn.. It's one more available tool. But I prefer relying on the alternate air souce system.

I'm all for the vintage specialty class, I think it's a great idea.

Just my 2 cents on the subject..

Vintage Bob