Frequently, the console containing the pressure gauge also holds a variety of other gauges, such as a depth gauge, compass, or dive computer.ĥ. The pressure gauge is connected to the regulator first stage by a high-pressure hose (HP hose) that feeds high-pressure air from the tank directly to the pressure gauge. Submersible Pressure Gauge and Gauge Console The submersible pressure gauge (also called a pressure gauge or SPG) allows a diver to monitor the amount of air in his scuba tank so that he doesn't run out of air underwater. As diver education and safety procedures have evolved, alternate second stages have become standard scuba diving safety gear, allowing any diver to breathe from any other diver's tank.Ĥ. Alternate second stages are usually bright colors, such as neon yellow, which allows them to be quickly located. It enables a diver to share air from his tank with a second diver in case of an out-of-air emergency. The alternate second stage is a back-up, that ordinarily is not used. Alternate Second Stage The alternate second stage (also known as an alternate air source, buddy regulator, or octopus) does the exact same thing as the primary second stage: it reduces intermediate air pressure supplied by a low-pressure hose to an ambient air pressure that a diver can breathe. The primary second stage is one of two second stages attached to a standard open water regulator, and it is this one that a diver normally breathes from during a dive.ģ. It takes the intermediate pressure air from the regulator hose and reduces it to ambient pressure-a pressure equivalent to the air or water pressure surrounding a diver, allowing a diver to breathe from the second stage safely. The name “second stage” comes from this part's function as the second stage of pressure reduction.
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The regulator second stage is attached to the first stage by a low-pressure hose. Primary Second Stage The part of the regulator that a diver puts in his mouth is called the second stage. The air travels through the low pressure (LP) regulator hoses at this intermediate pressure however, the air at this intermediate pressure is still at too high to be breathed directly and requires further reduction.Ģ. The first stage of the regulator is named for its function: it accomplishes the first stage of pressure reduction by reducing the high-pressure air in the tank to an intermediate pressure.
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Remember, a diving regulator reduces the air from the scuba tank in stages as it travels from the tank to the diver. First Stage The regulator first stage attaches the regulator to the scuba tank. However, contemporary scuba diving regulators usually incorporate a variety of additional accessories.įive basic parts are usually included in a standard open water scuba diving regulator.ġ. In it's most basic form, a scuba regulator consists of two parts: a mechanism that accomplishes the first stage of pressure reduction (called first stage) and a mechanism that accomplishes the second stage of pressure reduction (called second stage).
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To accomplish this, a regulator reduces air pressure in two steps, or stages-first, from the pressure in the tank to an intermediate pressure and second, from the intermediate pressure to a pressure that the divers can safely breathe. The compressed air inside a scuba tank is at an extremely high pressure, which could injure a diver who tries to breathe directly from the tank, and the regulator is necessary to reduce the pressure of the compressed air to a pressure the diver can breathe. The regulator is so named because it regulates the pressure of the air a diver breathes. A scuba diving regulator is the piece of equipment that enables a diver to breathe from a scuba tank.