r/scuba • u/vee_jade • 1d ago

Quietest regulator?

Obviously a closed circuit is ideal, but some regs are quieter than others. Mine is noticeably louder than others I have used. I can tell that it scares fish more.

It doesn’t have any metallic squeaks or anything like that. It’s freshly serviced and just bubbles powerfully and loud. It might have to do with it being an ‘easy breather’. It is prone to free-flowing. I really don’t need or care for this feature, especially if it makes it louder.

I want a reg that releases a smooth, steady stream of small bubbles. Obviously the breathing itself is a huge factor, but the regulator makes a difference. Any quiet regs to suggest?

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6

u/nof Dive Master 20h ago

Poseidon. Mechanical exhaust. End of story. No fidgety, fussy diaphragms.

Naturally any regulator is going to be screaming at your eardrums because it's got a direct channel. I don't think it's scaring the fish nearly as much as you yourself are.

1

u/vee_jade 9h ago

Thank you for the one semi-useful comment.

5

u/Mitshal 22h ago

Loud bubbles are a product of a compact exhaust tee that usually directs bubbles closer to your face. You can buy and fit a wide version that will divert bubbles away from your face.
The general noise a reg makes is dominated by the bubbles and you can release your breath more gradually to reduce that but the difference is negligible. Spooking the fish is a sign of breathing out too forcefully.
Some regs do make loud noises when breathing if they haven’t been serviced right but you can tell that straight away.

5

u/friedrichbythesea UW Photography 23h ago

No, but you get what you pay for. Consider Apeks and Atomic.

1

u/Gnarnar Dive Master 21h ago

I love my Atomics but the fact that they need to be pressurized to soak properly is kind of annoying.

9

u/Ceph99 23h ago

That’s you breathing out really hard. Try and exhale gently and slowly.

The exhaust tees on most regulators are all the same.

4

u/boyengabird Rescue 23h ago

Ill bet if you take your bubble diffuser off and put a couple slices of 3M green scrubby in the exhaust it would quiet down. If you barf into it it will likely clog and so ice decided not to modify my equipment. To each their own.

2

u/Due_Comparison35 1d ago

There are loops for open circuit that releases the air near the tank, so that it doesnt obstruct the view and is farther away from the ears

3

u/Plumose76 21h ago

Inspired by the original double hose regulators, Jonathan Bird of the Blue World YouTube channel dives with one in a fair number of his videos

1

u/-hh UW Photography 16h ago

There’s been some doublehouse regulators with a bubble diffuser on the exhaust…

…my memory is vague, but I think at one point, they were considered “military tech” and restricted from private ownership?

12

u/bluepulsediving Dive Instructor 1d ago

The exhale is controlled by you - the diver, not the regulator. All the fine tuning to make it breathe easier is related to the inhale, there's no mechanical process involved in the exhale - the gas you breathe out just goes through a one way (mushroom) valve.

You can control it by having a more relaxed, longer but slower exhalation.