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This is gonna sound obsurd to most but I bit into my new Seacure connected to my left tank harder on the left side than the right. Im gonna get another one for the right tank and bite it harder on the right side. I figure it might help me know at all times what side Im on without having to remember or feel for the bungee. If it causes problems I can always remold em but it might work out ok. Ill try it at Peacock this Saturday.
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Originally Posted by stairman
That's not absurd. My dive buddy recently had a bad tmj issue after a dive and was recommended by the dr to use seacures. I decided to try them out and honestly am on the fence whether I like them or not. So I have a seacure on my long hose and regular on my short. It sounds dumb, but on a recent dive I was practicing feathering valves and being able to identify reg in my mouth by bite without a thought was nice. I don't think I like the seacure, so I'm probably going to leave it that way just for id purposes.
It took me a long time to warm up to the secure mouthpieces. I found them to be too hard and uncomfortable - a bit like wearing a retainer on a long dive. But then I tried re-molding them and moving my jaw very slightly while they cooled to open them up a bit more space wise. I also trimmed them a bit in the back to shorten then up. and the the end result of both changes was a very comfortable mouthpiece on long dives.
Where do you buy them? I had something similar many years ago and liked it. After some recent long dives, I've given thought to trying them out again.
I use them on my OW reg, but had a concern that if I had to hand it off, it might be an issue since they are fit specifically to my mounth. I dont use them for caving.
? thoughts?
Pardon my ignorance, what are sea cures?
http://www.seacure1.com/Quote:
Originally Posted by Boru
You can buy them at virtually any dive shop.
The general shape (a horse shoe of approximate size) is the same, and if I need your gas, I'm certainly not going complain about the shape/comfort of the mouthpiece.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skorpiov
I thought it was one of these modified to fit your regulator???????Quote:
Originally Posted by Boru
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ktoMbX-usH...bspacifier.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skorpiov
In my cave class one of the other students used sea cures. That was my first exposure to them. I did extended shared air drills with his reg. There is no issue with using on a donated reg. You can easily fit someone else's mouthpiece in your mouth and hold it effectively. It definitely feels odd but isn't uncomfortable enough that you have to worry the other person can't hold it in their mouth for a team ooa egress. Now if you had to use someone else's reg with one on for an hour long dive, you'd probably get jaw fatigue badly.
I have one on my meg rebreather and like it but all my openwater regs are apeks and they don't (or at least as of last dema) make a version that fits an apeks.Quote:
Originally Posted by gasdiver
The one issue I saw with Seacures when I used them years ago was in handing them off to someone else. I remember something about my Seacure mouthpiece being longer than my wife's and it made it difficult for her to use mine. IIRC you can trim the mouthpiece down somewhat. I just hadn't done that. I ended up just going back to regular mouthpieces. My favorite mouthpiece now is the Comfobite. To distinguish between left and right I cut off a small edge of the left mouthpiece making it flat rather than round. The area I cut is right by my tongue and it's just become 2nd nature to feel that area with my tongue. When I feel the straight edge I know to donate the other reg. When I don't feel it I donate that reg. I've been doing this for years and never have an issue knowing which reg I'm breathing from.
In the photo below, the gray line is where I cut my mouthpiece. Something similar can be done with any mouthpiece.
http://chipoladivers.com/images/comfobite.jpg
My daughter tried mine one weekend and it caused a gag reflex. Mine is the full length and I like that cause it really cuts down on jaw fatique.Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
I like this idea and am going to do it with my sidemount regs.Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
The Seacure size II fits Apeks regs, according to the package insert. I have Seacures on several of my Apeks TX40's and TX50's.Quote:
Originally Posted by wingman
They can definitely cause smaller mouthed people to gag. I've seen it happen several times in classes. I try to discourage their use on regs which might be donated.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skorpiov
I agree with that!Quote:
Originally Posted by rjack
I used to agree with that, but I've found if you trim the tabs short enough, it is a non-problem.
I do agree that using one that is still full length is a bad idea.
I also pretty much consider an reg as a reg that might potentially be donated, so I see no value in trying to discriminate or maintain separate standards for different second stages.
Thanks for the info, i will check it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by MORGAN
But you dive the same length hoses on both sides. Not everyone decides to dive that way. And for those of us that don't, differentiating the regs helps quite a bit. Part of my sidemount training is building the muscle memory to always donate the reg with the long hose. By the end of my sidemount class most of my students don't even hesitate when confronted with an out of air signal, and the ones that do hesitate only do so for a second.Quote:
Originally Posted by DA Aquamaster
That's interesting because their web site does not list the apeks for the size II and there is a message there that says it does not fit. I have a mix of 50 and atx200...i will wait and ask them at their dema booth in las vegas this year to get the official and final word.Quote:
Originally Posted by MORGAN
If you read the directions, your suppose to trim the tabs back so they dont protrude past your back teeth. I originally bought one for my short hose that I wouldnt normally donate. When we s drill now, it consists of pulling out the tucked longhose and holding the reg up or out to see that its above all other hoses. We dont actually breathe off one anothers reg since that part to me is a no brainer. I did the full s drill procedure the first year or so of diving breathing off each others but unless someone wants to I skip that part these days. It would be rare to need to airshare in sidemount diving thirds but anythings possible.
The ones on my Apeks regs and the spare one in my dive toolbox (with the package insert that says "Apeks - size II") are all several years old. Maybe Apeks or Seacure has changed something.Quote:
Originally Posted by wingman
The CA web site lists the regs each Seacure model fits and they have the best price I've seen. $23.50 + tax is still pretty expensive. The Comfobites RN suggests are under $10. Decisions, decisions...
Rob, it does not have anything to do with telling them apart.Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
For example with a Seacure mouthpiece you can shorten one of the bite tabs more on the left or right side as appropriate, you can trim the edge on the right of left side of the mouth piece or you can cut a small divot on the left or right inside edge of the mouth piece - which is what I do.
The critical issue is that what ever you think you might need to share someday be short enough to fit in the OOA diver's mouth.
Even if you dive a long and a short hose, I'd argue you want them both to be short enough to donate just on general principle.
I've never been a real fan of the feel of the comfobite bite mouthpieces on my hard palate, but I have used them from time to time on O2 regs as it makes it obvious what you have in your mouth, and they are easy to keep in your mouth.Quote:
Originally Posted by gasdiver
+1 for the Comfo bite. Ive been using them for a decade. My regular dive buddies picked up on them as well. When I get a new reg, I have to order another comfobite before it gets wet. I can completely relax and the reg stays put.
I assume that lenght is not an issue with the comfobites?
I like the comfobites over the seacures. If I were to remold the seacure, and loosen it up a bit, it might be acceptable. Problem is the one I had for my Oceanic or Sherwood reg, doesn't fit my G250, and the comfobites don't leave me looking for more.Quote:
Originally Posted by gasdiver
$23.50 is cheap! Go to EE and and they are $70! Although, it's the same concept (different shape, and about double the material) as any moldable sports mouth piece. I buy those once or twice a year, at 99 cents...
No length issue with the comfobites at all. I don't think they are any longer than a "normal" mouth piece.
I've handed them off doing drills and nobody really seems to notice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skorpiov
Without my seacure, I tend to have a raging headache and jaw ache after a day of diving.
But, come to think of it, I'm not sure what brand mine is. I bought it in Cozumel about 14 years ago and I don't think I paid more than 10-15 dollars for it. It doesn't seem overly "long". I do have a very small mouth. I wonder if I have some sort of generic brand?
i have over 12 seacure's on all of my Apeks ATX50's, OMS and my Golem BOV for my KISS
I do get sore teeth on dives over 5 hours and after 6 hours jaw fatigue.
Your teeth get sore? Do they itch too? :)
I've never had jaw fatigue on silicone mouthpieces... But I like the idea of tactile identification of the long/short hose on sidemounting. How about I keep my silicone (off the shelf) mouthpiece on the long hose, and put a seacure on the short hose?Quote:
Originally Posted by Skorpiov
No gag reflex donating long hose, and I should be able to tell which reg I'm using by jaw feel alone.
I think we're talking about two different things, Larry. I'm not talking about shortening bite tabs on the Seacures. I don't use Seacures at all just because I prefer comfobites.Quote:
Originally Posted by DA Aquamaster
There are the real comfobites and the copies. The real comfobites are $12. The knockoffs can be found for less but they are very soft and don't last nearly as long.Quote:
Originally Posted by gasdiver
Okay, so I looked at the seacure and while mine is a similar concept, I must have a knock-off. I wouldn't have a clue how to find the one I have after all these years. That dive shop in Cozumel might not even exist anymore, much less carry that mouthpiece!
Darn, I really, really like mine and I need another. Oh, well, I guess that's a one of a kind for me.
That was my original idea but when I bit to fit I used more pressure on the side the tank is on. Ill try it today at Peacock and if I like the fit Ill get another for the other reg and bite hardern that side. After trimming I havent activated any gag reflex but havent dove with it so we'll see.Quote:
Originally Posted by gschaut
Rob, you responded to one of my posts and were talking about differentiating regs for divers who do not use a long hose on each tank. That's exactly what I am talking about with the Seacure mouthpiece - yes, you shorten the bite tabs for comfort and universal donate-ability, but to also differentiate right from left you have a full range of options - including differential shortening of the tabs, trimming the edge of a bite tab or carving a divot in the inside of the left or tight tab. That is of course in addition to Stairman's, bite harder on one side marking approach - which is pretty interesting.Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
I use Comfobites because I prefer the Seacures. :D