Blaberus Giganteus

[OutlawCaver]

The following could be considered vomiting material....read on carefully. The night before last I went to Jackson Blue for a simple stage dive. The stage seemed to work perfectly in 2 feet of water and had worked 2 weeks earlier during another dive at depth. As I decended into the cavern at 20 feet I started getting a slurry of water and gas. No amount of piddling with the reg had any effect.

As I unclipped the stage in the cavern to leave it behind I wondered to myself what could have happened to this reg in a 2 week span sitting in my garage that would cause this.

Last night the enigma was uncovered. A female Blaberus giganteus (winged Florida style cockroach) had implanted her single larva inside my second stage. The hard shelled larva about the size of a pencil erasure was growing along the diaphragm seat causing it to slurry the water in.

My cave diving buddy and a diving equipment specialist, Keith, suggested that ScubaPro (the maker of the 2nd stage I was using) was finding that cockroaches were eating the silicone diaphragms. Pretty good call on his part considering he suggested this before I opened the reg.


TWO QUESTIONS

Was the female laying her larva near a future food source for her offspring?

I wonder if my buddies will ever desire to share gas with me again?

[Angie Reim]

Good story!

I left a reg in the garage once. Only once.

My cockroach lodged itself in the tube. Eventually it got caught up in the adjustment spring. Imagine the rest. Ewwww.....

FWIW. Do not leave your drysuit to dry in the garage either. Even hung upside down from a ceiling hook. You'll be doing the 'cockroach dance' next time you put it on. Ewwww.....

Angie

I had a customer bring in a Scubapro 109 (old chrome second stage), and he was furious that it breathed wet. But when I removed the dead spider from the exhaust diaphragm, it breathed fine.

Russell

[OutlawCaver]

I used to hunt the Blaberous giganteous in large numbers to feed very large Oscars and Jack Dempseys I had in a 125 gallon aquarium. I wonder if this onslaught within my regulator is from a direct descendent of those that I hunted?

Hey, I saw Men In Black....it could happen............LOL

[Tegg]

I spray all my regs with Raid prior to storage. Then I give them a good spray just before use. I find that this has gotten rid of any ant/roach issues. I have also found that my dives seem to have gotten "more exciting" by a feeling of euphoria while diving below 100ft. I think this is only narcosis...

[nwade]

I spray all my regs with Raid prior to storage. Then I give them a good spray just before use. I find that this has gotten rid of any ant/roach issues. I have also found that my dives seem to have gotten "more exciting" by a feeling of euphoria while diving below 100ft. I think this is only narcosis...

Just let us know if you frequently find yourself inverted, and sluggishly waving your appendages above you.

[D1V3R]

that is a seriously nasty story, these frikin roaches around here, drives me crazy

i usulaay keep my regs in there own reg bags, i doubt anything could get into them cuz they have to big heavy zippers on them (the one sthat are always stuck)

but yah, i dont think snuffing + nitrogen narcosis is very wise lol

[Mart]

I had a customer bring in a Scubapro 109 (old chrome second stage), and he was furious that it breathed wet. But when I removed the dead spider from the exhaust diaphragm, it breathed fine.

Russell

The spider? or the reg?

mart

[kgault]

The following could be considered vomiting material....read on carefully. The night before last I went to Jackson Blue for a simple stage dive. The stage seemed to work perfectly in 2 feet of water and had worked 2 weeks earlier during another dive at depth. As I decended into the cavern at 20 feet I started getting a slurry of water and gas. No amount of piddling with the reg had any effect.

As I unclipped the stage in the cavern to leave it behind I wondered to myself what could have happened to this reg in a 2 week span sitting in my garage that would cause this.

Last night the enigma was uncovered. A female Blaberus giganteus (winged Florida style cockroach) had implanted her single larva inside my second stage. The hard shelled larva about the size of a pencil erasure was growing along the diaphragm seat causing it to slurry the water in.

My cave diving buddy and a diving equipment specialist, Keith, suggested that ScubaPro (the maker of the 2nd stage I was using) was finding that cockroaches were eating the silicone diaphragms. Pretty good call on his part considering he suggested this before I opened the reg.


TWO QUESTIONS

Was the female laying her larva near a future food source for her offspring?

I wonder if my buddies will ever desire to share gas with me again?

What was the condition of the exhaust diaphram? was any of it eaten away?

Did you tast the bug? I remember when fire ants got all through my regs; what a tasty first breath ;(

Keith

[Me]

I guess there are benefits to living a bit farther north. I have my gear hanging in a closet off my garage. Just to be on the safe side I have hanging wardrobes that I keep my suits and regs inside once dry. The kind you see in the housewares section for hanging formal clothing and wool items in....somewhat snug for use with mothballs...etc. Of course in this case no mothballs but snug enough to keep critters out.

My buddy and I service my regs and thankfully we've not seen any critter evidence.