
Your diving regulator is your primary lifeline while you’re underwater—without it, you can’t breathe or control your buoyancy compensator device. Needless to say, you’ll want a high-quality regulator that won’t fail when you need it most.
Here’s what you should know before shopping for your scuba regulator.
The Main Components of a Regulator
There are five basic parts to any scuba diving regulator:
- First Stage: The valve that connects to the scuba tank. This regulates the air pressure coming out of the tank, changing it from highly pressurized to a lower, intermediate air pressure. The air is routed to several hoses from this valve to connect it to the other components.
- Primary Second Stage: The mouthpiece where you receive air. It contributes a second stage of air pressure reduction, bringing that intermediate pressure down to a breathable, ambient pressure.
- Alternate Second Stage: The alternate second stage does the exact same thing as your primary stage—it’s simply a backup mouthpiece you can use if your primary second stage is compromised.
- Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG): The submersible pressure gauge monitors the gas levels in your tank, so you have a crystal-clear picture of how much air you have left.
- Low-Pressure BCD Inflator: This hose connects to your buoyancy compensator device (BCD), allowing you to change your underwater buoyancy as needed to swim more comfortably.
Difference Between a High-Quality and Average Regulator
There are a few variables that help you determine whether your diving regulator is high-quality or just average (hint: It’s not all about price):
- Unbalanced v balanced first stages: An unbalanced first stage reacts to growing water pressure, making breathing harder. Balanced first stages offer consistent breathability no matter how deep you go. Naturally, you’ll want a balanced stage to breathe easily at any depth.
- Type of cylinder connection: The two common cylinder connections are yoke and DIN. DIN fittings are by far the safer option. Yoke fittings work just fine, but don’t perform well in colder waters and tend to extrude some air pressure.
- Quality of alternate second stage: In the past, some divers thought it was ok for the alternate second stage to be of lower quality since it wasn’t likely to be used. However, conditions that cause a primary second stage to malfunction are near-certain to cause a lower-quality alternative to fail. As such, your alternate second stage should be the same quality.
When Should You Use a High-Quality Regulator?
While a high-quality regulator isn’t essential for every diver, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Still, a high-quality regulator should absolutely be used for:
- Cold-water dives (below 60 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Deep-water dives (below 200 feet)
Pick Your Lifeline Wisely
It’s time to find the right diving regulator for your next scuba trip. We’ve provided information that can help you narrow down your options to a regulator that will get the job done efficiently and keep you safe.