Calvin Tang recently went diving with a newly-certified diver. Upon returning, they placed their gear in a freshwater rinse. Unfortunately, Calvin's friend forgot to replace the dust cap in the first stage. Of course, we've been told a gazillion times not to get water inside the first stage, so naturally Calvin freaked when he discovered the first stage had flooded. After searching for information on how to handle the situation (to no avail), he called his local dive shop; the staff member assured Calvin that the problem was minor, especially since the first stage had flooded with freshwater. (Even if it had flooded with saltwater, however, the problem is simple to correct, but first you need to rinse the unit thoroughly with freshwater to avoid corrosion.) Ultimately, it was easy for Calvin to dry out his first stage. In short, he:
- Removed the hoses and high pressure ports, leaving only the second stage attached to the low pressure portion of his 1st stage.
- Rinsed the unit carefully with fresh water.
- Attached the first stage to a tank and turned on the air to flush the water from the high pressure ports.
- Held his computer by its terminal end and "gave it a good twirling" to remove residual moisture.
- Allowed the entire unit to dry before reassembling it.
Fortunately, it all worked out in the end. And my guess is that Calvin's friend will never again forget to replace the dust cap.
