Tue May 09, 2017 7:04 am
Welcome to VDH and DH diving.
They do dive different....for lack of better terms, they feel different so take some time to get use to the different feel. It takes some time to get use to the feel of them but most people like the way they breath after spending some time using one. One thing that helps is to change your breathing pattern to a more yoga like pattern, long slow inhales followed by long slow exhales rather than a more shallow, hurried cycle common in single hose diving.
Clearing requires you get the exhaust valve, which in in the top can (the metal/plastic housing parts of a DH reg are called the cans) to a low point which means you do not just tilt you head but rather rotate your entire body on it's side. If I have a lot of water in the hoses, I will roll a little past 90 degrees and pause for a few seconds exhaling a full breath the entire time. If I am just messing around I will take a deep full breath then slowly exhale while doing a full 360 degree roll. It works well and fun to do. Remember, there are no purge buttons on a DH reg so you need to keep some air in your lungs when you remove the mouthpiece. There are ways to clear the mouthpiece and get a breath if you forget to take a breath before removing the mouthpiece, you need to learn those as well.
Don't hesitate to ask questions, the board has a lot of very experienced active DH divers who are always willing to help. If you are near any of us, I encourage you to get up with someone local to you and dive with them. It's a great way to pick up tips, to see how a DH is properly dove and to make friends.
Herman