A pressure regulator assembly for an SCBA including a valve assembly having a piston, a cylinder configured to receive the piston, a sealing member configured for engagement by the piston, a conduit extending through the piston and facilitating fluid communication between an inlet chamber and a cavity of the cylinder, and a driving assembly configured to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the piston responsive to a change of pressure in the outlet chamber. A bypass assembly for an SCBA is also disclosed.

A device for heat exchange for use with underwater diving equipment including a pressurized gas source is disclosed. The heat exchange device includes a manifold and a heat sink. The manifold distributes gas supplied from the pressurized gas source to breathing equipment. The heat sink is for warming up the gas before the gas is distributed to the breathing equipment using heat exchange with ambient water surrounding the heat sink. The manifold and the heat sink are connected such that the gas warmed up by the heat sink returns to the manifold before being distributed to the breathing equipment. The returning warm gas may warm up the manifold and the cold gas entering the manifold.

A system is designed to increase diver safety in a high-risk environment containing one or more hazardous materials. The system includes chemically-hardened surface-supplied diving equipment designed to provide full environment isolation for the diver. The system also includes a dive helmet and a surface-return exhaust system, where the surface-return exhaust system includes a demand exhaust regulator that serves as a pressure-actuated valve to enable exhausting to a breathable atmosphere outside of a dive helmet instead of exhausting into the environment containing one or more hazardous materials. The system also includes retrofittable kits enabling the upgrading of contaminant-vulnerable materials of an existing dive helmet. The system also includes fluoroelastomeric materials and components to implement in a closed circuit dive system.

A need exists for a tank regulator that can reduce a pressure of more than about 4,300 psi to a much lower pressure. The present disclosure describes a piston regulator that allows for pressure to be reduced from an inlet pressure of about 5,000 psi or more to outlet pressure of about 2,000 psi or less. The regulator includes intermediate chambers to provide step-down pressures along the piston. The internal chambers enable to hold pressure differentials between the high-pressure inlet and the low-pressure outlet. The pressure in the intermediate chambers is maintained by a pressure-limiting valve to control the pressure differentials across piston seals. These seals allow the piston to actuate while maintaining a seal between the various pressure chambers.

A mounting system allows an action camera system or other device to be removably attached to a SCUBA demand regulator. A flexible ring encircles an outer surface of the regulator and is cinched thereabout, the shape of the ring corresponding to the shape of the outer surface of the regulator. A riser, which may be one or more prongs, rises upwardly from the ring and has a mount plate on a distal end thereof. The mount plate adhesively receives a flat adhesive plate of a desired device such as the action camera system.

Methods and systems to provide breathing air to underwater divers in response to the divers' respiration at pressures less than 25 psi above atmospheric pressure during inspiration while delivering no or minimal air during exhalation, by controlling the actions of a pump during the time course of breathing. Methods and systems that sense a diver's need for breathing air, determine inhalation demand or exhalation state, and control the operation of a pump which delivers breathing gas to the diver via a tube. An integrated system for the same which incorporates at least an energy source, pump, air tube, breathing aperture, sensor, and logic processor is disclosed.

A regulator for an underwater breathing apparatus includes a housing defining a breathing cavity, a mouthpiece in communication with the breathing cavity, a valve operable to permit air from an air inlet of the regulator into the breathing cavity, and a sensor operable to measure a composition of air within one or both of the breathing cavity and the mouthpiece.

A first stage pressure regulator is provided. A valve body has an inlet and an outlet that define a pressure chamber therebetween. The valve body defines a pressure compensation chamber having an opening fluidly communicating the pressure compensation chamber with the surrounding water. The first stage pressure regulator comprises an inlet tubular union removably received into the inlet. A removable high pressure orifice body defines an orifice therethrough. The orifice body is carried by the valve body proximate the inlet. A valve seat is within the valve body.

The breathing port isolation apparatus includes a housing, valve, and actuator to enable a diver to isolate a breathing port of a snorkel or dive regulator using a single mouthpiece. The housing is configured to seat the valve and actuator and releasably engage a mouthpiece and dive regulator, which provides the diver with a continuous flow of air through the mouthpiece without having to transition between multiple regulators or breathing ports. The valve includes a piston and enables linear movement between the first and second port. The actuator enables the diver to depress a push-button and transition the actuator between depressed and extended positions, which correspond to the first and second breathing ports.

Apparatus for use during open system diving to support underwater human respiration. In accordance with various embodiments, an open system breathing apparatus to support underwater human respiration includes a stage-2 regulator configured to supply air from an air source to an underwater diver, and a bubble diffuser adapted to receive exhaust air from the air/water separator. The bubble diffuser has an enclosed housing with a sidewall having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough and a plurality of external discharge tubes respectively coupled to the plurality of apertures and extending away from the sidewall to maintain bubble separation as the exhaust air exits the housing through the external discharge tubes as an array of bubbles into the surrounding water.