Breathing hose

[Sedge]

I'm looking for suggestions for useful breathing hoses. Holding my breath during submergence shortens my enjoyment time.
- Comfortable/snug mouth interface
- Flexible
- Waterproof
- Open end resistant to snagging and getting tugged under the surface

I suppose anyone who tried a solution that didn't work well isn't going to be able to share the story here.

[Fred588]

This has been discussed before. There are at least two important safety issues involved.

1) One issue is the dead air space within the tube, which is a function of its length and diameter. Dead air refers to the volume of gas within the tube that is NOT changed with each breath. Carbon dioxide will build up to the extent a full change does not take place. Carbon dioxide is not your friend.

2) The second is the pressure on your lungs. Using a tube your lungs are open to the surface pressure but are subjected (squeezed by) that plus the pressure of the mud at the average depth of your lungs. If this is too great you will be unable to inhale at all. Anything over about 18 inches is likely to be over your limit.

A third issue, though not quite so critical from a safety standpoint, is the resistance to flow through the tube. If the tube is too narrow it will be too hard to pull air through.

Take a look at snorkels used by skin divers. There is a reason they are the size, length, and shape they are.

[gamwam]

try a washing machine waste water hose, they are flexible with a good diameter, and have flanges on the end so are easily gripped in the mouth = dont forget to inhale through the hose and exhales through your nose to avoid re breathing the air in the house and ensure you get a constant supply of fresh air,. with the added benefit of some satisfying bubbling noises when you exhale

[Sedge]

Good tips, thanks. I may try a snorkel even though I have concerns about submerging the intake end of the tube. However I have bigger concerns about something that might be a poor fit in my mouth and slip out. My swimming skills are good and I often exhale through my nose under the surface. A good snorkel would help me prolong my submersions.

[Boggy Man]

I don't think a snorkel will be very good, since the breathing tube isn't that long, which may increase the chances of it getting plugged with mud, at which point, you won't be able to breathe. I use a plastic Shop-Vac hose, and it works great! It is flexible, and wide enough to allow for easy air movement. But, as Fred588 and gamwam mentioned, you cannot exhale continuously back into the hose, or it will fill with carbon dioxide and you will still suffocate! I always inhale through the hose and exhale through my nose, making the mire bubble and fart. You probably seen my videos in my Dramatic Sinking Videos thread.

For example two hose sinks are on this page:

https://www.quicksandfans.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2588&start=212

One is here:

https://www.quicksandfans.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2588&start=175

Another one is here:

https://www.quicksandfans.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2588&start=21

[Fred588]

Good tips, thanks. I may try a snorkel even though I have concerns about submerging the intake end of the tube. However I have bigger concerns about something that might be a poor fit in my mouth and slip out. My swimming skills are good and I often exhale through my nose under the surface. A good snorkel would help me prolong my submersions.

An actual diver's snorkel will have a mouthpice you can grip between the teeth.

[Sedge]

I bought a $10 snorkel at Dick's today and had my first sink of 2017 this evening.

Gamechanger.

I had about 5 submersions of 10-15 minutes duration each. While I was never deeper than having about 3 inches of mud over my head, the experience of being able to sustain a submersion longer than 20 seconds was otherworldly.

While the pressure of the mud did make breathing more of a workout, the limiting factor was exposure due to the mud temperature.

The most unexpected difference was that submersions take less effort with a snorkel. When holding my breath while dunking, time is limited so I need to push myself under forcefully, get my few seconds, and pull myself out. With a snorkel time is no longer a factor, so mock panic and struggle motions are effective.

[gamwam]

sounds liek yoru getting the extended submersion bug - feel free to make us a video

[Boggy Man]

There is nothing like being totally surrounded by soft, cushiony quagmire, hugging every part of your body, the only thing keeping you alive is a breathing tube/hose, hearing your exhaled breath phlup phlup phlupping or hissing/rushing to the surface above you! Nothing is left of you in the outside world except the end of a pipe or hose sticking out of the mire, and your escaping breath bubbling/hissing/farting out of the sucking ooze in regular patterns! Something else that can make things even better is the use of swim goggles to keep the mud out of your eyes while being totally embraced within the sucking mire!

[mudxdresser]

Give serious thought to what you are doing, the dangers are seductive and omnipresent. Note that one of Quicksandfans most dedicated practitioners of the use of breathing tubes while submerged, "Not Normal" is no longer with us and his body was never found, obviously, something went wrong. My personal opinion is that anyone doing this type of activity should always have some sort of knotted rope reliably anchored close at hand under the mud for use in escaping the mud as a last resort.