Ask Joe & Larry

My jaw gets really tired after a long dive... Is there a cure?

Jaw fatigue (as it's known) is a common complaint among divers. Especially new divers. We're not used to having to hold a regulator in our mouth for an extended period of time, and holding it there makes your jaw start to hurt after a while. This is more of a problem for new divers, since they haven't relaxed as much as a more experienced diver, and new divers feel they need to hold the mouthpiece in really tight. For some, just learning to relax is enough to limit the problem to the extent where it really doesn't bother you much.

For some divers, even if experienced, this problem will be a constant pain in the neck... ahhh... jaw, and then you may want to figure out what is causing the problem and come up with a cure. The first thing to look at is the positioning of the tank on the BCD. If your tank is too high, or too low, that can cause the hose to pull on your mouth when you turn your head - so you instinctively bite harder on the mouthpiece to stop if from falling out.

If your tank position is right, and you feel relaxed we need to take some other measures to cure our problem. Probably the easiest and cheapest cure is a SeaCure Mouthpiece. SeaCure is a company that developed a Boil and Bite mouthpiece, much like a football mouthpiece. It is also designed with longer bite tabs so the mouthpiece will set back on your molars more - instead of holding it with your side teeth. After you form it by boiling and biting, you will find the mouthpiece just sets on your teeth and locks into place without any effort.

The only drawback to the SeaCure is due to it's size, and custom fit, if your gear is set up to give away your primary regulator in an out of air emergency (you have a alternate air inflator) you may find that this mouthpiece is a bit big for someone else to take - if they are not used to it. But normally when someone is out of air, they're not that picky!

The other option for stopping the pull is the Sherwood Maximus Regulator. This reg uses a unique swivel on the second stage that allows the regulator to be configured with the hose coming under your arm instead of over your shoulder. By setting up in this manor, the hose pull is virtually eliminated.

So after checking your tank height, try out a new mouthpiece, or a new reg and get back to enjoying diving instead of it being a pain in the jaw!

If you would like to ask your own questions, you can learn how to do that on the Comments Page.

Or Click Here to view the Question Archive.