How to Choose a Scuba Regulator: A Guide from Divers to Divers
Your regulator is the piece of gear you feel most on every dive, because every breath passes through it. A comfortable regulator helps you relax, use less air and focus on the reefs of Bunaken or the critters of Lembeh. In this guide the Bluering Oktopus Indonesia team explains what to look at before you buy your first, or next, scuba regulator.
1. Know the parts
A regulator set usually includes:
• First stage: attaches to the cylinder valve and reduces high tank pressure to intermediate pressure.
• Primary second stage: the part in your mouth, which delivers air on demand as you inhale.
• Octopus: a backup second stage, usually yellow, for your buddy or an emergency.
• Hoses and gauges: a low pressure hose to your BCD inflator and a high pressure hose to a pressure gauge or console. Many divers now use a wireless transmitter that sends tank pressure to their dive computer.
When comparing sets, check what is included. Some come as first and second stage only, others as a full package with octopus and gauge.
2. Diaphragm or piston?
First stages use one of two designs:
• Piston: a simple design with few moving parts, high airflow and easy maintenance.
• Diaphragm: the internal parts are sealed off from the water, so they are better protected from sand, dirt and salt deposits. Many divers prefer this for silty water, muck diving and cold water.
In tropical Indonesian water both work well. If you often dive sandy bottoms like Lembeh, an environmentally sealed diaphragm first stage is a plus.
3. Balanced or unbalanced?
A balanced first stage keeps breathing comfortable as tank pressure drops and depth increases. Most modern regulators for serious recreational divers are balanced. A balanced second stage, or one with a breathing effort adjuster and venturi lever, gives you more control, for example to stop a free flow when you jump off the boat.
4. Yoke (INT) or DIN?
This is the question we hear most in our shop.
• Yoke (INT): a clamp that fits over the outside of the valve. Still used by many dive centres in Indonesia.
• DIN: the first stage screws into the valve, giving a stronger connection with a better protected o-ring. Popular in Europe and with technical divers.
If you dive at many places in Indonesia, ask the dive centres you use which valves they have. Many divers choose DIN and carry a DIN to yoke adapter, which is small and easy to travel with. We can help you find the right combination.
5. Weight and travel
Indonesia is an archipelago, so most divers fly to reach their dive sites. A light regulator with flexible hoses keeps your luggage lighter and is comfortable over many days of diving. Compare the weight of the full set, not only the first stage.
6. Number and position of ports
Intermediate pressure ports feed the second stage, octopus, inflator and extras such as a drysuit inflator. High pressure ports are for a gauge or transmitter. For recreational diving, four intermediate and two high pressure ports are plenty. If you plan sidemount or technical diving, look for a rotating turret and well placed ports so hoses route cleanly without kinks.
7. Nitrox
Many dive centres and liveaboards in Indonesia offer nitrox. Most recreational regulators can be used with nitrox up to an oxygen percentage stated by the manufacturer. Always check your regulator's manual, and never use it with gas mixes outside its approved limits.
8. Second stage comfort
Try the mouthpiece. Could you hold it for a full hour? Is the purge button easy to press, even with thin gloves? Does the exhaust tee push bubbles to the side so they do not block your view when taking photos? Small details like these matter when you dive several times a day. You can also swap the mouthpiece for a more comfortable one.
9. Service and spare parts
Regulators need regular service according to the manufacturer's schedule. Before you buy, make sure service and original parts for that brand are available near you. In our Manado shop we service every brand we sell, including Mares, Apeks and Aqualung, with original service kits. See Dive Gear Spare Parts and Service (https://www.diveshop-indonesia.com/dive-gear-spare-parts-service).
10. Recommendations by diver type
• New and holiday divers: choose a light, comfortable, balanced regulator that is easy to maintain, with an octopus and a gauge or transmitter. The Mares and Aqualung recreational regulator ranges are a good place to start.
• Frequent travellers: prioritise low weight and flexible hoses. Mares, Aqualung and Apeks all make light travel regulators.
• Dive centres and liveaboards: pair your regulators with clean, well filtered air from a Coltri compressor, and add ENOS from NRC for surface safety.
• Photographers and muck divers: a sealed diaphragm first stage, an exhaust tee that sends bubbles sideways, and hose lengths that suit a low position over sand.
• Deep, technical and sidemount divers: high performance at depth and flexible port layout, such as the Mares XR line, Apeks and Aqualung.
Common mistakes
• Buying on looks alone without trying the mouthpiece.
• Not checking that the connection matches the cylinders where you dive.
• Never servicing the regulator until something goes wrong.
• Storing the regulator wet and dirty in a closed bag.
Still not sure?
Visit our shop at Grand Kawanua City Walk Blok B 01, Jl. AA Maramis, Paniki Bawah, Manado, open 10:00 to 20:00, or message us on WhatsApp at +62 812-4571-6005. Tell us where and how often you dive and we will help you compare regulators that suit you. See also all regulators in our online store (https://www.diveshop-indonesia.com/online-store-1/Regulator-c183406751) and our Scuba Regulators page (https://www.diveshop-indonesia.com/scuba-regulators).
Bluering Oktopus Indonesia is an official retailer for Mares, Aqualung, Apeks, Coltri, NRC, ENOS, Sanosub and other brands.