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>      There is no doubt in my mind that the DIN design is more secure than 
>      the yoke design.  Still, I'd like to hear some first hand "horror 
>      stories" about traumatically dislodged yokes. Most of the arguments 
>      against yokes make sense, but are not backed up by real incidents; 
>      only theory and conjecture.
>       
>      -Has anyone had a yoke o ring failure as a result of a bumped 
>      regulator?
>      -If so, did it occur in the water, or when dropped off the roof of a 
>      camper van?
>      -Would a valve protector (Cage or rollbar) have prevented the 
>      incident?
>      -And what about (gasp) those crossover "cheater bars" that they used 
>      to sell?  They look suicidal. Anyone have a bad experience with one of 
>      them?

You asked, here's one that happend to me. It occured in the French River 
near Sudbury in Ontario Canada July 1976.

A few days before the incident I had injured my foot and had 4 stitches 
in my heel and it was tender.

We were diving in the plunge pool at the base of a falls just west 
of Hwy 69. Water depth about 40'.  Using a Healthways Scubair B, and a 
steel 72, with about 1800 psi at the time of the incident.

My buddy and I had climbed out of the water and were standing on the 
rocks at the very base of the falls.  Then I steped on a sharp rock right 
on me sutchers.  My left leg buckeled in pain and I fell into the falls.  
I was pulled to the bottom by the current and was smashed into the 
rocks.  The next thing I remember  was being spread eagle in mid water. 
Mask gone, My first though was to breath, reach back to my 1st stage, 
felt the hoses and slid my hand along to the 2nd stage, but it in my 
mouth, cleared it then started for the surface.

After returning from emegency with a ruptured left eardrum from the rapid 
descent I inspected by gear.  The 1st stage, valve had taken the brunt of 
the impact (very fortunatly not my head).  The impact had been such that a 
small peice of the ganite rock was imbeded into the metal of the first stage.  
Everything held and I continued to use that reg of another several years, 
and that valve I am still using today.

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