Does extreme cold water diving call for fully redundant regulators?

[brokenbones]

I do a few dives where the water temperature is in the 32-38F range. We dive with doubles and a stage bottle. We breath off the stage....should it free flow, we can easily call the dive and feather the valve to allow us to continue to breath the stage. We keep all our backgas for emergency only. We also will disconnect our inflator hose and orally inflate our wings in colder water.

 

[shoredivr]

What brokenbones said, plus if I'm diving a single tank, it's h-valved.

I've been diving through the winter here in southern Ontario. And it's not only the 0C- 1C /32F - 34F water that's an issue, there's also the air temperature to take into account pre- and post-dive. Last dive it was -8C with a wind chill.

The Y or H valve on a single tank is not meant to do on your own valve-shutdowns... because it's very hard to reach the valves without getting out your bcd or pushing it up after loosening the webbing.

Cheers

I don't find this to be a problem, except if the crotch strap is too tight

Otherwise, it's similar to any other valve shutdown.

 

[captain]

Id suggest all divers should have an a redundant air source adequate to get them to the surface on EVERY dive.

Will that be inscribed on your head stone?

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Yeah,you're seeing it every day,it's your setup.
For me,in the last 25years I've never seen a freeze up on a scuba reg. unless it was provoket intentionaly. i.e. forced freeflow.
Never had one my self,not even in near freezing water.
When diving solo, I dive a H-valve just to be sure.
NOT just for the freeze up, but for a major 1st stage breakdown.

I had a freeze up on my first ice dive. On my second ice dive also. They happen.

 

[jeckyll]

2 Thal threads, one answer:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4278314-post80.html

Though I dive only in tropical waters (i.e. above 40 degrees F)

 

[Van Isle]

In an non-overhead environment, you are simply introducing a gear solution for a training problem. I.e. within "rec" limits, if you free-flow, you surface. With prior prudent gas planning you should have enough gas to get to the surface comfortably breathing off of your buddy's secondary, and/or be able to breath the free flow to get to the surface. This is basic OW stuff, overhead environs excepted. Extra gear in this case could lead to increased demand for air as you try to manage it, swim with it, fumble with it if you're not used to, all creating stress and quite possible a false sense of security: if your primary first stage has failed due to cold, the chances are pretty good that your secondary first stage might too.

VI