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Go to Tahoe in the winter and take an ice diving class.
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Go to Tahoe in the winter and take an ice diving class.
Sometimes when a reg enters the water with the mouthpiece facing up, even the small differential pressure makes the reg free flow. All you need to do is turn it over so the mouthpiece is facing down in the water. We see this a lot with the AAS on giant stride entries and even in the pool when I put the whole scuba unit in the water to don in the shallow end. Anyway, the sipping skill isn't needed for this kind of free flow.Wait, what does it even mean for a reg to be inverted? Definitely what we covered in my OW course involved the reg being "stuck" (actually, it involved holding down the purge button, but it was meant to simulate it being somehow stuck/broken), and I've never seen a free flow in any context other than intentional practice ones, in cold or warm water...
1. Isn't dealing with a free flow a basic skill in open water courses? At least, in PADI courses it's one of the required skills. And considering it's something I learned even before my first open water dive, around the same time I learned to clear my mask in the pool, do people really make it as far as divemaster without learning to do that? That's not to say the broader point isn't still valid just changing the example to maybe something involving drysuits or something, but do people really not know how to deal with a free flow?
2. Isn't part of the point of diving with a divemaster not just that they can help with any problems and such, but also that they know the area and where the best dive sites are, and can take you to cool sites (and get back to the boat again)?
Dump the weight integrated BC, especially with a dry suit it is asking for problems. Go with a weight harness system and a regular BC or a BP/W, you'll be infinitely more comfortable and much better trimmed.
They're a fact of life during winter fresh water diving. You can help avoid them by pre-warming your regs (at least not leaving them outside in the cold pre-dive) and also by amended your pre-dive safety check.
If free-flow occurs.... then, as I discovered, the standard technique for breathing from the free-flow is far from optimum.
All info that is 'expected knowledge' in a temperate/cold water DM.