Do regulator heatsinks actually increase regulator freezing during ice diving?

[KevinNM]

thanks for all the comments! Seems like I should potentially end up going with some Sherwood Blizzards as the best bang for the buck.

Even then though, there is conflicting information about the Sherwood Blizzard performance (at least, the older generation). Some papers say the Blizzard failed early, and others say that the Blizzard out performed all other regulators.

There are very particular versions that work, as I understand changes were later made by the manufacturer. I can't tell you exactly what they are as I don't know, but you don't want to grab a old reg and dive it based on the name on the case.

This is a pretty decent article too: Authorized for Cold Water Service: What Divers Should Know About Extreme Cold

The authorization list isn't where it was when he wrote this, it's now: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/...ving/06-05-2018.pdf?ver=2018-06-05-083947-723

But to cut to the chase, the current USN's list for non FFMs is (and the part numbers matter):
POSEIDON XSTREAM DEEP MK3 Assembly PN: 0100-000 1st Stage PN: 0110-000 2nd Stage PN: 0120-000 Octopus PN: 0100-003 Yoke Adapter PN: 2920

MARES ABYSS 22 NAVY II PN 416171 PN 416546 (Octopus)

The Apeks was apparently removed from the list following a horrific accident in cold deep fresh water a few years ago. The Navy only runs these tests when they decide they need different regulators, so it might have been a decade since they ran the test. Hence there may well be better performing regulators out there, but...

 

[KevinNM]

From a decade ago, but still worth looking over and maybe reading in your case:
PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLAR DIVING WORKSHOP

 

[leadduck]

Say, might there be a place where one could read or download the whole presentation (in German is just fine)? Interesting.

I think the articles are in divemaster.de magazine nr.90 and 93, a presentation is here:
https://htsv.org/upload/14/Frank_klein.pdf
and in the club magazine: http://www.vdst.de/fileadmin/sporttaucher/Heft_Sporttaucher/2014/201405_ST.pdf

 

[shurite7]

<nitpick>
Apeks
</nitpick>

You are correct. I'll try to remember that.

 

[kelemvor]

If you're buying a reg for this kind of cold water diving, why wouldn't you just get a posiedon? I don't own any posiedon stuff and I don't dive cold water so I don't have a dog in the race. However, the other two brands being talked about have apparently failed testing at least once at some time or another for some reason or another. From what I've read, poseidon never has. Why are people still considering apeks or sherwood or anything else? Are the posiedons undesirable for some reason I don't know about?

 

[tbone1004]

If you're buying a reg for this kind of cold water diving, why wouldn't you just get a posiedon? I don't own any posiedon stuff and I don't dive cold water so I don't have a dog in the race. However, the other two brands being talked about have apparently failed testing at least once at some time or another for some reason or another. From what I've read, poseidon never has. Why are people still considering apeks or sherwood or anything else? Are the posiedons undesirable for some reason I don't know about?

they are rather expensive....

 

[KevinNM]

they are rather expensive....

$810 from DRIS. Not cheap,, but in the price range of high end regs.

 

[kelemvor]

I see... I found:
Mares Abyss Navy 2 $650 leisurepro.com $729.94 dris.com
Poseidon XSTREAM DEEP MK3 $1,049.95 leisurepro.com $809.96 dris.com

So leisurepro is the place to get the mares and dris for the poseidon. $160 more for the poseidon. Not insignificant but I think personally if I was going to go do real ice diving I'd pay the difference. Of course that's assuming I didn't already have a reg that might do the job (I don't).

 

[KevinNM]

These sort of trips are expensive as hell and reg freeze ups under the ice seem like a bad thing, so I'd probably think really hard about the xstream myself. OTOH, if I already had a regulator I regularly used for ice diving and was totally comfortable with then maybe not.

 

[Dan_P]

First, and I feel it's mostly a formality to say this, I think it's important to underscore that this is overhead diving (right?), and we should always be extremely confident about a freeflow when in overheads - to the point where it's no more than a mild nuisance, at most.

With that said, I think the most important factor here, is diver comfort - water won't get colder than -3 degrees celsius, so in terms diving, cold is cold. On land is of course different, but regs aren't designed for us to breathe out of the water in a cold environment anyway. With that out of the way, I think it makes sense to focus on how the diver's breathing.

Granted, there are some (a lot) regs that will almost certainly freeflow in icewater, unless you're extremely cautious with your breathing (which is not what we're aiming for), but those are almost always low-cost regs.

It's almost at the point where I'd say you can use about any regulator and not get a freeflow, or use just about any regulator and get one.

A third leg of it is probably the membrane- or piston question. Historically, piston regs froze in icewater, but today, they're made well enough that it won't matter much. And the piston regs generally supply much better than membrane ones.

However, if due to regulations one must use regs that have a certain certification, such as Norsok, then any discussion on merits of one or another regulator, is futile.
I know a few commercial divers who'd love to dive BP/W, but are stuck with the Master Jacket because regulations dictate such (none of them are happy about it).

My personal experience is mostly with the MK25's, which I've dove in cold water a lot over the decade I've had them. Never one single freeflow. That's a small data-sample though, just one diver.

But, I think it makes sense to also look outside of the "cold certifications" if one has the freedom to do so.


In either case, it sounds well cool, this Antarctica-trip! I hope you have a great time there