Cold

[rjack321]

Does anyone here change their deco warm vs cold water?

Change plans just ahead of time or maybe adjust based on how warm you are for the O2 stop?

How about allowable obligation? Will you scale back in cold(er) water?

(try to give some sense of warm vs cold for you, I've heard people tell me FL caves are "cold" lol)

 

[gitterdun]

Hmm... We often dive the Jodrey in November, where water temps are about 42. We haven't changed our deco schedule from what we normally do, but on that note, we've always made sure that our undergarments are suitable for the dive, and that our core stays warm. The dives that we do in this water temp are usually T1 equivalent dives (30 mins. deco).

I have yet to do a T2 equivalent dive in those water temps, which perhaps might alter things.

Some of my buddies have heated vests, but I haven't ventured that far yet. They will sometimes click them on on the 20' stop. Buggers...

 

[Cave Diver]

I don't typically dive cold water. I've done a few dives with a significantly colder thermocline than I anticipated and I dealt with that by amending bottom time and going to backup deco schedules as needed.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I rarely dive water colder than the Florida caves, but even then, deco is deco. I might even add some time in colder water because of the stress. This is one of the reasons I'm trying to avoid those dives until I have a rebreather.

 

[rjack321]

Hmm... We often dive the Jodrey in November, where water temps are about 42. We haven't changed our deco schedule from what we normally do, but on that note, we've always made sure that our undergarments are suitable for the dive, and that our core stays warm. The dives that we do in this water temp are usually T1 equivalent dives (30 mins. deco).

I have yet to do a T2 equivalent dive in those water temps, which perhaps might alter things.

Some of my buddies have heated vests, but I haven't ventured that far yet. They will sometimes click them on on the 20' stop. Buggers...

Ever had a flood? I can get substantially chilled via just a flooded dryglove. I really haven't actually extended the schedule in these cases (2x or so) cause (duh) I'm cold and staying in the water longer is really unappetizing. Yet I see stuff on Rubicon (can't find the reference off the top of my head) that cold divers are 40% less efficient at off-gassing etc.

My one chamber ride was at least in part due to having a flooded arm.

 

[rjack321]

I don't typically dive cold water. I've done a few dives with a significantly colder thermocline than I anticipated and I dealt with that by amending bottom time and going to backup deco schedules as needed.

So you rounded up on bottom time by say 5mins?

 

[Blackwood]

I've ended a dive early so as to incur less deco (because I was cold), but I've never adjusted the deco.

 

[limeyx]

One CCR diver on our charter this weekend punctured his suit at 260 with a total runtime of 4+hours.

I am pretty sure he was extremely lucky the temp at 30 and shallower was 63F.
He was pretty chilled as it was, but no serious complications after O2 and a warmish shower/sleeping bag schedule 3 treatment

 

[limeyx]

Oh, and I started a dive in Monterey in 54F with my drysuit open (I knew the zipper was leaking so I didn't thin to abort the dive)

90 min RT, and I was cursing my 400s for not keeping me warm with a "slightly leaking zipper" (I actually was full almost to the waist)

Did the normal schedule, but had to wear gf's "Yoga pants" on shore

 

[jjones9527]

I'll usually plan for shorter deco obligations in colder water due to the concern of losing core body temp in the event of a suit flood.

If I was starting to get chilled during the deco I would likely extend the 20ft stop (how much depending on the situation), however you need to keep in mind the point of diminishing returns where extending your deco just makes you lose more core body temp, therefore requiring more deco.