Do I need cold water regulators for recreational diving in the uk

[Sherwoodranger]

Hi all I am new to diving and just recently passed my SSI open water course. Just looking into buying my first regulators but because of all the different specifications and the fact most of my diving will be in uk inland and coastal waters between the months of April to October I was wondering if I need cold water regulators. I have dived at stoney cove and capenwray in September with school equipment without problems but wondered if this was ok on a long term basis or was I being led on by selling hype.

 

[KenGordon]

Yes.

The sea in April is about 8C. Inland sites are very often colder. Freeflows are pretty common. The sealed, cold water regs help but do not completely cure the problem.

They are not much more expensive, get something like an Apeks DS4 (first stage) and ATX40 (second stages).

Ken

 

[rivers]

Apeks ATX 40 second stage x 2 and a DS-4 first stage, plus a single brass and glass SPG. It will be all you need, and should come in around the £250-£300 mark. I've had mine for in water down to 2*C, easy to get serviced, and breathe well. Internally, they are the same as the higher end apeks models.

 

[TMHeimer]

I haven't had any free flows in 11 years with my old (bought then used) Mares reg. Maybe just lucky. Nova Scotia waters are probably the same as UK, even up in the Orkneys. Winter waters here approach freezing. But I suppose every reg. differs. I have kept it well maintained.

 

[kafkaland]

Yes. Your conditions are similar to what we have in the Great Lakes. And freeflows do happen, much less so with good cold water regs. Some of the dive shops here won't let you on their charters if you don't have a suitable reg. I have been diving Apex DST and DS4 first stages and XTX50 second stages without incident, even under the ice, and think they were worth the price.

 

[tbone1004]

I would, but I think you should get cold water regs regardless of where you're diving. On the second stages it means a lot more things are made of metal instead of plastic, and on the first stages it means that they are sealed so are less prone to damage from improper soaking/rinsing *which you can't always control*. You live ~2 hours drive from where Apeks regulators are made. Support local business.
ATX50 or higher with an ATX40 or higher secondary, preferably with a DST first stage and you'll be good to go.
Apeks XTX 200 1st And 2nd Stage Regulators Twinset | eBay
Make an offer on that, for a steal of a price you get the top model regulators and have an extra first stage in the event of a failure. Buy an IP gauge for 20L and that will tell you if they need service *likely won't*, and then you're set. If I were you, I would honest to God say make an offer, see if he'll take 300L and if not, the 360l is still a damned good price

If not, these are also good, just older
Apeks ATX 40 Regs | eBay
Apeks TX50 And TX40 Octopus Regulators | eBay
APEKS TX40 REGULATOR SET INCLUDING GAUGES | eBay

 

[Centrals]

There is only ONE brand to consider in UK ie. Apeks.
DS4 + TX/ATX/XTX-40 will do. XTX is the latest and expensive version offering no improvement in performance. The 50, 100 and 200 series has adjustable screw on the 2nd stage.
If you are buying "used" then the FSR 1st stage is a safe bet because the valve seat is replaceable unlike the rest of its stable mates.

I am pretty sure every dive shop in UK would know how to service Apeks.

 

[rivers]

I would, but I think you should get cold water regs regardless of where you're diving. On the second stages it means a lot more things are made of metal instead of plastic, and on the first stages it means that they are sealed so are less prone to damage from improper soaking/rinsing *which you can't always control*. You live ~2 hours drive from where Apeks regulators are made. Support local business.
ATX50 or higher with an ATX40 or higher secondary, preferably with a DST first stage and you'll be good to go.

No need to spend the extra money on the twiddly knob. If you really want a twiddly knob, you can buy an aftermarket one for a couple of quid off ebay and fit it yourself using this handy youtube video

 

[DevonDiver]

Yes, if diving during the colder months,especially in freshwater. Cold-water free flow is no joke - been there, done that.

Even with cold water regs, if the temperature is cold (i.e. near freezing at the surface), do observe some prudent steps to avoid icing:

1. Don't dry breath the regs (submerged check breath only)
2. Don't leave kit outside in the cold before diving.

 

[Patoux01]

Meh. There's 2 kind of "cold water regs":
- Membrane sealed regs, which are pretty standard regs actually, and don't have "cold water" as purpose.
- Fluffed up regs, à la Aqualung (think legend supreme, where they add a fancy snowflake on the 2nd stage, or legend glacia, where they'll add a hard part in the hose to "warm up the air")

Basically any of the first type regs are fine... It may or may not be written "cold water" on it, but a sealed membrane is a sealed membrane.


I'd grab something in the range of an Apeks XTX50 with DST, but there's many other brands you could use... Apeks being UK based and quite well distributed in the world seems like a good choice to me.