Free flow disaster! Help!

[TSandM]

It sounds as though this shop may not have invested in good cold water regs. High flow rates and very cold water ARE a recipe for freeflow, though.

Have fun in warm water, and come back and dive in the UK when it isn't snowing.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Gotta agree with those who have commented on good coldwater regs. That the second one you got reacted the same way as the first may be due to your breathing rate, but I would still have to question how those regs are maintained, tuned, and if they are truly suitable for the conditions.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I join others in congratulating the OP on dealing with the situation well. Poor equipment (leaky dry suit and malfunctioning regulator) are, to mind mind, unforgivable. This is a cold water venue training center, and they should provide functional and safe equipment. I would expect the dive center to make up for their omissions, assuming as I am that they provided the equipment. If the dry suit problem was not due to a flaw but a flawed wearing or gearing up, they are less culpable, but I leave the fault on their doorstep for the regulator, if they provided it.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Aquabot]

GOOD JOB GOING FOR YOUR ALTERNATE INSTEAD OF YOUR BUDDY!!! I think thats that's a big step over night in those conditions to go from dashing to your buddy to not in that situation while still being inexperienced. Good luck in getting you OW cert in warm waters!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[cloudflint]

Im up in Scotland and we have been having a few free-flows as well recently, ive found this is about the coldest time of year to be in the water with all the snow beginning to melt and run off into the sea

 

[Storker]

I'm not really sure where the DS leaked if I'm honest, my instructor thought it might have been the neck so gave me an extra seal to tuck underneath but as far as I could tell it didn't really help.

Like everyone else in this part of the world, I got certified in a dry suit, and all my OW class dives (except the pool dives) were dry. In the shop's school suits. Since (IME) dry suit seals have to be just the right fit, the shop routinely taped our neoprene dry suit seals with electrical tape. Worked like a charm, I never had a leak during OW class. When I got my own suit, the fit of the neck seal was on the wide side, and I had leaks. On the first club dives I attended - before I got my neck seal properly fitted - I got help from more experienced divers lending me a knife strap which was strapped around my neck inside the seal to make the neck seal snug enough to avoid leaks.

I'm a bit surprised that a dive shop that uses dry suits for their OW classes hasn't established methods to avoid leaking seals for their students.

 

[261311]

It seems to be a regulator issue. If you plan to do any diving in cold water areas such as at home, spend the money on a decent set of cold water regs. They help prevent free flowing and if you can get a diver-adjustable venturi knob to reduce the ease of breathing based on the temperature if it's overly frigid that would improve it further. They will be more expensive but you'll be saving money in air and frustration. You'll also want to invest in a drysuit if you're serious about diving because you can't always be on vacation and may want to get some local dives in during not-so-optimal times and seasons.

Great job keeping your cool with all this happening during your testing! Hopefully from here on out you'll have a pleasurable experience diving

 

[Tjack]

Doing OW in cold murky water with a drysuit is some serious task loading. Waiting to do your OW in Mexico is a fine idea. Do some research and find a good instructor in Mexico.

 

[BlackPatch]

Okay so today I went back to the lake to retry my second open water dive (and it was snowing!). My instructors gave me a neck bio-seal to try and solve the leakage problem and also hooked me up with a different set of regs. Although the seal didn't stop the leaks altogether I found when I took off my drysuit it was only my limbs which were soaked through rather than my torso so this helped significantly reduce the problem if not altogether get rid of it. However, when I first descended into the water and knelt on a platform my regulator instantly went into free flow AGAIN so I grabbed my alternate and cleared it by exhaling sharply so was fine if not a little shaken. My instructor sorted the free flow and we carried on with the dive. I did a couple of skills on a platform and immediately afterwards my reg went back into free flow. Again I dealt with it okay but it still spooked me so we ascended and I got out the water to warm up for a bit. My instructor said he could hear that I was breathing heavily and that this was the cause of the problem and not the regulator so I have decided to complete my open water dives in Mexico and build up experience in warmer waters for the three months I am there, hopefully improving my breathing technique, until I contemplate such a cold dive again. Ultimately I feel if I force myself to finish the open water dives in an environment in which I am so uncomfortable it may put me off diving for good which is the last thing I want to happen. Going to build up to it steadily Thank you again for all the replies, made me feel like I'm just making a sensible decision rather than 'chickening out'.

Chloe,

I am originally from the UK but got certified in Canada also in a Drysuit in the lovely Cold Water of the Albertan Fresh water lakes. I feel your pain on how cold it is!

I too am going to Mexico, March 9th in Akumal.

If you are down that way I would dive with you in a heartbeat. You have a sound mentality and no little amount of balls in your determination.

Good luck.

Pete.

 

[chloe_blackman]

Doing OW in cold murky water with a drysuit is some serious task loading. Waiting to do your OW in Mexico is a fine idea. Do some research and find a good instructor in Mexico.

I'm going to Mexico with Global Vision International and I can get certified with them if I'm not already. From other instructors I've spoken to the GVI instructors appear to have a pretty good reputation so I'm hoping it'll all go well