Ice diving

[lowviz]

Would you be kind enough to share with us what you do to prepare them?

I will in no way answer for @abnfrog, but I will offer you a less professional but operational viewpoint. I will keep this nontechnical.

I used to own MK-25's and loved them. Reliable and easy breathing, I've had them in very cold water with no issues. I replaced them with MK-17's for only one reason. I dive solo in very cold water. The 17's are environmentally sealed and less prone to free-flow. My secondaries are G250's or G260's, again good coldwater regs.

I had my reg tech (before I started servicing them myself) do the same to both: Write down the upper and lower IPs for the primary and set each to its midway pressure. Summer or winter, no diff. The second requirement is to set my secondaries so that I can seriously detune them with the external control knob.

On you: Never breathe your secondary in cold air (surface). If you are resting at the surface, hold the secondary underwater where it belongs. When underwater, try to keep the draw on the primary nice and even. Don't inflate either your suit or wing (or BC) while inhaling. Nice and easy, one thing at a time, no huffing...

 

[chrisch]

I will in no way answer for @abnfrog, but I will offer you a less professional but operational viewpoint. I will keep this nontechnical.

I used to own MK-25's and loved them. Reliable and easy breathing, I've had them in very cold water with no issues. I replaced them with MK-17's for only one reason. I dive solo in very cold water. The 17's are environmentally sealed and less prone to free-flow. My secondaries are G250's or G260's, again good coldwater regs.....

Thanks for that. I see again the comment from an experienced cold water diver that the Mk17 is a better choice of reg for that application. I know that the Mk25 can be "de tuned" but it seems an odd thing to do when the Mk17 is cheaper and needs no such attention.

One of my 2nd stages has recently started to give problems (mushroom valve sticking) this is not covered in a standard "service" so I binned it and bought an Apeks XL4 which is a "cold water" version. It was almost cheaper than the 2nd stage service plus valve. (I have re-used the 1st stage [Mk11] on a deco tank).

I like Scubapro kit but the Mk25 seems a bit overkill to me. It is (I think) good for deep air, if there is anyone left still doing that? Once you add some helium into the tank even the so-called "low end" regulators all breathe fine at 60m.

 

[lowviz]

It was almost cheaper than the 2nd stage service plus valve. (I have re-used the 1st stage [Mk11] on a deco tank). ...

Yeah, there is a problem there.

There is something wrong with the system. Look at the cost of keeping your regs diligently maintained vs. ignoring them until they NEED service and then selling them off and buying new. (why I learned to service them myself)

...//... I like Scubapro kit but the Mk25 seems a bit overkill to me. ...

Yeah, but that is one sweet regulator.

You can tune it to anticipate your next breath, or fake it and take it under the ice. I have MK-17's because I have no backup where and how I dive. Local, cold, silt, saltwater and sand. I do miss the MK-25's rotating LP ports, though.

 

[chrisch]

Yeah, there is a problem there.

There is something wrong with the system. Look at the cost of keeping your regs diligently maintained vs. ignoring them until they NEED service and then selling them off and buying new. (why I learned to service them myself)

To be fair the service requires a strip down and clean which comes to an hour or so of time or more. The expensive thing in the world today is human time (at least in rich countries). Making a new reg is a production process and so dirt cheap.

I have a few regs that get serviced now and then (if they have a fault) but throw away and replace with new is a good strategy. My Omega 2 is obsolete so it gets serviced. The new Dacor replacement is expensive.

I do miss the MK-25's rotating LP ports, though.

Yes. A nice feature. I have an Apeks DL with that and an old SP Mk5 (cheap ebayer) for a deco tank.

 

[Germie]

Some do it in a wetsuit. So in a drysuit it is no problem. The biggest problem for me are cold fingers. Even with drygloves or 3 finger mits. But on a sunny windless day I can stay 60 minutes under the ice. If it is watercold and windy shorter. That is the biggest problem.

This is my best picture I took when doing an icedive. It is now in a museum

 

[abnfrog]

to answer your reg prep question . every one who takes my ice diver course gets their reg checked (as all my students have seen ) we check the ip lower it if necessary and the second stage cracking pressure and do the same . It serves 2 purposes shows the student WHY we do that and that SOME regs don't need it . most people don't have the option of 10 regs to choose from so we use their regs for our ice diving program , after all they are not going to rent a different reg every time they ice dive or cold water dive . very FEW regs I wont let them use, and supply a more suited one (and no I wont slag them here ) I have very few regs that free flow on my course for a reason , a fomula I stick to ,whether you agree or not I don't really care (I have don't this for a little while ) 99% of my students love that "their "regs did the ice dive , bottom line some regs don't freeze easily , but maybe not the regs you use past 200 feet so its all up to the individual, you can discuss which reg is the best reg for all types of diving ad nausea , (same argument as the best assault rifle )...but its the one you have in your mouth /hands that keeps you alive

 

[chrisch]

Thanks for the reply. That sounds like a good thing to add into the course. Cracking pressure is often the reason you get those irritating surface freeflows and in cold water that could lead to icing. I do wish some service technicians wouldn't decide that divers want low cracking pressure for some reason.