hudson
Contributor
You generally should be worried about this at temperatures <45F:
Before the dive:
*To avoid excessive cooling, don't inflate or breathe the regs unless they are fully submerged.
*Keep the regulator from freeflowing on the surface.
During the dive:
*Keep your breathing under control, do not overexert.
*Do not hold the inflator down. Inflate in short bursts.
*Don't inflate and breathe in at the same time.
*Avoid purging if possible.
During the freeflow:
*If you are comfortable with it, continue breathing from the freeflowing reg unless your buddy has a redundant first stage you can use or a good cold-water regulator. Getting on his octo may result in another freeflow due to increased demand.
*If you can ascend immediately, manipulate your valve so that it's cracked open just enough to let you breathe, in order to conserve air, reduce the cooling and make it easier to ascend.
*If an immediate ascent is not preferable for any reason and you have practiced this before, shutdown your valve between breaths (feathering) to help the first stage warm up - this will buy you a lot of time.
OR:
Dive with a MK17 and a metal second stage and forget all about the above
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