cold water/sealed regs

[Freedive WI]

true balanced reg can't be accomplished in a diaphram reg.

I think that you've got that backwards. True balanced can't be accomplished in a PISTON regulator. However, they can make a piston regulator so fine-tuned that it becomes a mute point and will breath as well as any balanced diaphram reg.

As far as 'true cold' goes I can relate my experieneces ice diving, which isn't as cold as it sounds, and running charters on Lake Michigan in winter time- as we have a boat that can break through 3' of ice and still make it out to the wrecks in January. 8)

We have taken just about any kind of el cheapo rental reg and had it work for our ice dives in the local lakes. The following weekend we'll be running a charter and have 12, out of 14, divers have freeze-ups/free-flows and have to call their dives before they even get down.

I've seen, and had, it happen with all kinds of regulators. I stopped using my Posiden after it shot ice down my throat on such a dive. I had an Apeks freeflow on me once, but that was before they had the second stage 'severe' kits on them. I've also used Mares regs with special teflon parts that froze up on me- to which the Mares rep swore I was lying to him because his reg's "couldn't freeze".

Out on the lake your gear is more exposed and the water gets colder, due to the currents flowing which prevent the formation of ice. Dives are also much deeper than during a normal ice dive. This means that the regs have to flow more gas, thus we get more freeflows.

The best system that I have come up with so far is to drop my IP's down to around 110-120psi and use helium in my mix for dives deeper than 100'. The next best thing is to just freedive as nothing can freeflow on you.

I imagine that the rebreather crowd doesn't worry too much about this stuff since the chemical reaction of the scrubber gives off heat and reduces problems in this area.

Fred, scooters are a blast for freediving! I was using mine when diving with Jason and Lonnie on the wreck of the Milwaukee last fall and had a blast. ;D

Jon