Nearly drowned on a 30 foot wreck in Tampa Bay last week because my backup reg froze up

I was on a routine dive inspecting a mooring line on a 30 foot wreck, about 15 feet down, when my drysuit inflator stuck open. I tried to switch to my backup reg to fix the issue, but the damn thing was frozen solid from the cold water. Had to abort the dive and do a controlled emergency ascent, which threw my whole schedule off. Anyone else had their backup gear fail when you needed it most? How do you check for stuff like that before the dive?

2 comments

2 Comments

nelson.gavin16d ago

That's on you for not checking your backup before splashing, gear checks are your responsibility.

oliviabennett16d ago

Nelson said "That's on you for not checking your backup" but I read somewhere that freezing regs are a known issue with certain first stages in cold water. Even if you check it before the dive, a little moisture inside can turn to ice once you're down deep and breathing hard. I'd say test the backup on land before each dive but also ask around about a cold water kit for your specific reg model.