Ditched my old drysuit valve setup after it froze on me in the Gulf

I used to run a standard quick-dump valve on my drysuit for years. Last December I was doing a pipeline inspection off Venice, Louisiana, and the thing iced up at 40 feet. Couldn't dump air fast enough and shot up like a cork. Switched to a balanced exhaust valve system in January, cost me about $350. Now I get way smoother buoyancy control in cold water without that panic moment. Has anyone else had valves freeze in shallow Gulf dives?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_shah1mo ago

Ngl, same thing happened to me off Texas last winter. Scariest moment.

robin8361mo agoMost Upvoted

Man "same thing happened to me off Texas" hits different when you've actually been through it. Was driving through Pennsylvania last fall and hit a patch of black ice that came out of nowhere. My truck just started sliding sideways towards this big oak tree. I remember thinking "this is it" and then somehow the tires caught gravel on the shoulder and I just sat there shaking for like five minutes. The scariest part was how quiet everything got after. Like the world just held its breath.