My drysuit exhaust valve froze up on a 40 foot dive in Puget Sound

Last month I was doing a hull inspection in Tacoma and the water was around 45 degrees. About 20 minutes in, my drysuit started feeling like a balloon and I could not get the air out no matter how I positioned myself. Turns out the exhaust valve had a bit of ice forming inside the mechanism, which I never even thought about before. A buddy told me to keep a small squirt bottle of silicone spray in my pocket and give the valve a shot before splashdown. Has anyone else dealt with freezing valves in cold water, or do you just switch to a different style of valve for winter work?

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elizabeths511mo ago

Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt that says "Human Balloon" on it. My first winter dive in the Sound, I shot up like a cork because my exhaust valve had basically turned into a popsicle. Now I hit it with a little silicone spray before every cold water dive, and I also make a point to breathe out through my nose a bit more to keep the inside of the valve from getting frosty. Some guys I know just swap out to a plain old mechanical valve for winter and call it good. Mine froze up exactly like yours, and I never even felt it happen until I was fighting to stay off the surface. A squirt bottle in your pocket is cheap insurance, trust me.

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