Free flow at 40 metres in Dorothea quarry, North Wales

Highlights of a club trip to Dorothea quarry in May 2004. We were getting our kit ready for a week aboard the MV Salutay off Northern Ireland..Jan had a free-flow while on the 40m shelf (2.20) but he and Bert sorted it out without any drama which shows the advantages of an attentive buddy

[@PSDIVERTOM]

Brilliant video, makes me want to hop an Air Canada flight across the pond and come diving...

[@iciclediver]

I think I visited Portrush when my club was on the MV Salutay liveaboard. Nice part of the world & plenty of good diving.

[@iciclediver]

I've done approx 750 dives. Had my reg knocked out twice by someone's fins but easy to replace. Use to have free flows quite frequently but now I bring my tank into the house the night before every winter dive so no longer a problem (tank cools down in the garage).Never had mask kicked off but frequently have a leak & need to clear. Had trouble in past with small reels with DSMB's so now use large reel. Old type of dry suit inflator would occasion stick on which was very scarey.

[@iciclediver]

As I was filming through a tiny eyepiece I was initially unaware of the problem. Jan tried to close down his centre valve to isolate his cylinders but was having trouble. Bert stepped in to help isolate the centre valve, Jan switched to his second reg & isolated his primary cylinder. To be honest I don't remember whether Jan returned to his main reg after we had ascended to continue the dive. This video is not one dive but highlights of a few edited together to give the impression of one dive.

[@Hinkakan]

Had this happen to me aswell in similar circumstances. Diving in Sweden with a single tank/single valve 15L air. 100m wall. At 40m I started free-flowing and wasnt able to stop it. Luckily my buddy was there and we were able to ascend with me on my buddy's octopus. Scary as hell though when its so dark :/ Being slightly narked didnt help either :P

[@robfellows9833]

Wow, I made it online. I don't suppose you still have the Ireland films do you from the similar era? I lost them in one of the many moves?

[@MrNotebookguy]

If in Turkey the visibility is even slightly like this most people would cancel their dives :) I guess when it comes to diving weare not ass hard ass as you guys welldone :)

[@iciclediver]

Well, as some bits of the quarry are over 100 metres, I certainly wouldn't go after it. I assume that my buddy would gently guide me to a rope or cliff that i could ascend.

[@iciclediver]

Not really - You're in trouble unless you have a Y valve because the free flow is rapidly emptying your tank of air and you need to get to the surface with your buddy before you run out. This is one of the reasons tech diver prefer twins. In the event of a free flow, which are much more common in cold water, they can isolate one tank and breath off the other tank from their spare reg.

[@basecampwales616]

If your dive group is ever up this way again , we are a new hostel just down the road from Dorothea, Basecamp Wales in Llanllyfni

[@zedbox]

If you think your dive justifies a y-valve then one might say you should probably be diving a manifolded twinset anyway. :-)

[@iciclediver]

Ouchhhh! It feels like I have been castigated.

[@iciclediver]

Your not going to believe this but the viz in the UK is normally worse than this but in those circumstances I dont take the camera

[@MrNotebookguy]

Is the visibility always this bad in the UK?

[@will81625]

next club outin could be a trim and buyoncy skill school and the single cylinder with no bailout down at 40 school

[@michaelmeaney3179]

if they had the free flow at 40m why she they continue on the dive? we get told on all out technical diving course to thumb the dive if a problem like this occurs! and im a advanced wreck and trimix diver and iv had this happen in a wreck before and no its not nice but yoiu want to get your arse to the surface as soon as its sorted!!

[@richardoakley8800]

While I understand you need to manage to free flow..when it happens its time to stop and begin your assent.. 3 of my friends ended in the pot because they carried on after a free flow.

[@LG-Musique]

It looks like they did start heading back after the freeflow. Besides, they would have still had to do deco and if you surface by the pump house it would be a really long surface swim back to the exit point, followed then by a walk up the hill. Pretty sure it was safer to dive back to the exit, rather than surface from where they were and then surface swim back.

[@iciclediver]

See my first answer to Jamiecurrie