Weighting with pony

[EdC]

I never use my drysuit for buoyancy. Period. That's what the wing is for. I don't know what PADI teaches, but SDI teaches BC for buoyancy.

I know this subject comes up often and just wanted to share my recent PADI drysuit experience. My instructor taught that the suit is for bouyancy version in my course last weekend.

 

[Patoux01]

What people teach is not relevant. What you do and why you do it is.

 

[EdC]

I agree, everyone needs to see what works for them.

That said, I really appreciate being able to get the benefit of all the collective experience from those on SB, but there does seems to be a fair amount of "do what works for you as long as it is exactly what works for me"

To give an example I went on a trip to Bonaire organized by my LDS with a freshly printed OW card. On that trip there were several older divers with a variety of equipment some of it very vintage. As I watched and learned from these divers I was amazed after reading many posts here that these people didn't know that they were not supposed to be able to dive so totally in control, and at any attitude for getting those great pictures, and finding the smallest critters with those ancient jacket style BCD's.

My point is that there may be more than one way to complete a task, and there will be competent, experienced people that subscribe to opposing views. I try to keep an open mind and see what works for me logically and from experimentation.

 

[Doby45]

As I watched and learned from these divers I was amazed after reading many posts here that these people didn't know that they were not supposed to be able to dive so totally in control, and at any attitude for getting those great pictures, and finding the smallest critters with those ancient jacket style BCD's.

Part of that might also be YOUR interpetation of what total control is, your version may be totally different than mine. Last boat dive I was on, there was a guy bragging about the number of dives he had. I was freshly minted a an AOW diver and as I watched this guy with hundreds of dives underwater I chuckled in my reg. Mr. Hundreds of Dives was putting on a clinic on how to maintain your buoyancy while riding a bike. Perspective is key.

 

[rongoodman]

I know this subject comes up often and just wanted to share my recent PADI drysuit experience. My instructor taught that the suit is for bouyancy version in my course last weekend.

It's what PADI does. It works because with a single Al80 or similar the amount of air needed in your suit to make it comfortable just about balances out the 5 lbs or so of gas you'll use from the tank. It won't scale up to larger tanks or doubles.

 

[Patoux01]

It's what PADI does. It works because with a single Al80 or similar the amount of air needed in your suit to make it comfortable just about balances out the 5 lbs or so of gas you'll use from the tank. It won't scale up to larger tanks or doubles.

I sure hope you've done a bazillion dives, or your argument is invalid

 

[Marie13]

Today is going to be interesting with the pony. I just finished my first WET dive ever. I have a 5mm Bare Evoke. It felt so strange diving wet. I'll admit it was a lot less cumbersome. Did it with 10 lbs of lead on top of BP/weighted STA.