Neutrally Boyant?

[flyboy08]

im headed to CZM in the am and I usually dive in just swim trunks. Last year I purchased a pair of SK pants and wore them in CZM....at LCB this past August, the water was too warm to wear...

I recall last year realizing immediately upon entering the water that my usual weighting wasn't going to work wearing these pants? They advertise neutrally boyant though....anyone else find this misleading? I had to add a few good pounds!

 

[tursiops]

1) Where are they advertised as neutrally buoyant? Seems irrelevant for something not sold for underwater use.
2) If they are warm, they have air or some other gas in the material, even if it is microbubbles in fleece. Otherwise, there is nothing significant to stop conductive heat loss.
3) you lose heat by radiation I(very little), conduction (small too), and convection. If you can cut down on water circulation over your skin, you will lose less heat. This is the important one. But once you stop the convection (well-fitting wetsuit, for example), then conduction is the next culprit.

 

[Trailboss123]

I can't speak for Sharkskin (in terms of using them), but I have also seen them advertised as neutrally buoyant in the past when I was looking for something along those lines.
I ended up going with a Pinnacle V-Skin Inferno Merino Wool wetsuit that is absolutely 100% neutrally buoyant. Actually, it is even a tad slightly negative. It sinks in fresh/pool water. Been using it for 3 years for my warm water trips and do not regret it. I also have used it as an undergarment with my drysuit when the water temps in the Channel Islands are conducive to it.
Pinnacle Inferno V-Skin Men's Full-Suit

I find the thermal protection to be similar to a 2-2.5mm wetsuit.

 

[tursiops]

I still would suspect that your buoyancy when you enter the water is from trapped air.
Even a cotton tee shirt is buoyant...until it soaks of water.
Really good wetsuits are overly buoyant until all the little air pockets go away.

 

[Trailboss123]

I still would suspect that your buoyancy when you enter the water is from trapped air.
Even a cotton tee shirt is buoyant...until it soaks of water.
Really good wetsuits are overly buoyant until all the little air pockets go away.

Concur with that for sure @tursiops - When I tested the Pinnacle in the pool by itself, it was a slow sinking to the bottom and it hovered at the surface for quite a while until it was fully soaked. One leg would start to descend, then the arm, then another leg, then the torso (which is where all of the wool is located).

 

[flyboy08]

Well, I'll try off gassing best I can this time and see if it makes any difference they are nice and toasty equivalent to a 3mm. I went with an alternative due to I'm allergic to neoprene

 

[MelasLithos]

I have a few Sharkskin items. I use these under my wetsuit, when I feel too cold (which happens quite often). I've never tried to use them as my only exposure suit. I love them exactly because I find them neutrally buoyant. I can just add or take-off a layer without changing my weights (and I do believe my weighting is correct). That's really convenient during a trip. I quite often find myself adding a layer (or even two at times) for the later dives in the day, without having to think about weight change.

So yes, as others have mentionned, please try to make sure that you got rid of all the air pockets before submerging. I know I often have some. A bit of water through the neck at the start of each dive helps a lot I find.

 

[Kharon]

I use 1, 2 or 3 polyolefin suits under a 3mm wetsuit depending on water temperature up here in east-central NY. The wetsuit I have, plus the underlayers really prevent much water exchange. But I need to vent all the air out, otherwise I am floaty.

Usually the air temp is hot so I can put on a layer or two and wade in and get soaked and then add the rest of the layers and repeat. Once I splash I need to pull the neck open to get any trapped air out. Once I do that I'm good at about 10# lead for water down to low 40's°F for a single dive.