A question about using A BP/wo wings on a drysuit

[wmspdi]

The points are all valid. I think I will leave the BP and harness in the box, and use my Balance BC until I can purchase the wings I want (Dive Rite Rec wings). I was just in too much of a hurry to try the BP/harness out. Thanks for your input.

 

[mossym]

the rec wings are what i got, so when i said deals are out there, you can even get what you want!!

 

[wmspdi]

I have had my search engine on eBay set for REC for a few weeks but no luck so far.

 

[jonnythan]

Some OMS wings off LP are only $200

 

[mossym]

there was some there last week...

 

[Daryl Morse]

A lot of people use their drysuit as their primary buoyancy.

It may be tough keeping all the air necessary to offset a lot of neoprene compressed by depth in the drysuit though.... I wouldn't try it if it were me, especially if I were new to drysuits. It's possible that you may get to 100 feet, realize you can't get enough air to stay in the suit to float you, then have to ditch weight and rocket to the surface. Of course, it may go fine.

Valid point, except normally there is secondary buoyancy available on your back, as opposed to a drysuit and nothing else.

 

[jonnythan]

Valid point, except normally there is secondary buoyancy available on your back, as opposed to a drysuit and nothing else.

Exactly the argument for tossing a wing on there, and not diving without one.

 

[PhinneusTWhoopi]

To the original poster, some adherents to the alpinist Hogarthian philosophies use drysuits as bc's, but some of us with the DIR movement don't agree with such.

Aside from drysuit failure points as their own issues, using drysuits as a bc is a bad idea, your only backup is dropping your weights, and you better hope you don't have a catastrophic neck,wrist seal, dump valve, or zipper failure, as you could still be negatively bouyant after dropping weights after your suit totalyl floods, at which point, if your buddy is not paying attention, you may be fairly well hosed.

I almost learned the hardway 20 years ago. On a solo night dive I had a catastrophic neck seal failure and crawled along the bottom about 100 yards from 80 FSW till my back was barely out of the water on a beach on an island, couldn't even stand up, I felt like the Michelin Man full of water, had to crawl on my knees turn downhill and let the water start pouring out my neck till it relived enough weight.

Come on over to the DIR forum, we'll steer you right.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

I'd concur with waiting for a wing to come along from somewhere.

 

[matt_unique]

I recently purchased a 6.5mm neoprene dry suit (not compressed/crushed neo). I need over 30 lbs of weight on average (as I expected when I purchased the suit). I also purchased a new backplate, harness and STA. I have not been able to buy a wing yet. Is it ok to do recreational dives with the dry suit and harness without the wings (using the suit for BC)? I have lots of weights in individual pockets that I can drop in the event the suit floods. I plan on getting wings in the future when I can find the cash. I was told that it used to be acceptable to dive a neoprene drysuit with only a backpack/harness at one time. I am looking for the reality of diving this configuration (I have already read the PADI lawyers CYA policy stated in the course book). Thanks for your opinions.

I dive a similar neo drysuit with bp/w, etc. Your idea would physically work but with no backup - don't bother with the risk. Part of learning how to dive your bp will of course include managing the wing, getting a feel for exactly how much air you need for buoyancy as you reach certain depths, etc. Not that it's at all difficult but I would suggest you wait for the wing.

--Matt