All I can say is I hate drysuits!

[radinator]

Something that hasn't been mentioned is how to deal with runaway inflation. The last thing you want is to be at 100 fsw after a 20 minute dive and have your inflator freeflow on you.

Take a class so you learn how to deal with such things, and practice the skills until they are automatic.

Also, speaking of legs up, I heard a story recently about a new drysuit diver he knew who was on a night dive and inflated his legs. Before he knew it, he was finless, floating upside down on the surface (and or course lost his buddy). Without find he couldn't right himself, and after a few minutes was about ready to take his knife and cut himself out of his new drysuit to get out. Lucky for him, he drifted by a fishing boat who saw the two legs sticking out of the water and somebody jumped in to help him right himself.

The guy telling me the story really enjoyed telling it. I got the feeling he didn't think much of the diver in question.

 

[hardhat]

Like the title states, I hate drysuits. Got mine today and I wore it for the first and last time! The most uncomfortable, bouyant, irratating, thing I have ever tried to swim in. And I mean tried. Wasn't much swimming to it. Just alot of floating around with my damn feet straight up over my head with air pockets in the feet so big they knock my fins off.

On a different note, anyone interested in buying a like new drysuit. I'll make you a sweet deal.

Get a pair of fin keepers to wear on your feet to keep the air out of them, they are the easiest and cheapest way to fix that problem.

 

[ScubaSarus]

I may dive with my legs bent. I'll make an effort to straigten them and see what happens. Good point made.

 

[jonnythan]

I heard a story recently from a guy in a dive shop about a new drysuit diver he knew....

And you believed him, I gather.

Divers tell the tallest of tales, don't they?

 

[radinator]

And you believed him, I gather.
Divers tell the tallest of tales, don't they?

I accepted the story. I believe nothing. But that's my general policy with everything told to me by anyone. I'm told by people I'm rather cynical and skeptical.

But knowing the guy who told it, I'd give rather good odds the story has a large amount of truth contained therein.

Of course like most people I know other people who invent lies with every story they tell...

 

[doole]

A QUESTION FOR THE EXPERIENCED DRY DUIT DIVERS: I dive with Bare's tech boots. They are comfortable topside and do a great job of keeping the air out of my feet. They are a royal pain, however, getting into the Scubpro jetfins. The fins I use with my dry suit are a full size larger than I use with my wet suit. The hassle is fine with boat diving, but I wouldn't feel comfortable beach diving with them. I tried storing the fins with the boots in them, with 10 llbs of weight in each boot. It didn't have any effect. Do any of you have suggestions?

AFAIC almost every 'darn drysuit boot' question has the same answer: DUI rock boots.

They'll even install the requisite neo socks on your existing drysuit if you want to go that route. They're perfect: they don't inflate and they're smaller. One of those things that just makes more sense than everything else; like the single hose reg.

YMMV I guess, but I can't imagine why it would.

 

[JButla]

On the concept of the dry suit boots. I have a Whites where the boots are attached. The suit fits fine, however, the boot itself MAY be a bit on the loose side. I realize that I will of course try this anyway, but would like to know in general, if I put on two pairs of socks, like in hiking, one athletic type and one thick... Would that suffice to improve excessive air trapping in the feet, or am I going to have to sweet talk the LDS into returning and getting a different boot size?

I thought of another question...
My positioning when navigating through the water is what feels very different from my wet suit dives. I want to make sure that I'm not teaching myself something the wrong way here...
The only way that I have thus far discovered to keep the air from shooting down is to keep my body positioning at a 75 to 80 degree angle with my knees slightly bent.

The majority of the info. on this thread has been super and very much appreciated!

 

[doole]

My positioning when navigating through the water is what feels very different from my wet suit dives. I want to make sure that I'm not teaching myself something the wrong way here...
The only way that I have thus far discovered to keep the air from shooting down is to keep my body positioning at a 75 to 80 degree angle with my knees slightly bent.

I think that could be a sign of trouble - you want perfect horizontal trim, just like any other type of diving. Maybe you need gators, or something?

 

[hardhat]

On the concept of the dry suit boots. I have a Whites where the boots are attached. The suit fits fine, however, the boot itself MAY be a bit on the loose side. I realize that I will of course try this anyway, but would like to know in general, if I put on two pairs of socks, like in hiking, one athletic type and one thick... Would that suffice to improve excessive air trapping in the feet, or am I going to have to sweet talk the LDS into returning and getting a different boot size?

I thought of another question...
My positioning when navigating through the water is what feels very different from my wet suit dives. I want to make sure that I'm not teaching myself something the wrong way here...
The only way that I have thus far discovered to keep the air from shooting down is to keep my body positioning at a 75 to 80 degree angle with my knees slightly bent.

The majority of the info. on this thread has been super and very much appreciated!

Get some felt insoles to put in your boots. That is a great way to take up excess room in your boots. This also helps to get a bit more life out of your boots. If they are still loose after the insoles are in try a second pair of socks. You can also try the fin keepers I posted about earlier in this thread.

 

[jbb]

Get some felt insoles to put in your boots. That is a great way to take up excess room in your boots. This also helps to get a bit more life out of your boots. If they are still loose after the insoles are in try a second pair of socks. You can also try the fin keepers I posted about earlier in this thread.

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly on this note. I have really skinny long feet (11 A) and I have lots of room in my USIA heavy duty boots. I don't know how people can even stand walking around in these boots or the thinner ones without insoles - they must have Flintstone feet. I purchased some Superfeet insoles and wear one or two pairs of socks depending upon the temperature of the water. Makes it a lot easier to walk over rocks and take that stroll to the bathroom down the beach between dives. You could just use some old sport shoe insoles but I like the superfeet because they have a rigid bottom to them. I also use the fin keepers but they do have a tendency to restrict the circulation in my feet on occation.


Jason