Any Drysuit users self-taught?

[BORG]

I know there are many DVDs, manuals and courses out there for someone wanting to learn the correct and safe way to use a drysuit for diving. I will be using these materials probably as well as I have never used a drysuit before.
How many of you bought a drysuit and practiced basic skills and techniques with someone(a dive buddy who uses a drysuit and knows what they are doing) who had been drysuit diving for some time without taking a formal course?

 

[Scottri]

I taught myself. I paid for some pool time and had a buddy help me out. I wouldn't recommend that approach for a new diver but a diver with some experience can figure it out. I wouldn't recommend go straight to open water without spending an hour or two in the pool with someone that knows what they are doing.

 

[eriediver2002]

I'll admit it. I never took a drysuit course. Make sure you practice disconnectiong inflator hose, righting yourself when you find your standing on your head, dumping air in an emergency etc. & read anything you can get your hands on & make sure you have an experienced buddy with you (but, if he's doing things wrong you will too). I would recommend having an instructor run through it with you. If you're buying from an LDS they may even throw in the dry suit course. The only reason I didn't take the course was scheduling/instructor problems with the shop I deal with.
On that note I've been diving dry for 5 yrs. now w/no probs. (knock wood).
I'll be diving my new suit for the first time tomorrow, can't wait

 

[spectrum]

Never took the course. Went with a buddy who had made a few. Read up, mostly on SB. Challenged the suit few times, made conservative dives for a while and went from there. The hardest part was getting my weight and trim where I wanted it. This was compounded by me changing the garment selection weekly for a while.

I strongly encourage making that first handful of dives in conservative locations regardless of your training choice.

Pete

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

I just jumped in the water with one, went down 10 meters as a solo dive and played around. You quickly learn what not to do. I blew one or two safety stops in the first 10 dives with it, but otherwise fine.

A course or an experienced buddy does help, and do practise disconnecting the hose, putting your feet up, etc.

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[*Floater*]

I didn't take the course, but I did a shore dive with my buddy and a DM in the suit to see how it worked and to get the weighting right before I wore it for regular diving.

 

[r2t]

The lds I bought my first drysuit from took me to the pool with a dm for quick run down on the basics...that was it....the rest I learned on my own...

 

[almitywife]

i just put it on and went diving and figured out more with each dive

true, i did choose my divesites so they were shallow and easy to get help if i needed it but touch wood, no worries so far

cheers

 

[Thalassamania]

I learned to use a dry suit from the UNISUIT owners manual that came with it. But I had alost unlimited access to a pool and great dive buddies who all really want to learn about it too since the lab has just bought four of them.

 

[dannobee]

I too, like others, was basically self taught. I asked my dive buddy, who is an MSDT, if I needed to take a course with him and get a card. He basically said no way, practice in the pool (to learn inverts, feet up recovery and such), and the next dive he'd keep an eye on me. We stayed shallower (60 ft or so) and that was it. After about 10 dives I was as comfortable in it as I was in my wetsuit. But much warmer.