Any Drysuit users self-taught?

[Far_X]

I had a session in the pool when I first moved to New York. I wish I hadn't because I was taught stuff I don't do now. I was taught to use the drysuit for bouyancy but now I just have enough air in there to prevent the squeeze. I used to have way too much air probably because I was way over weighted when I was starting out. I was a relatively new diver when I got my drysuit. I did wear it every time I went in the water even during the summer when I could have got away with a 5mm. My second season with it I improved a lot. I still wasn't a good diver during my first season.

If you are a fairly competent diver then I don't think you would need a course. Practicing going from an inflated feet up position was useful in the pool however and that did help out when it happened to me on a night dive.

 

[bythesea]

I did my first dry dive to 70' in a Unisuit with manual dump. It turned out okay but in hindsight was stupid. Then I hit on this idea,,,

DUI Dog Days. Cheaper than a course, you can ask a zillion questions from friendly people who want you to learn about their product and enjoy the experience. And you get lunch too,,,

Then some more dives in the Unisuit but first added an autodump from SI Tech (yeah Ebay!!! $20),,,

Now waiting for my previously owned TLS350 to arrive and hoping it gets here before my AOW which is Saturday,,,Yikes,,,I thought it was next saturday, LOL.
YMMV, Brad

 

[AUTiger]

I am mostly self taught. I had a very skilled buddy (ex padi instructor) do a pool session with me. We went over the basic skills, including gearing up, buoyancy control, inversions, etc. We then did one easy shore dive to about 50 feet deep, stopping at 25 feet to practice buoyancy skills and to perform an ascent. After that, I just started using the suit for my normal diving. I made sure to keep the first ten dives pretty easy and in familiar places. Dives 11-25 were on a SoCal liveaboard. By dive 10, I was feeling comfortable. By dive 25, I was feeling great. My biggest issues had to do with determining my correct weighting. I was trying to minimize the amount of lead that I added. Bad idea. Go with a little extra and work your way to less. It also took me ten dives to learn to wear spandex shorts instead of boxers. It made the squeeze much more comfortable.

I didn't read any manuals. All of my education came from my buddy and this and other websites. The drysuit manual wasn't particularly useful, although it did cover the basics.

David

 

[evil_xander]

I learn to dive on the Internet.

I'm teaching myself to use the drysuit at the moment, so is my buddy. Got tips from people diving them & various articles available online. I live 10 minutes from our friendly dive center so I can play all I want in the sea, as long as I have free time to go there.

If nothing else, it's a fun sight to look at.

 

[peraevum]

No formal courses for me either. I went to a Whites drysuit demo day at the local quarry with a friend who has been diving dry for a while. After a pep talk, we entered the water, practiced disconnecting the inflator hose and then practiced getting air out of my feet when I'm upside-down. I think as long as you get some sort of instruction (books, articles online, experienced buddy) and dive conservatively for the first couple of dives, you'll be good to go.

 

[DepthCharge]

They actually have a course for this:surprised. Let me guess.......PADI

 

[Cave Diver]

I learn to dive on the Internet.

Thats what I was gonna say!

 

[Izu]

Went dry last winter with a Dacor closeout from Scubatoys. I jumped in and learned the hard way (in shallow water). Its not rocket science, just relax and keep as little air as possible in the drysuit.

 

[timle]

Jumped in my pool and played around a bit until I felt comfortable. Then I went diving. My wife did the same thing. No problems to date.

The only formal class I know of is PADI, and their standard is to use the drysuit for buoyancy and I knew I didn't want to do that.

 

[Randy43068]

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?

I don't have a drysuit cert. I never will, either. Waste of money.

I had help from folks who dive dry, however. You don't need a cert for everything scuba, just some instruction.