Ascending in a Dry Suit

[Dryglove]

A cuff dump is not ideal when using a BC as your buoyancy control device since both your suit AND your BC will vent everytime you raise your arm to vent the BC. For use with a BC it would be better to have the exhaust valve on the shoulder.

I really dont see how this is not ideal. If you are not using your suit for buoyancy and are using just enough air to relieve uncomfortable squeeze why wouldnt you want the suit to vent at the same time as your bc while ascending. Kind of kills two birds with one stone.

 

[northcoast_diver]

Hi Guys,
This question goes out to people who use their Dry Suit for buoyancy.
On ascending from a dive, PADI say swim up with your shoulder dump raised to vent the air. I find when I do this air is released too quick and I end up being to heavy to ascend comfortably.
Does anyone do this, or do you just swim up and vent occasionally to control the ascent? Maybe I'm not doing it right?

Some people use their drysuits for buoyancy control. This is a really old fashioned (some would say old school) methodology that dates back to the horsecollar era, when there were not yet any B/Cs nor wings.

If this is you, then you may very well have problems trying to control your buoyancy while ascending. It is harder to do it that way.

A more modern approach would be to use your B/C-wing for buoyancy control instead. (Who would have thunk it?) Then you only need to add just barely enough air to your drysuit to relieve suit squeeze. You can relieve suit squeeze even with your shoulder dump valve all the way open, which is precisely the way many divers dive. It is easier to do it that way.

Either way, its really your call. Nobody can tell anyone else what to do. But if you choose the hard way, just be prepared for it all to be harder then.

 

[Snowbear]

No, its not. Burping a suit that is not used for buoyancy should not affect your buoyancy as you should have very little air in it. Unless, or course, you let it build up to the point where it would be an issue.
You would also expect to have more air in a suit used for buoyancy, all other things being equal.

Don't make the issue any more difficult for a new user than you have to.

Yes it is - try ascending from 60' and don't burb out any of that gas you put in the suit to relieve the squeeze and loft the undies. As the gas expands, you WILL becaome more positively buoyant. True, you have to burp the suit a lot more often if you're using it for buoyancy, but the concept is the same. It was not so long ago that I was taught the PADI way.

And I'm not making it harder on the new guy. I wish someone had taught me there's a better way - I had to figure it out on my own that it's easier and more controllable to slowly ascend horizontally, burping air as you need to, than it is trying to swim up vertically dumping air the whole way and hope you been dumping fast enough to be able to do your safety stop and not so fast that you get too heavy.

 

[northcoast_diver]

Either adjust the dump valve, alter your body position in the water or do what i did - fit a nice cuff dump instead.

Someday all suits will be manufactured with cuff valves.

Even so, that has nothing to do with his original problem. Nor does his body position. Nor does adjusting or fine tuning his dump valve, which is a pipe dream anyway.

He seems to be overinflated, or else purposely using his suit as a B/C. That seems to be the underlying problem.

 

[northcoast_diver]

Yes it is - try ascending from 60' and don't burb out any of that gas you put in the suit to relieve the squeeze and loft the undies. As the gas expands, you WILL becaome more positively buoyant. True, you have to burp the suit a lot more often if you're using it for buoyancy, but the concept is the same. It was not so long ago that I was taught the PADI way.

And I'm not making it harder on the new guy. I wish someone had taught me there's a better way - I had to figure it out on my own that it's easier and more controllable to slowly ascend horizontally, burping air as you need to, than it is trying to swim up vertically dumping air the whole way and hope you been dumping fast enough to be able to do your safety stop and not so fast that you get too heavy.

Once again, you are totally off point.

 

[northcoast_diver]

I really dont see how this is not ideal. If you are not using your suit for buoyancy and are using just enough air to relieve uncomfortable squeeze why wouldnt you want the suit to vent at the same time as your bc while ascending. Kind of kills two birds with one stone.

Exactly right.

This is absolutely the easiest way to control two units at one time.

And it works like a charm.

 

[MechDiver]

Yes it is - try ascending from 60' and don't burb out any of that gas you put in the suit to relieve the squeeze and loft the undies. As the gas expands, you WILL becaome more positively buoyant.

Of course, the whole point of the damn thread is to NOT become too buoyant, so you SHOULD vent gas as you ascend.
Geez, Reading Comprehension.
Another waste of time thread trying to help somebody.

 

[northcoast_diver]

Of course, the whole point of the damn thread is to NOT become too buoyant, so you SHOULD vent gas as you ascend.
Geez, Reading Comprehension.
Another waste of time thread trying to help somebody.

Agreed.

I am waiting for the day when she becomes a fully fledged instructor. Then most of her here-to-fore posts and ideas will have changed.

 

[Rick Inman]

Hi Guys,
... PADI say swim up

Well, that's the whole problem. If you have to "swim up" then you are not naturally rising, due to increased buoyancy. If you are really neutral, just increasing the size of you breath a little, you will gently start to rise. To "swim up" indicates that you need to get vertical.

...it's easier and more controllable to slowly ascend horizontally, burping air as you need to, than it is trying to swim up vertically dumping air the whole way .

There it is. A nice slow horizontal ascent, with just a slight twist to bring up the left shoulder to release expanding air seems simplest and easiest for me. IMHO, if you ever have to "swim up", somethings wrong.

 

[northcoast_diver]

... A nice slow ... ascent, with just a slight twist to bring up the left shoulder to release expanding air seems simplest and easiest for me...

OK, lets see if he can do this when starting with an overinflated suit. Easily.

And what is your preference, MrInman? To inflate your drysuit just enough to relieve your suit squeeze, or to add even more air/gas to it?

When you sprain your ankle, you dont ice your shoulder.

Your zeal for horizontal ascents is admirable.