bcd vs dry suit for buoyancy

[jerrynuss]

Call BS if you want but I was giving an explanation of how it is taught. I did not say go without a bc. I did not say forget the bc for surface flotation. Proper weighting to be neutral at the surface will stay that way with addition of gas to the drysuit. When a diver is very heavy as is the case with say steel double 104s then the bc must be used. Used means used, worn is wearing it during the dive or subsurface.

 

[detroit diver]

Call BS if you want but I was giving an explanation of how it is taught. I did not say go without a bc. I did not say forget the bc for surface flotation. Proper weighting to be neutral at the surface will stay that way with addition of gas to the drysuit. When a diver is very heavy as is the case with say steel double 104s then the bc must be used. Used means used, worn is wearing it during the dive or subsurface.

What DIR class taught you to use your drysuit for bouyancy control???????? Who was the instructor??????

 

[rjchandler]

Working with Open Water, Advanced and Rescue students who have little experience with drysuits I show them how it works. They're always amazed that I stay dry ...

Jim
Louisiana

so am i

 

[jonnythan]

119cf of air weighs around 8 or 9 pounds. If you're perfectly weighted, you'll be exactly 8 or 9 pounds negative at 100 feet with a full E8-119 and just enough air in the drysuit to alleviate squeeze.

No DIR class in the world would encourage you to add an extra 9 pounds of air to your drysuit to maintain your buoyancy at depth. Even with a half full Al 80 at depth you'd need to add 3 pounds of air.

Nope, sorry. Never ever, not DIR. That "extra" air is exactly what your BC is for, you should not be adding it to your drysuit.

 

[Warren_L]

Any sort of buoyancy control would involve both drysuit and bc, unless you have no air in your drysuit at all at any time. The primary source of control should, however, be the bc or wing.

 

[novadiver]

119cf of air weighs around 8 or 9 pounds. If you're perfectly weighted, you'll be exactly 8 or 9 pounds negative at 100 feet with a full E8-119 and just enough air in the drysuit to alleviate squeeze.

No DIR class in the world would encourage you to add an extra 9 pounds of air to your drysuit to maintain your buoyancy at depth. Even with a half full Al 80 at depth you'd need to add 3 pounds of air.

Nope, sorry. Never ever, not DIR. That "extra" air is exactly what your BC is for, you should not be adding it to your drysuit.

INHO the reason for (taking the squeeze off) and then useing the wing is that with more air in the drysuit , the more there is a chance of going feet up in a out of controll assent. Add a weight belt that restricks air movement to the drysuit vents and you can see how problems can multiply. that said, you can see how dangerous the drysuit can be , if a feet up diver can't turn and vent because of a heavy set of doubles.

In the event of a feet up diver( cave or restriction) the wings can be vented through the pull dump at the bottom of the wing.I don't think this is a dir issue as much as it is an issue with training. some orgs. teach that the diver should be vertical to prevent "vertigo" others teach horizontal body position.

 

[Soggy]

INHO the reason for (taking the squeeze off) and then useing the wing is that with more air in the drysuit , the more there is a chance of going feet up in a out of controll assent. Add a weight belt that restricks air movement to the drysuit vents and you can see how problems can multiply. that said, you can see how dangerous the drysuit can be , if a feet up diver can't turn and vent because of a heavy set of doubles.

There are several reasons for using the wings for buoyancy control vs the drysuit. The primary reason is dynamic instability. By putting enough gas in your suit to offset 6-10 lbs of gas from a single tank and you are going to be dealing with a huge bubble that will move around all over the place from your feet to your shoulders making buoyancy control much more difficult. Add doubles to the equation and you might as well just hang up the hat.

The other issue is that the drysuit is there to keep you dry. The undergarment is there to keep you warm. The undergarment requires a certain amount of loft to maintain its insulative qualities. Once the undergarment has reached full loft, no amount of additional gas will make it warmer...it's just creating a big bubble that is difficult to manage.

 

[Dan Gibson]

And don't forget, your body needs to warm that extra gas. Why keep adding gas once you are warm? Kind of defeats the purpose, eh?

Once the undergarment has reached full loft, no amount of additional gas will make it warmer...it's just creating a big bubble that is difficult to manage.

 

[Snowbear]

The off-topic bashing and trolling has been removed. Please self-moderate to prevent further pruning.
Thankyou.