Careless instructor or overthinking newbie

[Edward3c]

Well the drysuit itself had no buoyancy since it filled with water. And I used a size small Aqualung bcd (can't remember which type exactly), and they seem to generally have 12-13kg lift.

I support the recommendation from others to report this instructor.

When I take someone in with a drysuit for the first time its a maximum of 6m with a weight check and inflations and dump drills. I don’t care how experience or not they are.

I've often demonstrated to warm water divers their BC isn't good enough for cold water by fully inflating it then putting their weights on top, most sink. Exactly what would happen underwater.

 

[ginti]

Actually full of water, I couldn't pull the neck seal over my head until I'd laid down on my stomach and let half an ocean out of the suit. I looked like the Michelin man when I walked out of the water.

I will not repeat other people's comments; you already read other instructors suggesting very good pracitces.

My point here is another.

A drysuit leak usually brings "a bit" of water that, at the end of the dive, can result in the socks/boots full of water, sometimes something more.
But the amount of water you had? Too much!

Sure, catastrophic failures happen but are much rare. Usually, they are the consequence of dramatic accidents (e.g. you cut the drysuit underwater) or the result of previous small leaks that are not correctly fixed on time.

So I am wondering whether your zip was fully closed. Drysuit zips can be a bit complicated, and if you do not know the zip very well, you might start a dive with the zip slightly open, even if you think it is closed. And this problem can (and does) happen even to experienced divers.

If your diving instructor didn't check the zip before the dive, this scenario is likely, and it is another big -1 point for this instructor. I am not sure if it is in the standards, but I guess he should have checked it and discussed it with you, at least because of common sense.

 

[Marie13]

I will not repeat other people's comments; you already read other instructors suggesting very good pracitces.

My point here is another.

A drysuit leak usually brings "a bit" of water that, at the end of the dive, can result in the socks/boots full of water, sometimes something more.
But the amount of water you had? Too much!

Sure, catastrophic failures happen but are much rare. Usually, they are the consequence of dramatic accidents (e.g. you cut the drysuit underwater) or the result of previous small leaks that are not correctly fixed on time.

So I am wondering whether your zip was fully closed. Drysuit zips can be a bit complicated, and if you do not know the zip very well, you might start a dive with the zip slightly open, even if you think it is closed. And this problem can (and does) happen even to experienced divers.

If your diving instructor didn't check the zip before the dive, this scenario is likely, and it is another big -1 point for this instructor. I am not sure if it is in the standards, but I guess he should have checked it and discussed it with you, at least because of common sense.

The second suit flooded, too, but “only” the legs. I’m thinking these are suits with neck seals cut for much larger people. So easy to see they flooded, if that was the case.

 

[Edward3c]

I will not repeat other people's comments; you already read other instructors suggesting very good pracitces.

My point here is another.

A drysuit leak usually brings "a bit" of water that, at the end of the dive, can result in the socks/boots full of water, sometimes something more.
But the amount of water you had? Too much!

Sure, catastrophic failures happen but are much rare. Usually, they are the consequence of dramatic accidents (e.g. you cut the drysuit underwater) or the result of previous small leaks that are not correctly fixed on time.

So I am wondering whether your zip was fully closed. Drysuit zips can be a bit complicated, and if you do not know the zip very well, you might start a dive with the zip slightly open, even if you think it is closed. And this problem can (and does) happen even to experienced divers.

If your diving instructor didn't check the zip before the dive, this scenario is likely, and it is another big -1 point for this instructor. I am not sure if it is in the standards, but I guess he should have checked it and discussed it with you, at least because of common sense.

I've had a student who's neck seal left a 1/4in gap. They insisted in getting in the water, once the bubbles stopped coming out of the neck we exited, completely flooded. They believed what the shop had told them, that the seal would be held watertight against their neck once in the water. They thought I was wrong to stop them going in; not afterwards though.

 

[Aura]

If your diving instructor didn't check the zip before the dive

No zip check on the first dive, he did check on the second dive though.

I’m thinking these are suits with neck seals cut for much larger people.

I'm pretty sure this is the case, on the second dive I could clearly feel cold water running into the suit every time I looked down to check my air. The instructor checked if the wrist seals were tight enough, since he was worried that my wrists were too thin, but didn't check the neck seal. And, I didn't know how any of the seals were supposed to feel.

 

[ginti]

The second suit flooded, too, but “only” the legs. I’m thinking these are suits with neck seals cut for much larger people. So easy to see they flooded, if that was the case.

I've had a student who's neck seal left a 1/4in gap. They insisted in getting in the water, once the bubbles stopped coming out of the neck we exited, completely flooded. They believed what the shop had told them, that the seal would be held watertight against their neck once in the water. They thought I was wrong to stop them going in; not afterwards though.

Agreed, it happened to me as well. But that is an even more basic and important check... damn, what did they check about this drysuit? Nothing?

 

[Edward3c]

@Aura Contra to popular belief there is loads of life in Northern waters.

Drysuits: there are two basic types.
* Neoprene suit that compresses therefore looses buoyancy as you descend, the suit itself provided most of the thermal insulation.
* Membrane suits which require some sort of insulation clothing underneath, less of a change in buoyancy.

Both work and you'll get strong opinions about each. I dive neoprene.

 

[VikingDives]

The deep dive can only be dive 4 or 5 from the aowd. Not the first one.

That's not correct. The deep dive for PADI AOW can be dive 1 of the AOW course. This makes sense since presumably it should be the deepest dive in the course, and therefore should be conducted as the first dive of the day...

 

[Raphus]

That's not correct. The deep dive for PADI AOW can be dive 1 of the AOW course. This makes sense since presumably it should be the deepest dive in the course, and therefore should be conducted as the first dive of the day...

I am sure a prerequisite for the deep dive is being a adventure diver. Which is done after 3 aowd dives.

But I will look it up and will clarify it. Maybe I remember it wrong.

 

[Raphus]

That's not correct. The deep dive for PADI AOW can be dive 1 of the AOW course. This makes sense since presumably it should be the deepest dive in the course, and therefore should be conducted as the first dive of the day...

Ok i looked it up.
The a dive in AOWD has the same prerequisite, as the whole specialty. (Exceptions are: ice, cavern and self reliant).

The prerequisite for the deep dive specialty is adventure diver. So you need to have 3 AOWD dives (including the theorie). It is not necessary to certify the students to adventure diver, of course.
Thats what my CD told me in the IDC aswell.

So deep dive is usually dive 4, because its the first dive of the second day.