The other thing I prefer about the SiTech system, as opposed to zipgloves, is that the SiTech system preserves the seal on the suit. I do not want a punctured glove to flood my suit. A wet hand I can deal with.
Cold water diving is a PITA
- Thread starter billt4sf
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Yeah, you're ahead of the game just being able to rent a suit first, let alone have a choice of different brands! I had to base my decision on two dives at a DUI demo day in whatever they could find to fit me, and trying on a Fusion at a dive show earlier this year.
I dive in Monterey. My wing is the Halcyon with the quick cinch, which makes adjustments a breeze topside or in the water- you just pull the waist belt until the shoulders are snug and then buckle your belt. Makes it easy to experiment.
My backplates both came with padding for the shoulder straps, which I do not use. The padding is great if you are wearing a T-Shirt under your wing in the Bahamas. But if you are wearing an exposure suit, the padding is just extra stuff. I've put the extra stuff aside.
I know the feeling in the dry suit you describe. Air wants to go anywhere! Pool time will help you learn how to "ride the bubble" of air in your suit. For me, the trick is to keep the bubble of air at my shoulders or back. I dislike the discomfort of the feet up position with all the air in my boots, so I've added gaitors to my dry suit ensemble. Gaiters are elastic wraps that go on your calves. This limits the amount of air that can gather in your legs and helps prevent "floaty feet".
Most of all, some experience will make you comfortable. One experience I can recommend, when you are ready, is a dive on the Escapade. When you boat dive, you will be in water with better visibility than what is normally available on a shore dive. Also, you get to gear up ten feet from your entry point, so it's a real luxury.
If a boat dive isn't in your future, give some locals (like me) a shout and ask to buddy up for a dive a Monastery beach, Carmel river or Point lobos. We have some excellent diving, often with admirable animal life to see and better visibility than the breakwater. Also, if you want the ease of diving from a boat, but don't want the expense, perhaps you might try a nite dive off the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf. You park, gear up, walk down the stairs and giant stride into the water. Visability ain't great, but it's a spooky dive with all the sea lions, crabs, octopi and a forest of pilings to navigate through. Really fun!
While you are practicing, processing and thinking about diving, remember- We do this for fun. Take your time, enjoy the people, the learning and the challenge. Your dive community is cheering you on and eager to dive with you!
My backplates both came with padding for the shoulder straps, which I do not use. The padding is great if you are wearing a T-Shirt under your wing in the Bahamas. But if you are wearing an exposure suit, the padding is just extra stuff. I've put the extra stuff aside.
I know the feeling in the dry suit you describe. Air wants to go anywhere! Pool time will help you learn how to "ride the bubble" of air in your suit. For me, the trick is to keep the bubble of air at my shoulders or back. I dislike the discomfort of the feet up position with all the air in my boots, so I've added gaitors to my dry suit ensemble. Gaiters are elastic wraps that go on your calves. This limits the amount of air that can gather in your legs and helps prevent "floaty feet".
Most of all, some experience will make you comfortable. One experience I can recommend, when you are ready, is a dive on the Escapade. When you boat dive, you will be in water with better visibility than what is normally available on a shore dive. Also, you get to gear up ten feet from your entry point, so it's a real luxury.
If a boat dive isn't in your future, give some locals (like me) a shout and ask to buddy up for a dive a Monastery beach, Carmel river or Point lobos. We have some excellent diving, often with admirable animal life to see and better visibility than the breakwater. Also, if you want the ease of diving from a boat, but don't want the expense, perhaps you might try a nite dive off the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf. You park, gear up, walk down the stairs and giant stride into the water. Visability ain't great, but it's a spooky dive with all the sea lions, crabs, octopi and a forest of pilings to navigate through. Really fun!
While you are practicing, processing and thinking about diving, remember- We do this for fun. Take your time, enjoy the people, the learning and the challenge. Your dive community is cheering you on and eager to dive with you!
Ben_ca
Contributor
Boat dives are nice... I would urge caution though specially if someone is having issues with completing shore dives. Boat dives off shore can literally get you over your head quite easily. You don't want to discover you have issues with your buoyancy on the ascent from a boat dive.
Monastery also is no joke. Many divers have died there and fitness is a primary concern. Unless you are confident that you can self rescue and/or help your buddy I would table that idea. Imagine needing assistance rescuing a buddy and trying to scream for help... Thats the primary reason I will not dive there during the week.
An alternative suggestion would be Pt Lobos. The OP has dove there and there always plenty to see and the easiest entry and exit around.
OP
billt4sf
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I have in mind to perhaps buy one of these. But we are pretty close now to the ideal length for straps, so I am reluctant to change anything. But I would like a quick-release strap for dives off a small boat where we would have to doff the BP/W in the water.
I saw hepcat62 had gaiters and they might be a good addition.
I think we are getting closer to a boat dive. but we do want to get dialed on buoyancy and overall comfort before doing that. I just keep having a vision of jumping in the water and not being able to do what we need to do to feel comfortable -- even just a flooded mask is a far different thing in cold water than n the tropics!
Thanks for that! Frankly though I do think that at this point, we need quite a bit of support, not simply a good diver to dive with. That's why we are so grateful to Hepcat and Peter_C -- they really sacrificed their first dive to take care of us. We are getting better though!
Thanks VERY much for the encouragement! We'll be around!
Doff is easy. First, for boat diving you want your rig to be slightly negative. That way when you take it off YOU are slightly positive. Then the steps (for me) are:
0. Empty BC (step 0 for me because it's already empty)
1. Unwrap the long hose.
2. Remove necklace and replace long hose reg in your mouth.
3. Move compass to the inside of the wrist so the BC straps don't pull it off.
4. Unbuckle BC waist band
5. Remove dry suit inflator
6. Roll on your back and shrug your shoulders back but keep elbows bent to catch the shoulder straps.
7. Roll right, removing your left arm from the BC.
8. Inflate BC.
This is actually easier to do a couple of feet down (I do it at ten feet because I have the visual reference of the camera on the end of the tag line).
Pay attention to your buoyancy.
Chuck
0. Empty BC (step 0 for me because it's already empty)
1. Unwrap the long hose.
2. Remove necklace and replace long hose reg in your mouth.
3. Move compass to the inside of the wrist so the BC straps don't pull it off.
4. Unbuckle BC waist band
5. Remove dry suit inflator
6. Roll on your back and shrug your shoulders back but keep elbows bent to catch the shoulder straps.
7. Roll right, removing your left arm from the BC.
8. Inflate BC.
This is actually easier to do a couple of feet down (I do it at ten feet because I have the visual reference of the camera on the end of the tag line).
Pay attention to your buoyancy.
Chuck
eelnoraa
Contributor
Since OP alrready have the harness adjusted properly, if you can get in and out of basic harness without issue, leave the cinch along for a while. Chances are you will be totally happy with jut basic harness. More than one people I know started with cinch, then ditch cinch adaptor after a while. Plus the cinch only works with a Hacyon plate, so it can be a big investment.
As for gators, unless your suit is too wide in the calf area, gators really only slow down the air movement in and out of your feet. They do NOT limit the amount of air in the feet area. So air get in slower, kind of feels like less air there, but when you want to get air out of feet, it will take long. I highly doubt if you dive a White suit, you will need gaitors.
As for gators, unless your suit is too wide in the calf area, gators really only slow down the air movement in and out of your feet. They do NOT limit the amount of air in the feet area. So air get in slower, kind of feels like less air there, but when you want to get air out of feet, it will take long. I highly doubt if you dive a White suit, you will need gaitors.
Absolutely agreed. I own a cinch, and used one for a little while. The cinch was primarily designed to make it easier to switch between e.g. diving a drysuit or a wetsuit without having to mess with the adjustments in the plate every time. The downside is that your straps will be adjusted differently EVERY time you dive. Once you get them set properly on a traditional harness, they're set and will always be correct - no fussing necessary.
Yep. Gaiters are absolutely a double-edged sword, and even with them, posture is important. With gaiters, once air gets in the feet (which it still can and will do), it's even harder to get it out of there. I've come to the conclusion that for me, on my particular suit, they're a net win. The one weekend I spent in a rental Whites suit, I did not use them.
Groundhog246
Contributor
Tank valves, essential for diving doubles. I haven't heard anything about DUI (or most other DS) being leak prone. Being dessigned for cave and tech divers, DUI is a high end suit with good cloth.
I have Si-Tech rings on my USIA suit. They're installed ON the wrist seals and allow me to put my gloves on after donning the suit. The wrist seals remain in place, so that if I puncture a glove, I don't flood my suit (and I HAVE punctured a glove). I do put small tubes under the seal to equalize the gloves, so when I punctured one, I had to pop the glove off, remove the tube (got a small dribble up my arm) and then put what remained of the glove back on. If I was tech diving, I'd consider carrying a pair of neoprene gloves, not as warm as dry gloves, but warmer than a flooded one.
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