Consequences of a flooded dry suit.

[Lobzilla]

While I was practicing in a pool yesterday, my neck seal ripped badly. Since the water was relatively warm, I decided to continue for another 90 minutes.

During that time, the suit completely filled with water. Here are some observations:

• 
  Forget the urban legend that a flooded suit will 'pull you down'. Water on the outside of the suit weighs no more once it gets inside. What you loose over time is the buoyancy of the air you had in the suit before the leak. The wing can easily make up for that.

• 
  Loosing the suit buoyancy changed my trim. I fixed that by intentionally creating small air bubbles in my legs. (This worked so well that I could even figure out a couple of decent back-kick sequences

• 
  I then simulated the worst case scenario of the wing failing while the suit is flooding by dumping all air out of the wing and trying to surface with the fully flooded suit.

• 
  Putting air in the arms and keeping it there provided just enough buoyancy to get 3/4 filled HP 100 doubles to the surface. Together with some mild kicking this is a valid way to safety.

• 
  Arching forward (head and legs down) and putting a bubble in your lower back area is even better. This is also very controllable as you can vent air by arching backwards and letting the air out of the dump or the leaking neck seal.

• 
  The worst problem with a flooded suit is getting out of the water alltogether. You will not believe how much water-filled suit legs weigh. I could barely get up the ladder and then had to roll on the floor like a beached whale. After doffing the rig I had to do several shoulder stands to get the water out of the suit (to the amusement of the local swim team).

All in all a fun exercise; and the suit needed an inside rinse anyway.

From my observations I would conclude that a major drysuit flood (even with additional wing failure) is survivable if hypothermia does not become a threat too quickly.

 

[Jax]

Thanks for this!

I hope I never have to learn that handling of a flooded suit, but if I do, I sure hope it's in a heated pool!

 

[Lobzilla]

Thanks for this!

I hope I never have to learn that handling of a flooded suit, but if I do, I sure hope it's in a heated pool!

You are welcome and thanks for inspiring me to return to chlorinated water after taking the snorkel off my mask strap

 

[Akimbo]

While I was practicing in a pool yesterday, my neck seal ripped badly. Since the water was relatively warm, I decided to continue for another 90 minutes.

During that time, the suit completely filled with water. Here are some observations:

• 
  Forget the urban legend that a flooded suit will 'pull you down'. Water on the outside of the suit weighs no more once it gets inside. What you loose over time is the buoyancy of the air you had in the suit before the leak. The wing can easily make up for that.

....

I fear your conclusion could be misapplied. Loss of buoyancy is dependant on characteristics of the undergarments and pressure changes.

All undergarment materials depend on impeding air or gas filled spaces from readily circulating for insulation. This gas equalizes as depth increases. Materials that have a very high surface area and low wicking tend to hold onto the gas more effectively. Untreated low pile cotton is very bad while spun polypropylene is comparatively good. Your experience wearing a pair of cotton long-johns over a pair of blue jeans would be very different than a Thinsulate based product for example.

The buoyancy loss problem exists with any undergarment when a large leak occurs near the surface and proceeding to depth. The entrapped gas will be compressed resulting in buoyancy and insulation loss. The problem is much lower if a major leak occurs at depth with most drysuit specific underwear. The entrapped gas would already be compressed and equalized. The low wicking material will hold onto the gas and allow expanding gas to escape on ascent.

Where you can get into big trouble is getting a large breach in the suit and be unable to arrest your descent… sort'a sounds like a submarine movie! You could exceed the capacity of your BC to compensate and require dropping weight. Fortunately, at that point of a dive you are not likely to have encountered decompression commitments so immediate surfacing and aborting the dive should not be an emergency providing hypothermia is not a risk.

 

[fisheater]

LOL! Your last point is SO true. I did an hour plus dive with a flooded drysuit in 46F water and the hardest part was walking out of the water and getting my suit off. I had to have my buddy lift my feet up.

 

[porgyhunter]

Lo bzilla; With a flooded suit, from a neck seal, in your opinion would a diver be able to climb on the transom of their boat alone? The volumn of water like you said would be ridiculous. This could be a real problem in a boat solo dive.

 

[Jorgy]

If you "really" had to get out of the water by yourself with a flooded drysuit you would just slit the suit near the boots and let the water drain out......

You are already buying a new neck seal or fixing whatever caused the flooding......

I am just saying if it was a real life or death situation.....

M

 

[Selchie in LB]

Wow thanks for this post! It is good to have real experiences recounted on the board. Thank goodness you were in a warm comfy pool. Wouldn't want that to happen in water less than 60F. Interesting points brought up by Akimbo. Interesting that you were able to adjust the air bubble. Porgyhunter when it comes to life or death the equipment goes! Cut the suit!