Diving with a Dry Suit but with no training

[TeddyDiver]

It's anyway a dive center you are going to, so they will see everything 's ok including you before thumbing down

There is NO way you'd sink me with 21lbs!

A proper weight check should be done.

- ChillyWaters

I have 5mm crushed neoprene DS, double fleece underwear + a wool sweater and socks. Equipped with HP Steel 12l (about 4kg negative when empty) I use 4kg ballast in salt water. Anyway it's quite a personal issue how much weight one should have.

 

[Kim]

It sounds like the center is used to inexperienced people diving drysuits for the first time. As such you'll probably have an instructor/guide close to make sure you don't lose it. I only have 2 dry suit dives myself but they were both in a similar situation to what you are describing. Personally I think that if you are confident in the water normally and pay attention to what you get told you should be fine. Just enough air to break the squeeze is a good one to remember.
Personally I hated drysuit diving because of the weight I needed - maybe a shell would have been better. Still - the first dive was a bit shaky but the second one went fine.

 

[spectrum]

It's not just the first time dry dive but the balance of the cold water gear further compounded by an apparent lack of cold water exposure that raises my red flag here.

Pete

 

[HowardE]

Hi all. Do I need special training to use a dry suit?
I'm a warm water diver with no dry suit experience and will be going to Iceland in 2 weeks time. There is a guided day tour to Silfra which is 3 to 4 degrees C and according to the dive center, with or without dry suit experience, I can do the dive. What do you think?

I think you can do it. If you understand how the suit works. My first drysuit dive, I have a 5 minute chat from a friend who dives dry... Then I just did it.

Let me say that I had 90 dives under my belt before I attempted this, and my buoyancy was good at that point.

If you're profile is accurate (201-500 dives), then you should be fine with it (given that you have a lot of dive experience), as long as you understand how the air is going to move around in the suit, and how to vent your suit properly upon ascent.

 

[Web Monkey]

I wouldn't go anywhere near a 40 meter dive without having at least 15 or 20 completely uneventful drysuit dives, and a bunch of 40 meter dives in a wetsuit.

Almost every single drysuit diver I've ever met has had at least one incident where they did a very rapid uncontrollable ascent and found themselves on the surface.

This is bad enough when it happens at 3 meters. At 40 meters, it could be the last experience of your life.

Sorry for the "gloom and doom", but the only difference between a drysuit and a really big lift bag is the user's training.

Also, it doesn't matter if you're diving with a DM, an Instructor or Superman. If you start heading for the surface feet-first, nobody will be able to save you.

Terry

Hi all. Do I need special training to use a dry suit?
I'm a warm water diver with no dry suit experience and will be going to Iceland in 2 weeks time. There is a guided day tour to Silfra which is 3 to 4 degrees C and according to the dive center, with or without dry suit experience, I can do the dive. What do you think?

 

[Meng_Tze]

It can be done without going through an official drysuit training. But do watch out for how the 'bubble' moves. (that is the bubble of gas in the suit). Be careful of floaty feet and practice getting out of an upside down situation.

My advise is to do a few dives beforehand and make sure you are comfortable. You dont want a dive trip to be your first experience and have issues..... not completing the dive, or completely focussed on slavaging the dive. Also ensure you have a pro near by to help if needed if you dont have a lot of experience with a drysuit.

 

[LG Diver]

weenie divers

Weenies, poofers... nice. That's exactly what this sport needs is more taunting and goading to get people into situations they have no business being in. Thanks for your valuable contributions to this thread.

 

[*Floater*]

I did a shallow shore dive to test my drysuit and to do a buoyancy check before diving in it. I experienced some feet floatiness, more drag than in my wetsuit, less mobility/flexibily, especially in the arms (reaching valves), but nothing major or unexpected - and after a few rec dives I was pretty comfortable in my new suit. I don't think you need any special drysuit training as long as you are a competent diver otherwise, though a good instructor or drysuit diving buddy would certainly speed up the learning process.

Here are some tips I've picked up:

- fit is important, especially snug boots. If you have a lot of spare room in the boots, then gas will go there and you'll get floaty feet, which in the worse case scenario can pull you up to the surface in an uncontrolled, feet first ascent. Negatively buoyant fins, such as jets or turtles help prevent this to some extent. Negative or neutral boots wouldn't hurt either.

- I was advised to keep the dump valve fully open and just add enough gas to the suit to take off the squeeze. Use your BC for buoyancy control. But make sure your suit has enough gas that you can move around in it comfortably.

- I've been advised to stretch in the suit before jumping in the water to make it easier to reach my valves. Try to reach them wihle on dry land.

- If it's hot on the surface, then dip yourself in water before putting the rest of your gear on (if possible) to keep cool.

- After you put the suit on, do a squat (while hold the neck seal open to let excess gas out. Also, if have trouble dumping the suit and start to lose control, then do the squat, or feet grabbing move to force the gas out - but make sure the dump valve roughly the highest point of your suit when you do this underwater.

- If you have a problem with the dump valve then remember that you can always dump gas by stretching open the neck or wrist seals. If your suit starts to autoinflate, then disconnect the suit inflation hose or turn off the offending tank if that's an option.

Okay, these tips are mainly based on what I've read here, but my own drysuit experience is still very limited so take this for what it's worth.

 

[JeffG]

LOL...Its so good to be back from holidays.

 

[dherbman]

What's the matter, pull a muscle back kicking in splits? You seem more bitter than usual.