Do I Need A Drysuit Course?

[engdiver]

I have the same question as ianr33. I started using a drysuit this year with the intent of taking a drysuit course. I read the course book but was unable to complete the course due to illness. Since then I have made about 10 dives with the DS.
The SDI course book said to use the DS for buoyancy control. Not the BC. I tried this the first few dives but noticed it worked better to use the BC for buoyancy instead. Especially with doubles. I hope to get more experienced with the DS as I use it but still am concerned about not taking a formal course in it's use.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

There are lots of divers who won't pay for any speciality course regardless of the benefits. The shop I instruct for throws one in if you buy from us. We don't push the course by putting it on our regular schedule but it's there if someone wants it.

An experienced buddy isn't the same thing as taking a course. Getting lucky for a couple of dives doesn't mean a diver doesn't need it. There are techniques you should practice with an instructor.

I was a stubborn diver for many years. I held just an open water diver card for over 20 years before I took any courses. Did I need them? Well after taking some specialties I can honestly say I took something positive away from each of them. I now teach these things and even divers with hundreds of dives will leave with something they didn't know before. Taking a course never makes you an expert, it just give you some new tools to work with.

 

[mdb]

Taking a course never makes you an expert, it just give you some new tools to work with.

Al: That is a perfect description of why we continue to take courses. When my youngest son was certified I took, for the 2nd time, rescue diver, and BC control courses, new instructor, new knowledge, money well spent.

 

[String]

There are lots of divers who won't pay for any speciality course regardless of the benefits.

There are also divers that will throw money on a load of utterly useless specialities purely because theyve been told "you'll die if you dont" or something equally as stupid. Theres also a mindset that because someone has paid for a course it'll be better than learning without paying or somehow expect mastery in a day and so on. IMHO there are far too many "specialities" mainly designed to extract as much money as possible out of an inexperienced diver and a large number of these courses dont actually serve any useful purpose. Drysuit being one of those.

It works both ways. Paying money for a badge isnt always the best solution.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

a large number of these courses dont actually serve any useful purpose. Drysuit being one of those.

It works both ways. Paying money for a badge isnt always the best solution.

I totally disagree with you about the drysuit course not serving any useful purpose. I've seen drysuit divers do out of control ascents many times. The course certainly would have served them a useful purpose don't you think? Golf ball retrieval, boat diving courses like these don't serve much of a purpose.

Are you paying money for a badge? That's it? I would love to think my students pay money for some tools that will serve them well including the opportunity to ask questions about a topic without being made fun of which happens all to often with buddy teachers.

Recently I took an underwater digital photography course from someone who probably has 10% of the dives I do and guess what, it was worth the money. I knew most of the stuff that he offered BUT I learned a few things that will help me out. It will also make me a better instructor.

 

[Dive_Girl PNW]

Someone...somewhere...may of learned something in the thread, so Its probably not a total loss.

...

 

[VTernovski]

Soggy,
I got my instruction from a lds owner with hundreds of drysuit dives who controls bouyancy with the suit. Imagine that.

I feel sorry for you. :11: see if you can go back and request your money back...

 

[George Scherman]

Okay, maybe the guy who showed me wasn't doing it the way VT and Soggy and the other BC for bouyancy control advocates dive. My point was not that his way was the only way, but it can and does work for some folks. Sorry to have made myself the target of scorn. VT, it was free and I know that you think I got what I paid for.

 

[George Scherman]

Also, Soggy, you hit upon a difference. I am a much more of a "light weight", diving no deco only and single 80s only. And, yeah, I do use ankle weights.

 

[Soggy]

And, yeah, I do use ankle weights.

You don't need them. You only think you do. The fact that you are wearing them is proof that your instruction in drysuit diving was poor.