dry suit and buoyancy

[Potapko]

i have a question for those of you who use the suit for boyancy. I did the first dive using the suit more than the wing. All of the following (3) I only added enough to get rid of the squeeze. My question is, how do you manage boyancy control using the suit? Since it has an automatic valve, how do you release what you need to, when you need to?
Using air in the drysuit only to eliminate squeeze I was able to control my boyancy very well (same as diving wet) with the wing.

Any insight would be appreciated,
DP

 

[scubadoguk]

i have a question for those of you who use the suit for boyancy. I did the first dive using the suit more than the wing. All of the following (3) I only added enough to get rid of the squeeze. My question is, how do you manage boyancy control using the suit? Since it has an automatic valve, how do you release what you need to, when you need to?
Using air in the drysuit only to eliminate squeeze I was able to control my boyancy very well (same as diving wet) with the wing.

Any insight would be appreciated,
DP

The valves I have used have not been automatic
The one one my 4 suits have been from or a copy of the Swedish valve.
Decend with the valve closed adding a little air to not get squeeze.
when I get to depth open the valve till it burps and then back in a click or two with propper weighting I find this is very much like wet suit diving or as I remember it, on the way up it does most of the venting I just raise my arm now and again to vent if needed.
I really have not used my bc for bouyancy in a dry suit but if it works why change thats my thing.

 

[mempilot]

They rachet down the auto valve to the closed or nearly closed position, and vent manually. This can be dangerous in the event of a run away ascent. Drysuits don't vent as quickly as a wing/bc since the air is not concentrated around the valve. Imagine being head down and in an uncontrolled ascent with no way to vent the suit. Embolism.

i have a question for those of you who use the suit for boyancy. I did the first dive using the suit more than the wing. All of the following (3) I only added enough to get rid of the squeeze. My question is, how do you manage boyancy control using the suit? Since it has an automatic valve, how do you release what you need to, when you need to?

Using air in the drysuit only to eliminate squeeze I was able to control my boyancy very well (same as diving wet) with the wing.

Any insight would be appreciated,
DP

 

[eod]

Raise the left shoulder very little = vent some air.
Keep the left shoulder at normal position = can add alot of air in the suit if you want to.

I have the valve fully open when I dive and sometimes use the suit as BC. In the beginning I was overwheighted, used the suit exclusively for bouyancy and had poor trim, didn't have any big problems then either.

i have a question for those of you who use the suit for boyancy. I did the first dive using the suit more than the wing. All of the following (3) I only added enough to get rid of the squeeze. My question is, how do you manage boyancy control using the suit? Since it has an automatic valve, how do you release what you need to, when you need to?
Using air in the drysuit only to eliminate squeeze I was able to control my boyancy very well (same as diving wet) with the wing.

Any insight would be appreciated,
DP

 

[diverDano]

Ok. Here is my 02. If you get and dive a dry suit, why not toss the bc? If you can adjust your bouyancy with the suit, why wear a bc? Sounds ludacris? You bet. Its a bouyancy compensator. The air supply for the suit, is for the suit, to eliminate squeeze, thats why they installed it. A bc is for bouyancy control. The mastery comes in learning how to use both together. Also, i really feel uncomfortable letting my suit decide when air should be expelled, so I dive with the valve closed. I know I have to remove air from the suit before any ascending, and compensate with more air into the bc. Using the suit for bouyancy is like running beside your car and saying you're driving somewhere. Use the equipment for its intended use. Anything else is a waste of time.


Just my .02

 

[diverDano]

Mempilot>>>>>You prevent a runaway ascent by tucking and rolling. And if you want to vent air real fast....grab your neck seal and pull, you're guaranteed to sink fast!!

 

[mempilot]

I know the procedure. Runaway ascents don't happen fast with minimal air in the suit. As for the neck seal emergency vent, try doing that quickly while wearing a hood and gloves. With the appropriate amount of air in the suit, you can easily and quickly vent it using the dump valve, just like on the bc. Now if you had too much air in the bc, you'd have the same problem as too much air in the suit, no way to vent fast enough in an uncontrolled ascent.

Mempilot>>>>>You prevent a runaway ascent by tucking and rolling. And if you want to vent air real fast....grab your neck seal and pull, you're guaranteed to sink fast!!

 

[Potapko]

My point was that I found myself unable to vent the proper amount of air to maintain neutral boyancy. A little would release, but not the right amount at the right time.

 

[mania]

thanks a lot to all of you for advice and support. Second dive was better but I still have buoyancy problem - I couldn't stop myself at 4 meters - was going half meter up or down. But at least I managed ascending form the depth (we went to 15 meters) without any problems. I'm still a bit scared to add air - but at the 10 meters i had to - otherwise the suit would squeeze me. And then deflating it was easy - the same time I was putting my hand up to deflate the jacket some of the excess air from the suit went out.
So now I need practice and have to work with the buoyancy.
One more thing - I borrowed the suit but it was fitting me almost perfectly. And I sort of liked its colors - in our murky water is perfectly visible....
But honesty - the water was great - vis 8 meters which is really the record. Temp - 3 Centigrade. Outside temp - 8 Centigrade but sunny.

Mania

 

[Potapko]

Mania, Where were you diving?
DP