Dry Suit Diving

[airsix]

Obviously you've never been to Moses Lake.eyebrow

Hey, now... where's your Eastern Washington pride?

-Ben M. (Kennewick Man)

 

[OE2X]

1. Only put as much air into the suit to keep warm and to keep from being squeezed too hard.

2. Use your BCD exactly for that purpose. There is way more air shift in a DS than in your BCD. When you dive in warmwater, you will still being controlling your buoyancy the same way.

3. At the first hint that your feet are getting "lite" angle up and vent your suit.

4. See tip number 3.

5. If you are a guy, get a PValve installed. You will be much happier.

6. Dry gloves are awesome. Don't use black ones. They are hard to see for hand signals.

7. If your suit doesn't have thigh pockets get some put on. Don't put them on the front of your thighs as they create more drag there. Don't get the Zippered ones. If you are using drygloves you will find these to be a PITA.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

With a dry suit, there is no compression at depth like standard neoprene, so the buoyancy characteristics of the material don't change.

That's true in tri-lam or compressed/crushed neoprene. Regular neoprene drysuits compress just like wet suits.

In line with OE2Xs point on buoyancy control, I took adv nitrox with a guy who was fresh to drysuit and doubles but decided he would use the suit for BC per something he read on the internet.

Double 100s and a slung stage bottle dropped him to the bottom of the pool like a rock, although he was adding air to the suit all the way down he just couldn't counteract the negative weight of his kit.

Shortly after landing tanks first on the bottom, with an audible thud, he reached the point of equalization in his suit, exceeded in fact so that in his turtle position and low center of gravity all the air rushed into his legs and jettisoned him back to the surface flippers first.

 

[Firecracker]

In line with OE2Xs point on buoyancy control, I took adv nitrox with a guy who was fresh to drysuit and doubles but decided he would use the suit for BC per something he read on the internet.

Double 100s and a slung stage bottle dropped him to the bottom of the pool like a rock, although he was adding air to the suit all the way down he just couldn't counteract the negative weight of his kit.

Shortly after landing tanks first on the bottom, with an audible thud, he reached the point of equalization in his suit, exceeded in fact so that in his turtle position and low center of gravity all the air rushed into his legs and jettisoned him back to the surface flippers first.

That would have been FUNNY !!

 

[mozz]

simong6,

there are a wealth of facts already posted in this thread that will help you greatly. the only additional bit of info i can add is to practice. i found it extremely helpful to take my new setup in a pool and in open water and practice till i felt comfortable. as you become more familiar with your ds it will only make you appreciate the suit that much more.

 

[simong6]

Shortly after landing tanks first on the bottom, with an audible thud, he reached the point of equalization in his suit, exceeded in fact so that in his turtle position and low center of gravity all the air rushed into his legs and jettisoned him back to the surface flippers first.

they made me do that

that was the most fun part about the dry suit!!!

they held my hands down, inflated the DS, pushed my feet up and let go of my hands, i had to then correct my position then expel the air from the suit

whats the PValve?
Or is the image that i have in my head correct?

 

[CIBDiving]

Hey, now... where's your Eastern Washington pride?

-Ben M. (Kennewick Man)

Right where it belongs. I've been to moses lake - I raced motocross there in the '70s.

I'm "from" pasco ( 16 mi north actually) and the farther From I get, the better I like it.

 

[bradshsi]

whats the PValve?
Or is the image that i have in my head correct?

It's exactly what you think it's for

It's a one way valve fitted in the drysuit that allows the (male) user to urinate via a piece of rubber tubing and a condom catheter attached to his member.

The only other alternatives for long dives (and the only choices for the fairer sex), are Depends or keeping your legs crossed

I don't have one in my drysuit, but then again I don't do deco diving and I only have an HP 80 tank. So short of drinking 5 gallons of water before a dive, I'm safe...

 

[OE2X]

So short of drinking 5 gallons of water before a dive, I'm safe...

Five gallons? Me thinks if you did that, you would have a haloclyne between your fins for the dive.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

they made me do that

that was the most fun part about the dry suit!!!

Yeah but this was a tech class, its ok in drysuit class. It took 3 men and a boy to right him with all the kit he was wearing.