Dry Suit - First Dive

[torbaydiver]

I was advised to buy ankle weights, being told this would probably be the best piece of equipment I ever brought, but I never really noticed any benefit (0.5 kg each).
If I get floaty feet now I just fin down and then let some air out of my suit and compensate with my BCD, problem solved !
It will take some time to get used to diving with a drysuit, it's taken me about eight dives to get my control and confidence back underwater.
But it's great to be able to get into the sea without that cold water feeling trickling inside your semidry!

 

[spurtill]

ankle weights serve more as a psychological benefit than anything else. You calm down a bnit because they are there when you are learning, but their actual benefit is VERY limited.

I'd get them for piece of mind but don't expect them to make a huge difference.

S

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Ankle weights are training wheels! How many times did I hear that before and just after I got my drysuit. I fought like heck for 8-10 dives because I'm a good diver and I don't need no stinking training wheels.

But I couldn't get my trim right. I like to be fin-tips up gliding along the bottom, looking under rocks and into nooks and crannies. So after one particularly frustrating dive I strapped on a pair of ankle weights (1 lb each) and whether the result is psychological or real I don't know, but guess what I DON'T CARE. Instantly my trim returned to me and I could ascend without going feet up. It's not being at depth that is difficult it is the nice slow ascent, you know that time in your dive when it is most important to be in control. I found that it was difficult to keep my feet level and work the air up to my exhaust valve without the weights on my ankles. Now is there too much weight you could strap to your ankles, definately. I think 2.5 lb per ankle would be way too much for me. But depending on the weight you carry and how you carry it YMMV, it's all about balancing yourself to get horizontal in the water.

Sure ankle weights are training wheels, but I'm in training with this dang drysuit. I plan on wearing them another few months, make it an even 6 months probably. The dive buddies I know who are so aghast at someone wearing ankle weights are the ones who grossly overweighted their ankles and ended up rototilling everywhere they went. That's bad, mmkay? Wearing just enough weight to keep your legs with you on the ascent eases the exhaust drill and helps keep you in control. Once you get the body posiitoning down to control the suit (as it seems at times to have a mind of its own to me) you can adjust your weight down, probably lose the ankle weights, trim some off the belt, etc.

 

[MCD]

for all your advises and experiences. Now I'm feeling like cd_in_SeaTac, that my suit as a mind of is own. It was the first dive, but that made me angry. I´m a RD and begining my DM next January, so I should now better.
I didn´t say before. I live in Portugal, near Lisboa, and most of my dives are at Sesimbra, Fonte da Telha , Portinho Arrábida, Algarve,Azores. Next year I´d like to go to Mozambique.

And Redshift, thanks for your words. I 'm also registered at forum-mergulho. My nick is MC.

As you all said, lots of practice... The people I know that take the course, they said that the main thing, is practice, practice.
For now, my next dives will be at max. 12/15 mt deep. Till I control it better. Please send everything you know about this matter.
Have nice dives

Constance