This is nonsense
Dry suit for freediving?
- Thread starter Adi das
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I have discovered a new hero ! BRT
next time use capital letters !
THIS IS NONSENCE !
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Lets review a wee bit of dive history;
Long before diving became a popular activity diving was concentrated in SoCal,
Initially no thermal protection--just a bathing suit
Then WW11 surplus items came in to use --long underwear, GI sweaters, wool flight suits with the wiring removed
( Will attempt to find my article published 25 or so years ago "You cant go home again" and post)
Bill Barada, LA co UW Instructor and a LA Co fireman developed the first successful dry suit in 1940s and marketed it as "Bel Aqua' (the company is still in business ..).
Divers had a choice of using a combination of all three of the above. Many migrated to the Barada Bel Aqua dry suit. It was used for free diving (aka snorkeling) spearfishing and critter taking. There was no one or a board of experts who would inform them they couldn't free dive in a dry suit.
In 1950s Hugh Bradner and Willard Bascom serendipitously discovered the principle of the wet suit in San Diego California. It was shared with the swimmers panel of the National Security council and declared a secret project do to the Korean conflict ( which I call Korean WAR)
In mid 1950s, after the shooting ceased the wet suit was declassified and Hugh established a company called EDCO to manufacture wet suits. Soon the previous three listed thermal protection methods fell by the way side in favor or a wet suit.
About 20 years ago dry suits began appearing in the divers armentarium and many divers began switching to a dry suit ...Now the dry suit has almost replaced the wet suit
Yes you can free dive in a dry suit but all air needs to be expelled from the suit.
Perhaps you are familiar with Millers law of bubbles? It states "Air is composed of bubbles and bubbles always find a way to the highest point to reach the surface."
While on the beach or boat squat down expel as much air as possible via a neck or a wrist seal.
Enter the water -- recall Millers law of bubbles,
While on the surface turn on a side, allow all the residual bubbles to rise to the top arm and very quickly open the arm seal expressing all the residual bubbles, then begin diving .
Always has worked for me
Sam Miller, 111
next time use capital letters !
THIS IS NONSENCE !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lets review a wee bit of dive history;
Long before diving became a popular activity diving was concentrated in SoCal,
Initially no thermal protection--just a bathing suit
Then WW11 surplus items came in to use --long underwear, GI sweaters, wool flight suits with the wiring removed
( Will attempt to find my article published 25 or so years ago "You cant go home again" and post)
Bill Barada, LA co UW Instructor and a LA Co fireman developed the first successful dry suit in 1940s and marketed it as "Bel Aqua' (the company is still in business ..).
Divers had a choice of using a combination of all three of the above. Many migrated to the Barada Bel Aqua dry suit. It was used for free diving (aka snorkeling) spearfishing and critter taking. There was no one or a board of experts who would inform them they couldn't free dive in a dry suit.
In 1950s Hugh Bradner and Willard Bascom serendipitously discovered the principle of the wet suit in San Diego California. It was shared with the swimmers panel of the National Security council and declared a secret project do to the Korean conflict ( which I call Korean WAR)
In mid 1950s, after the shooting ceased the wet suit was declassified and Hugh established a company called EDCO to manufacture wet suits. Soon the previous three listed thermal protection methods fell by the way side in favor or a wet suit.
About 20 years ago dry suits began appearing in the divers armentarium and many divers began switching to a dry suit ...Now the dry suit has almost replaced the wet suit
Yes you can free dive in a dry suit but all air needs to be expelled from the suit.
Perhaps you are familiar with Millers law of bubbles? It states "Air is composed of bubbles and bubbles always find a way to the highest point to reach the surface."
While on the beach or boat squat down expel as much air as possible via a neck or a wrist seal.
Enter the water -- recall Millers law of bubbles,
While on the surface turn on a side, allow all the residual bubbles to rise to the top arm and very quickly open the arm seal expressing all the residual bubbles, then begin diving .
Always has worked for me
Sam Miller, 111
Last edited:
Have you ever had a problem getting the air to leave your drysuit after having descended? The problem at that point if you have ever been in a drysuit is squeeze, not too much air.
As others have mentioned, a free dive (wet) suit is the way to go. With an attached hood, a face seal that eliminates leakage and no zipper and two layers over the chest, you have a very warm wetsuit.
Note: The thid picture shows the pants in an optional configuration - with the top trimmed off- for those who don't need as much insulation and want to reduce weighting requirements.
Yamamoto 3D Reef Camo 2-Piece Open Cell Wetsuit | MAKO Spearguns
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
I always look at what the pros use, and I see them using two piece freediving wetsuits, attached hoods, beaver tail, no zippers, lube up to get in, full foot long fins with socks, low volume masks.
There must be a reason they ALL use this stuff. Drysuits, argon bottles, split fins, big volume masks, ankle weights, none of this stuff belongs on a freediver or else they’d be using it.
There must be a reason they ALL use this stuff. Drysuits, argon bottles, split fins, big volume masks, ankle weights, none of this stuff belongs on a freediver or else they’d be using it.
28 words from Eric Sedletzky and my 21 year freediving career is over.
I've done variable weight freediving in a drysuit. Also ditchable weights in case of suit flood. Bad two ways: either the squeeze gets uncomfortable at depth or the weight (rock) used to pull me down gets too heavy to be manageable topside. Could do 60ft, but isn't something I enjoy. If the water is cold enough to need a drysuit, you will also need a layer of thermal insulation and that has to have air in it.
All around it isn't a good experience. Bottom times aren't long enough that a well fitted wetsuit isn't sufficient, and I'm talking down to 35 degree water. I suspect there's someone someone enjoying drysuit freediving. I didn't find it effective for me.
Cameron
All around it isn't a good experience. Bottom times aren't long enough that a well fitted wetsuit isn't sufficient, and I'm talking down to 35 degree water. I suspect there's someone someone enjoying drysuit freediving. I didn't find it effective for me.
Cameron
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EireDiver606
Contributor
Sorry I was rude. I should have shut up.
You said:
"Yeah it would be really dangerous to do it without an argon bottle. I know people who’ve tried it and they sank with their feet floating upwards, so they had to let out the air through the wrist seals and could then go back up.
They said it was scary... I can imagine. I definitely wouldn’t go freediving in a Drysuit. It’s just not practical in any way shape or form. You would have lots of drag and be extremely slow, it wouldn’t be as warm as a wetsuit is and the suit squeeze and no redundant air source are problems that CANNOT be overlooked.
If you sink in a Drysuit it can be hard to let the air out sometimes...."
When you get below the surface with a drysuit the air inside compresses and you rapidly lose buoyancy. As you drop further the suit begins to feel like shrink wrap. At some point it will shrink so tight that it will give you hickeys. Letting the air out at that point is not an issue. Floating up with your feet light is not an issue. You will sink like a rock. When you are scuba diving and get into the situation of floating feet up you cannot let air out of your wrist seals because your arms are on the opposite end of your body from your feet and the air is around your feet. You have to swim hard down until the air compresses or rotate rapidly so your head is up and you can bleed off air. In short: If you sink in a drysuit you don't need to let the air out.
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