dry suit weighting question

[11x]

thanks for all the input. this is kind of what i was looking for. i dive solo most of the time and i just didnt want to go in the water way over or way under weighted.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

thanks for all the input. this is kind of what i was looking for. i dive solo most of the time and i just didnt want to go in the water way over or way under weighted.

You will need to dive at least once a bit under weighted just to realize the sensation. Its not like a w/s where you can't descend, more like being vacuum packed. I ended up at +6lbs over my 7MM weight if that helps.

 

[eponym]

i dive solo most of the time and i just didnt want to go in the water way over or way under weighted.

In that case please forget I said anything in this thread.

Really, get a buddy for at least a weighting dive.

Is this your first foray into dry diving? Have you had someone run you though drysuit drills in a pool?

Just concerned about safety.

-Bryan

 

[robertarak]

Ask your drysuit instructor about proper weighting.

 

[11x]

where i dive there is a dock that i can lay my extra weight on. i will just play with it till i get it right. i am guessing about 24 lbs or so should do it. i will start there and have a few 2lb weights on the dock incase i need them. thanks for all the help.

 

[fire_diver]

You are startign out right. When I bought my drysuit I was biting at the bit to dive it. But my LDS was waiting to get more divers for the DS class. I couldn't wait. I spent days reading everything old DS thread I could research. I read the entire DS manual. I jumped in a pool and played around with weights. Then I played around with valves and just got used to everything. Eventually I went to the lake and did a bunch of shallow dives. When the class actually started, I already knew how to dive it and really didn't learn much new.

So, you can do it solo just take it slow.

 

[Akimbo]

In that case please forget I said anything in this thread.

Really, get a buddy for at least a weighting dive…

I check weight all the time solo. It is easiest off a boat, kayak, or dock; but a float works fine. It is easier in a drysuit than a wetsuit, but the procedure works for both.

1. Hang a line over the side in 6-12’ of water with a bunch of different size weights (way more than you think you will need) on separate light lines about 3’ long. Also tie-off a spare belt.

2. Weight yourself at least 10 Lbs buoyant (guess). Jump in and vent the suit to a comfortable level.

3. Pull yourself down the line and start picking up different weights until neutral. Assuming your tank is full, add the weight of the air (difference between full and empty).

4. At that point you can surface and sort out your weight, or string the weights onto the spare belt, cut the lines, and finish the dive. If you are new to the rig rather than fine tuning, it is worth stringing the belt and swimming around a while before surfacing. This lets you get a better sense of trim before organizing your weight on a more permanent basis.

5. If this is your first drysuit experience, I suggest you take advantage of the down-line in shallow water. There still should be extra lead on the line if you did it right. You can play with inverting/righting yourself, inflating and deflating the suit, and generally experiencing different ways you can screw up in a drysuit.

You can read and have people tell you about it all day long, but there is no substitute for actually experiencing screwing up in a drysuit yourself — preferably in shallow water while hanging onto a nice piece of double-braid. You will look goofy enough that you will be glad nobody is watching. Definitely make sure there isn’t anyone around with a video camera and a YouTube account!

 

[11x]

that is the plan. just kind of play with it for a while in the puddles. i asked my instructer about diving it he gave me some tips and said. have you ever been to a dui days? i said no. he said they put untrained people in drysuits all the time, just be careful and use your head. so that is the plan. just play with it till i am comfortable then start toward deeper water. i have talked to a few experienced dry divers and read alot of info. i think i got a prety good grasp on the concept. i dont tend to lose my head if things get alittle hairy i just stop and figure it out. thanks for all the info.

 

[spectrum]

Untrained divers have fiascos in dry suits all the time too. Seriously take a class or at least find a mentor. Being underwater in a drysuit is not where you want to be finding you that you don't know what you don't know.

BTW, what you describe for undergarments sounds very light if you are in anything but your mildest local shallow water. That's where a local mentor can guide you too.

Pete

that is the plan. just kind of play with it for a while in the puddles. i asked my instructer about diving it he gave me some tips and said. have you ever been to a dui days? i said no. he said they put untrained people in drysuits all the time, just be careful and use your head. so that is the plan. just play with it till i am comfortable then start toward deeper water. i have talked to a few experienced dry divers and read alot of info. i think i got a prety good grasp on the concept. i dont tend to lose my head if things get alittle hairy i just stop and figure it out. thanks for all the info.

 

[=C=]

Fwiw I'm 6"2 240 and I dive a laminate drysuit in fruit of the loom sweats, a HP100, SS backplate, with 26lbs, or double 12l's, in a heavy undergarment and thermals, can light, 4cf argon bottle, SS backplate with 8lbs...

And yea... Take a class and work with a buddy... You should know how to handle a run away inflator and what to do if your neck seal is too tight, proper seal trimming techniques, how to deal with inflated legs, etc... For a couple of bucks it's worth it...