Dry suit

[MNawman]

As mentioned earlier, I am getting all my gear for cave diving. I am now in the process of searching for a dry suit. What are your opinions on the number and placement of exhaust valves and inflator valves. I watched people dive with drysuits and they are rolling onto their backs to vent gas. They are also swimming with a sightly feet down attitude to keep air out of their legs. Is this just poor form, or is there another technique for diving caves? Thanks again for all the help!!!

 

[Jason B]

What are your opinions on the number and placement of exhaust valves and inflator valves.

One inflator on your chest (center) and one exhaust on your left shoulder. This is pretty much the standard drysuit configuration.

I watched people dive with drysuits and they are rolling onto their backs to vent gas. They are also swimming with a sightly feet down attitude to keep air out of their legs. Is this just poor form, or is there another technique for diving caves? Thanks again for all the help!!!

Bad form I'd say. Use your wing for buoyancy.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

When I did my cave class I did it in a wet suit (Florida). I used a double bladder wing for redundant lift. I recently got a dry suit, but I have not yet had an opportunity to use it in a cave. While I will admit that I am still getting the hang of the whole dry suit thing, I absolutely use the suit for warmth and the wing for bouyancy.

Mark Vlahos

 

[JimC]

Get a drysuit that fits well, with proper undies. Keep a good squeeze going, stay ahead of the dumping and after your used to it you should be able to do anything you could have in your wetsuit.

 

[karstdvr]

As mentioned earlier, I am getting all my gear for cave diving. I am now in the process of searching for a dry suit. What are your opinions on the number and placement of exhaust valves and inflator valves. I watched people dive with drysuits and they are rolling onto their backs to vent gas. They are also swimming with a sightly feet down attitude to keep air out of their legs. Is this just poor form, or is there another technique for diving caves? Thanks again for all the help!!!

Why worry about a dry suit now? I think that if you have a good wet suit,and you feel comfortable with diving it,I would stick with that. 2 things I see commonly is that: cave divers in training will be learning a lot of new skills and different gear configurations will find that adding another piece of equipment to the equation will cause task loading and diminish the learning experience. Also,when you've gotten trained and learn what type of cave diving you plan to do,then you'll be better able to make the decision on what type of dry suit you want. I have found it is better to learn how to cave dive,then add something like a dry suit,unless you have a lot of experience with it. I remember seeing an instructor who made his student go rent a wet suit once because the student showed up with a dry suit that he wasn't very comfortable with, and he was so occupied with the dry suit he couldn't do the basic skills.

 

[kuster500]

The biggest thing that will help you (strickly my opinion) is getting a drysuit with feet that fit somewhat close to yours. The feet tend to collect air if they are oversized, which is what my problem was. I did all my training in dry suit for cave, since I lived in colorado. The only other comment I will make is that diving dry in high flow systems will make you use more air, it always seems like there is so much resistance to your pull and glides. Good luck.

 

[theskull]

A cave diving dry suit should have redundant inflator valve installed in the arm pit where it will not be an entanglement hazard. The redundant vent is well advised to be installed at the ankle so it will vent during feet first buoyant ascents.

The problem is with where to place the redundant wrist seals so that they won't leak. ?? Still not sure about that one.

theskull

 

[karstdvr]

. The only other comment I will make is that diving dry in high flow systems will make you use more air, .

Low flow too. If the suit doesn't fit "wet suit" snug then you get drag resistance to kicking.

 

[GDI]

A cave diving dry suit should have redundant inflator valve installed in the arm pit where it will not be an entanglement hazard. The redundant vent is well advised to be installed at the ankle so it will vent during feet first buoyant ascents.

The problem is with where to place the redundant wrist seals so that they won't leak. ?? Still not sure about that one.

theskull

Your kidding me right?

 

[MNawman]

karstdvr, I decided to get a drysuit because I only have a shorty for tropical diving. The wetsuit I had was 14 years old and shrunk bad. I realize that the Fla caves aren't that cold, but I also plan to do some more East coast wreck diving as well as extend my diving season in So Cal. I figure on killing two birds with one stone, get the suit and about six months of practice before the class. What type of seals does everyone prefer, latex or neopreme?