Dry suits

[Col.Maniac]

Hi,
I just got my 1st dry suit on saturday ,havent had a chance to use it yet . I just want to know if anyone has had any problems using them for the 1st time? What are the pros and cons?
Thanks tony

 

[Don Burke]

Col.Maniac once bubbled...
Hi,
I just got my 1st dry suit on saturday ,havent had a chance to use it yet . I just want to know if anyone has had any problems using them for the 1st time? What are the pros and cons?
Thanks tony

I had plenty of problems. It is a new skill and requires practice.

I played with mine in the pool for a few hours and then got a chance to use it off a boat in about 15 feet of water. The boat captain and divemaster nearly split a gut laughing at me, but I got the hang of it after a while. I did quite a few feet first ascents. I still practice recovering from those.

I found it best to use very little gas in the suit. Just enough gas to keep the suit from hurting me works out best for me.

After a little while, I figured out that I could be warmer by not purging the air from the suit and going in the water with air in both the suit and wing. Once settled out on the surface, I flatten the wing and then let just enough air out of the suit to descend. On the way down, I add gas to the suit to keep the squeeze off and gas to the wing to slow my descent. From then on it's suit gas to keep squeeze off and wing gas to control buoyancy. Keeping as much of that big bubble of warm air in the suit makes me much more comfortable and once it compresses, I'm right where I would have been if I had purged the suit, but warmer.

I've tried argon and it didn't seem to help all that much. I don't think I'm making dives cold/long enough to make it worthwhile yet.

 

[Col.Maniac]

I have heard about suit squeezes, how can the suit hurt you? ( i have only been diving the last 2 months but I am still learing as i go ). I am going to do the drysuit course this month, want to get as much info as poss .
Thanks tony

 

[dlegros]

Col.Maniac once bubbled...
I have heard about suit squeezes, how can the suit hurt you? ( i have only been diving the last 2 months but I am still learing as i go ). I am going to do the drysuit course this month, want to get as much info as poss .
Thanks tony

Tony,

As air in the suit get compressed, the suit will squeeze into you, creases and seams can dig in and valves can be pressed into your body as you get shrink wrapped

I did my OW in a dry suit and ended up with a circular bruise on my chest from the inflator as I was forgetting to add air until it hurt

No I control buoyancy with the suit (let's not open that can of worms tho') and no problem.

Dom

 

[Don Burke]

Col.Maniac once bubbled...
I have heard about suit squeezes, how can the suit hurt you? ( i have only been diving the last 2 months but I am still learing as i go ). I am going to do the drysuit course this month, want to get as much info as poss .
Thanks tony

A suit squeeze is where the suit is trying to compress you. It can get pretty intense if the depth change produces enough volume change.

The suit can also pinch you when a part of your body gets caught in a fold that is being pressed flat. You'll see some people get some pretty ugly bruises that way. The better the drysuit fits and the better the garments underneath smooth your body, the less this happens.

Read up and get as much as you can out of the course. Don't be discouraged if you feel like you'll never get the hang of it. I learned pretty quickly after a few hilarious episodes and I doubt I'm unique.

 

[ABQdiver]

Col.Maniac once bubbled...
I have heard about suit squeezes, how can the suit hurt you? ( i have only been diving the last 2 months but I am still learing as i go ). I am going to do the drysuit course this month, want to get as much info as poss .
Thanks tony

If you wear the needed underwear, the suit hickeys will be less than if you wore the drysuit with shorts and a tee shirt. Depth will compress the suit and will bind you at the shoulders and underarm area the most (at least it does on me). The whole reason, IMO to wear a drysuit would be to dive comfortably in cold water conditions. So wearing a decent set of moisture wicking underwear is a must and will save you from suit hickeys even if you don't add much gas while diving.

I'm no expert with just started diving a drysuit, but taking the advise from others about adding minimum gas to the suit has served me well so far. The descents are more controlled, and it is definitely more comfortable diving "colder" waters.
Another great suggestion I've implemented from others advise is to leave the exhaust valve completely or almost completely open to minimize built-up gas in the suit. This will pretty much eliminate over inflation problems.

The classes are a good idea, as well as the practice that we all need starting something new.

Good luck, you'll love it...

 

[MASS-Diver]

Who cares about a bruise on yoru chest, a really bad squeeze will hurt a different part of your anatomy and have you speaking in a higher pitch for a while.

Take a course, it's worth while ,and, BTW make sure your neck seal isn't too or you can pass out - if it feels like it's stangling you, it is - do a search on caroid artery reflex.

Also, don't use your suit as BC, use your BC as a BC - it dumps ALOT faster and is the way to go.

One more thing...once you get the hang of it you are going to LOVE diving dry it's the best. Congrats.......now you can look down your nose at all those wet divers.

 

[Col.Maniac]

Thanks Guys,
I shall give it a try in the pool to get used to it, I got the azdry drysuit with the oceanic huggi bear undersuit (who comes up with these names ). As i live in the UK waters starting to get colder brrrr, but atleast the algi starts to die and you get better vis in winter time , so i cant wait to try it out .

Tony

P.S MASS-Diver, I still like my wetsuit but getting out of it on a cold day brrrr .

 

[MASS-Diver]

Yup, what used to get me was getting back into the suit for a second dive on a chilly day.

 

[Scottri]

Welcome to the dry side! There is no turning back. I haven't dragged the wetsuit out of the garage since I got my drysuit.