Drysuit cert dive -- Near panic

[ianr33]

I dont see how a drysuit squeeze can make breathing difficult.Sure its uncomfortable but the pressure inside and outside the suit will be the same, its not as if the water pressure is "pressing your chest in" or anything.

Please correct me if I am wrong in this.

 

[ClayJar]

It's not so much the pressure as its effects on the suit.

My trilam drysuit doesn't fit me like a tent, but it's not form-fitting, either. When you descend without adding air, it can wrinkle up like a raisin, and if you keep going (and don't have good stuff under), it can pinch the living daylights out of you.

What I think happens is that first it wrinkles up, raisin style, taking up the slack into the raisin wrinkle ridges, and then as you continue to descend, the air at the base of the ridges continues to compress, pulling the fabric even more taut. Eventually, so much suit is taken up in the ridges (which have now become pterodactyl-sized wings sticking out at random), that you're basically held in a constrictor grip.

(I've felt exactly what he described. I inflated and continued the dive, but I was somewhat constricted the whole time. I couldn't add enough air to be able to readjust the suit, as I would've Polarised.)

 

[Rick Murchison]

I dont see how a drysuit squeeze can make breathing difficult.Sure its uncomfortable but the pressure inside and outside the suit will be the same, its not as if the water pressure is "pressing your chest in" or anything.

Please correct me if I am wrong in this.

Try it... then come home and explain the hickeys
Rick

 

[String]

Not being american i have no idea what a hickey is but...

I've seen the result of non equalised drysuit squeeze and have seen people complain about it being hard to breathe as a result. Also seen fairly severe bruising as a result.
In addition to this if the squeeze is bad enough its rendered them incapable of moving enough to reach their inflator to add air.

The hard to breathe isnt due to chest being pushed in, its the suit being so tight its hard for the chest to expand - no different to wearing a wetsuit thats too tight.

FWIW the above symptoms were a person at 20m (60ft in american?) with a totally unequalised suit.

 

[ianr33]

Not being american i have no idea what a hickey is but...

The hard to breathe isnt due to chest being pushed in, its the suit being so tight its hard for the chest to expand - no different to wearing a wetsuit thats too tight.

Hickey = Lovebite

That explanation makes sense.Thanks

 

[Colliam7]

Curious about why you decided to do a DS certification, before you bought your own suit. I did the certification, but only because I bought a suit. Makes me wonder if more people than I realize rent drysuits. No hidden agenda in asking the question, BTW.

Neck seals that are too tight are most unpleasant. I can see an operator not wanting to trim seals on a rental suit, hence my curiosity about the prevalence of DS renting. I have often worried about possible syncopal episodes somehow associated with carotid compression (this concern arises from how I feel when I try on a new suit, or after neck seal replacement, before trimming). But, the bottom line is tight neck seals make me feel like my head is going to explode.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Well, I wanted the specialty cert, and I wanted the experience. I am considering buying a drysuit, but that's a lot of money to invest on something I hadn't tried, first.

 

[do it easy]

The other day, I had a similar experience that I couldn't breathe underwater, but it wasn't suit squeeze. We were ice diving at the local quarry. The ice was 8" thick, but was receding from the shore, so we were able to break enough of it up that we could just walk in. Actually, we didin't do any work, but extend our gratitude to the DMs and instructors who were teaching an ice diving class.

Anyhow, after the dive, I was sitting on the ice, resting with my feet in the water. I took off my fins, hood, and mask. As I stood up to walk back to the truck, I slipped and fell right back into the hole. My wing and drysuit were nearly empty, so my steel doubles turtled me right away. I opened my eyes and everything was fuzzy, so I knew I was underwater. The slope was steep at the entry, and I could feel myself sliding down it and under the ice. I tried to right myself, but the doubles were too heavy. I realized I wasn't in the best of situatons, so I put my bungeed backup in my mouth and tried to breathe- I didn't get water, but I wasn't get much air since I was facing upwards. My situation was now only marginally better. I finally managed to flip myself over and I was able to breathe and crawl out of the ice hole. The worst part was the instant brain freeze- it felt like the water froze to my head by the time I got back to the truck. Sadly, something similar happened to me the last time, but it was because I fell in and had too much air in my drysuit- the suit wanted to float, but the tanks wanted to sink.

 

[utdivermatt]

Dang Fish, you were down there in that massive crowd too? I thought I saw you at one point, but thought to myself 'nah... ive seen him dive up in Tennessee... why would he be way down here diving?'

 

[ClayJar]

Dang Fish, you were down there in that massive crowd too?

Didn't you get the memo. *Everyone* was supposed to show up.

(Actally, I think I saw Santa...)