Drysuit diving - continual issues with air in legs/feet.

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joshua.d.vise

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Messages
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Location
South Korea
# of dives
25 - 49
Hi all,
Just completed my first pool dive for the drysuit specialty. We used a wing bcd with it, which was a first for me.

I found that if I got horizontal (as we should when at the bottom) the legs and feet would fill with air as I kicked, slowly at first and then more quickly as time went on. I had to do several roll outs just to overcome it during the course of the training. I think with a wetsuit my legs would naturally bend at the knee so my feet would be slightly elevated, but I'm not sure I could hold my legs perfectly straight for the whole of a dive in a drysuit, either from habit or inflexibility. Also, using the wing bcd kind of kept me from being able to get my feet slightly under me to let the air back into the body as the dive went on, at least it seemed like it (as I said, I've never used one before). It had a heavy weighted backplate that would be good for weighting, but may have also made it harder to get my feet lower than my body. Again, that was just the feeling I had, as I am completely inexperienced with a wing bcd and a drysuit.

So, I guess my question is, what should I be doing to correct this? Is it solely a posture issue? Is it possible that too much or too little air in the bcd is throwing me off? Is it the bcd type? Add more weights? Any tips will be most welcome!
 
You need to give more details about the setup:
  • Is the drysuit yours or a rental?
  • Is it custom fitted to your measurements?
  • Do you use the drysuit for buoyancy or the wing and minimal air in the drysuit
  • Which organisation are you doing the class with?
If the drysuit is not custom fitted, it is possibly that the legs are just too big so they will accumulate too much air.

You probably won’t be able master this in the scope of a single class: but one way to alleviate a drysuit that is too large at the legs is to use the drysuit with only enough air to not be squeezed, I.e. add enough air only to have the flexibility and use the wing for buoyancy.

If you feel too much air in your feet, you can dump air by doing this:
  • Raise yourself out of trim with the shoulder dump up by rolling on the side, the shoulder dump will be the highest point of your suit if you keep the arm down
  • Extend your legs and lock them straight, be slightly heads up trim
  • Probably you’ll need to exhale to not go up, especially if you are at a shallow depth
  • Hold for like 3-5 seconds, you should hear and feel the gas coming out of the drysuit dump, it may take some time for the air to migrate from the legs to the dump
You can ask maybe your instructor to show you? It’s a bit hard to do at the beginning and it takes a few dives before to use a drysuit comfortably.
 
Wouldn't this problem be one of the main focuses of any drysuit specialty?

Definitely, I did the specialty with a drysuit from the shop and it was way too large.

I had the following issues during the class:
  • Legs would get very floaty since I have skinny legs and the rental drysuit was cut for a normal person
  • I would constantly leak a bit of water in my neck so I would get more and more negative
It was much easier when I owned my drysuit … also I was not able to dump at will until I practiced after the class, took me about 10 more dives before I could get a clue of what’s going on and maybe 10 more to feel comfortable (but I am maybe a slow learner 😂)

Also the PADI class teaches to use the drysuit as buoyancy, because it’s easier to use only one device for buoyancy. I found it harder than to use the drysuit with minimal gas, once I got my drysuit. (I can do both now since I practiced both)

For now, IMHO, OP should stick with whatever the instructor teaches (use drysuit for buoyancy for example) and later on, when he’s more proficient, he can try different things.
 
In addition to all of the above, undergarments will play a role. Pools have a tendency to be warm, so maybe you’re not wearing much under the suit. That makes it more like a big bag and lets air wander around. With a proper undersuit that air will be more trapped and properly distributed around.
 
There are also gaiters that will keep the drysuit snug around your lower legs.
I use gaiters as my legs are skinny and they work fine for me and I am in the same trim and position as I would be wearing a wetsuit.

Ankle weights are not the solution and create more problems IMHO.
 
some things it could be.....you may be over weighted (leads to too much air in suit, you could have an improperly fitted suit (too baggy), or even a slightly stuck inflate valve (allowing air to enter the suit when it shouldn't).

pls do not use ankle weights as was suggested above. this is a bandade fix that many of us learned the hard way is not the solution. find the source of the problem and correct it.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone! Keep it coming!

I'm doing the PADI drysuit course. I did use a rental, and I do have relatively skinny legs, so I really like the idea of gaiters as well as thicker garments that can trap the air. I don't mind a tighter fit, so minimal air may be the way to go as well, provided its safe. Probably I should be proactive and start to draw my legs under me earlier and vent air before I notice it, at least while I am first learning.

Regarding gaiters, does it need to be a special item, or would something like an elastic knee band (like the type runners might use at the gym) do enough to minimize airflow into the feet?

You've all given me a lot of things to ask my instructor about directly before our next dive. It is incredibly helpful. I appreciate it.
 
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