Drysuit Floaty Feet

[Tracy]

Currently on a Singles using a Halcyon Steel Backplate + STA + 30 lb Evolve Wing, a Steel HP100. Regulators are Dive Rite XT1/XT4. Standard long hose configuration. Fins are XL Jet fins. Weights on one trim pockets and a weighted lead rod as a hose keeper on the other side.
The suit is a trilam suit and I am using the BARE SB system mid layer.

So the boots are not oversized, but there is room for my feet to slide a bit (like half an inch or .75 inches). Although, it is not as much of an issue with the Jet fins on. I had a lot of issues out in the ocean with managing my trim because my feet kept floating up (which was confusing to me because I had the heaviest fins I've ever used). In the pool, I went up a couple of times leg up from 10' which was not fun but not a deal breaker in a pool.

I only had just enough gas in the suit to prevent squeeze, so definitely not using the suit as a compensating device. I tried powering through a couple of dives in Monterey without inflating the suit at all, I either got cold or uncomfortable so that is not a sustainable option.

Sounds like you are set up pretty well. I have never seen a weighted long hose keeper, that is kind of cool.
Has your instructor given any discussion on your leg positioning? As in you may need to keep your legs more extended and less at 90 degrees.
Where is your tank in relation to the STA, can it be slid down? The valve and reg are heavy, moving them towards your center will change the leverage against your feet.
I deal with this teaching doubles a lot and that gives me a lot more leeway for different tank options and tail weights. I unfortunately don't do anything in single tank and have limited knowledge trimming it out.

 

[suricatasuricata]

Sounds like you are set up pretty well. I have never seen a weighted long hose keeper, that is kind of cool.

Yeah looks like my instructor had it custom machined. It is just an inch longer than the Halcyon delrin rod so it keeps the long hose pretty well as well. Wish I had known about it before I bought the H rod tho hah.

Has your instructor given any discussion on your leg positioning? As in you may need to keep your legs more extended and less at 90 degrees.

Yes! So the problem where all this came up is that I keep instinctively drawing my legs to 90 degrees to counteract the floatiness, which of course doesn't help because I then go head down and it messes with my trim.
He has been pushing me to extend them to help with that, but unless I am very precise about where I position them (and I still haven't built up the muscle memory for that yet), I get pulled up.

He is going to bring up an older pair of Jet Fins which are allegedly heavier today for me to try. Hopefully that will help mitigate some of these issues.

Where is your tank in relation to the STA, can it be slid down? The valve and reg are heavy, moving them towards your center will change the leverage against your feet.
I deal with this teaching doubles a lot and that gives me a lot more leeway for different tank options and tail weights. I unfortunately don't do anything in single tank and have limited knowledge trimming it out.

So when I was diving before class I had the valve and reg a lot higher and a lot closer to my head. He had them adjusted so that now it is such that I can barely touch the valve with my hand and adjust it and no more.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I know people don't like them, but have you tried gaiters? While the air is in your foot, squeezing some air out of your lower leg may help.

 

[Tracy]

Yeah looks like my instructor had it custom machined. It is just an inch longer than the Halcyon delrin rod so it keeps the long hose pretty well as well. Wish I had known about it before I bought the H rod tho hah.



Yes! So the problem where all this came up is that I keep instinctively drawing my legs to 90 degrees to counteract the floatiness, which of course doesn't help because I then go head down and it messes with my trim.
He has been pushing me to extend them to help with that, but unless I am very precise about where I position them (and I still haven't built up the muscle memory for that yet), I get pulled up.

He is going to bring up an older pair of Jet Fins which are allegedly heavier today for me to try. Hopefully that will help mitigate some of these issues.




So when I was diving before class I had the valve and reg a lot higher and a lot closer to my head. He had them adjusted so that now it is such that I can barely touch the valve with my hand and adjust it and no more.

Sounds like he is working through it with you. The older jets without the hole were heavier, but I never noticed a real difference in the water.
If playing with your leg extension allows you to fix it, that is probably where the issue lies. It takes awhile to develop that ingrained "this is what I do when I do this"
I haven't ever found anybody that truly needed ankle weights, they are typically used as a crutch to solve a skill issue. Gaiters do work if you have a poorly fitting suit (like a rental suit that is too big), but there really shouldn't be that much air in a suit for it to become an issue.

 

[suricatasuricata]

Sounds like he is working through it with you. The older jets without the hole were heavier, but I never noticed a real difference in the water.
If playing with your leg extension allows you to fix it, that is probably where the issue lies. It takes awhile to develop that ingrained "this is what I do when I do this"
I haven't ever found anybody that truly needed ankle weights, they are typically used as a crutch to solve a skill issue.

Yeah, it could be a problem that solves itself tbh. I am just a bit gun shy because I really don't want to have to deal with uncontrolled ascents "out in the wild".

Gaiters do work if you have a poorly fitting suit (like a rental suit that is too big), but there really shouldn't be that much air in a suit for it to become an issue.

I know people don't like them, but have you tried gaiters? While the air is in your foot, squeezing some air out of your lower leg may help.

I just found out about gaiters last night. The trouble is that they are rather expensive, e.g. $80 to $125 and it is not clear if they will help for sure. I am going to have to borrow some and try them. At $125, I am at 50% of the cost of replacing the boots with neoprene socks which is why I don't want to sink money into it right now.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Yeah, it could be a problem that solves itself tbh. I am just a bit gun shy because I really don't want to have to deal with uncontrolled ascents "out in the wild".





I just found out about gaiters last night. The trouble is that they are rather expensive, e.g. $80 to $125 and it is not clear if they will help for sure. I am going to have to borrow some and try them. At $125, I am at 50% of the cost of replacing the boots with neoprene socks which is why I don't want to sink money into it right now.

where are you located? If in the US, I can ship you a pair to determine if that works, as long as you agree to pay postage and ship them back, I'm happy to help you out. I'm not Liam Neelson. I don't have a special set of skills, so I hope you'll be honest.

 

[suricatasuricata]

Thanks, that is very kind of you @wetb4igetinthewater!

I just found out that a someone in my local dive club. I might be diving with them next weekend in Monterey so I will try that option out before bothering you to go through that hassle.

In the meantime, I do have at least tonight's diving to experiment with so as @Tracy pointed out, I might just fix it by playing with my leg position!

 

[Shabaday]

I haven't ever found anybody that truly needed ankle weights, they are typically used as a crutch to solve a skill issue. Gaiters do work if you have a poorly fitting suit (like a rental suit that is too big), but there really shouldn't be that much air in a suit for it to become an issue.

So Tracy is spot on with this. Like I said I used 2# ankle weights with my DUI CF200 suit...The suit also had ankle straps to snug down. As I got better skilled with the dry suit I was able to shed the ankle weights. It took me a good year I think before I no longer needed them

 

[Grey Goose]

Note that evacuating air in your feet by lowering feet below horizontal takes longer than many people think (particularly with two layers of socks). Start lowering, wait, then wait a bit longer, then wait again (have a dive plan where you add gas to feet and then move gas around and up to vent, playing with length of time your feet are down to vent). Consider too the thickness of your socks. If feet aren't cold, consider using thinner socks/1 pair (I've had good luck with Fourth Element Artic socks over a very thin pair of performance polypropylene (liner) socks).

Sounds like instructor may have gotten you to lower your tank. Ask them to check you on land and in the water to see if it needs to be lowered any more. (Given the arch in one's back, a lower tank does not necessarily mean harder to reach valves--too low yes, can't reach, but there is a spot just above this that can be a sweet spot. For some, it looks like this, high (can reach but head hits valves and leads to face plant), lower (hard to reach valves due to curvature of spine), lower still (can now reach valves, then lower (can't reach valves as too low irrespective of spine curvature).

With Fundies, great to have time (weeks if not a month or longer) between first two classes and last two classes to sort out your kit and work on establishing what you learned in first two sessions.

Best of luck

 

[runsongas]

option 2 if you plan on diving some of the harder to reach spots like butterfly/garapatta where the hike is rocky and a good hard sole rock boot comes into play

the converses/rock boots can be laced up tight to prevent too much air in the feet