Drysuit for Lift

[Rainer]

I understand that DIR recommends against dual bladder wings *in part* because a drysuit can function as the redundant means for getting the rig up (I assume this is only ever an issue when the rig is unbalanced for whatever reason and cannot simply be swum back up, or in case stops must be held, etc). Just curious, then, how much lift does a drysuit have? Has anyone had an experience where their wing completely failed and they had to rely on their drysuit? Does this work with doubles, etc? Thanks!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The amount of lift a dry suit has will vary with the suit and user. What material is your suit? How big is it? Straight lifting capacity only considered my buddy's xxl will have more lift than my medium simply to due volume of air held. I have not experienced having to use my suit in the event of a bc failure. Hope I never do. But it does make a good argument for diving a balanced rig.

 

[Rick Inman]

I practiced this recently in a set of doubles with 2 stages and it was no big deal, except I did discover a failure point in my drysuit. My neck seal is too lose, and air leaked too easily from the back of my neck.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I understand that DIR recommends against dual bladder wings *in part* because a drysuit can function as the redundant means for getting the rig up (I assume this is only ever an issue when the rig is unbalanced for whatever reason and cannot simply be swum back up, or in case stops must be held, etc). Just curious, then, how much lift does a drysuit have? Has anyone had an experience where their wing completely failed and they had to rely on their drysuit? Does this work with doubles, etc? Thanks!

Had to use my drysuit for lift recently ... not to ascend, but to remain on the surface once I was there. Later discovered that my inflator hose had a crack in it that was preventing the wing from retaining any air.

The biggest limitation will be neck seal retention ... typically you won't need to put much air in your suit before it decides to exit at the neck seal. This can produce a mild degree of discomfort as your drysuit turns into a wetsuit ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Rainer]

The biggest limitation will be neck seal retention ... typically you won't need to put much air in your suit before it decides to exit at the neck seal. This can produce a mild degree of discomfort as your drysuit turns into a wetsuit ...

If many drysuit neck seals will open when inflating the drysuit enough to compensate for a bum wing, resulting in a flooded drysuit, doesn't this negate the use of the drysuit for lifting you and the rig?

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

If many drysuit neck seals will open when inflating the drysuit enough to compensate for a bum wing, resulting in a flooded drysuit, doesn't this negate the use of the drysuit for lifting you and the rig?

It's unlikely that the entire drysuit would flood under those circumstances. Mostly what you will get out of it is a "damp suit" (i.e. waterlogged undergarments). The suit should still be able to hold plenty of gas, though - both for warmth and buoyancy.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

It's unlikely that the entire drysuit would flood under those circumstances. Mostly what you will get out of it is a "damp suit" (i.e. waterlogged undergarments). The suit should still be able to hold plenty of gas, though - both for warmth and buoyancy.

That is correct ... mostly you'll get a nice, "V" shaped wet spot from shoulders to crotch ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

That is correct ... mostly you'll get a nice, "V" shaped wet spot from shoulders to crotch ...

The other key issue here, of course, is choosing the correct undergarments and inflation gas. Thinsulate will wick a certain amount of moisture away from the skin, and as a result tends to work better at maintaining body warmth when wet. And it probably goes without saying, but anything with cotton in it should be avoided.

Argon is the preferred suit gas when diving helium-based mixtures, and/or in extremely cold conditions. Inflating with back gas should be reserved for Nitrox mixtures (including Air) and temperate waters only.

 

[*Floater*]

Is using a drysuit as backup buoyancy DIR or not?

I know a lot of people say it is, but IIRC GI3 was not of that opinion in DIR 2004. He advocated diving a balanced rig instead.