Drysuit Specialty course tips?

[WillieJustice]

- being able to do the somersault is a skill you need
- also practice detaching/reattaching the inflator hose and adjusting the valve.

Otherwise, maintaining buoyancy (just practice, practice, practice) has already been addressed.

Mentally prepare your emergency procedures (e.g. what will you do if it floods and possibly gets heavy?) and get to know your drysuit well. Every suit has some quirks, e.g. water might leak in if you fold your neck cuff wrong or the gloves might be hard to attach without lube. If you're as forgetful as I am, plenty of small things will go wrong in the beginning, such as failure to fasten straps properly or entaglement issues when slipping in. Just be patient, do it during daylight and follow up on what you did wrong.

In the water, keep an eye on your trim and drag and adjust the weight distribution and fin length appropriately for maximum comfort. It's going to be different than in your wetsuit.

And of course watch the inflation level so you don't get squeezed.

And don't overinflate and get floaty feet.

 

[WillieJustice]

So true. Advice to use the BC for buoyancy and not use the suit for buoyancy may be contrary to what the instructor teaches. So, my advice would be to follow what the instructor tells you to do, learn to dive the drysuit that way, and then later if you want to learn more or differently you certainly can.

I have learned to use the suit for buoyancy. I am not great at it yet, but it is one less thing to think about.

 

[Still Kicking]

So true. Advice to use the BC for buoyancy and not use the suit for buoyancy may be contrary to what the instructor teaches. So, my advice would be to follow what the instructor tells you to do, learn to dive the drysuit that way, and then later if you want to learn more or differently you certainly can.

I would ask the instructor to explain the rationale for using the suit. If that's what they propose. If they can provide a cogent explanation then give it a try.

You might also ask to try both approaches under supervision; and see which one works best for you.

 

[The Chairman]

Now we're wondering which skills we have to go through, what is the hardest part of the course? Any good tips and tricks for beginners?

First, there is the realization that drysuits aren't. After that, learn to keep your feet down!

 

[DCN]

First, there is the realization that drysuits aren't. After that, learn to keep your feet down!

Very good points

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Put me in the "do what they instructor suggests" camp. They'll see you in a dry suit, observe you using it, and give pointers that random people on the internet can't really do.

I personally use dry suit only for buoyancy control underwater. But there are key factors to that, none of which may apply to you:

1. I'm currently diving a "shell" style suit, not standard neoprene. With my old neoprene dry suit, I used the BCD as well as the suit. Which kind of suit will you be diving? Your instructor will know.

2. I have a fair amount of diving experience with dry suits and, after 2 years, with this particular suit. I know where I want my dump valve set, I know how it affects my trim, and I know exactly how much weight I need. (Though when diving with students, I'm usually overweighted in case I need to transfer weight to them.)

3. I kind of like have a bubble in the suit that I can manipulate to tweak my trim. But that's something that only comes with experience.


I often suggest that my new dry suit divers initially just use the BCD for buoyancy (and the suit to avoid squeeze) if they're struggling. There's nothing wrong with doing that, it's really personal preference. But I also point out they can use the suit.

Either way, if you dive to 18 m/60 feet and ascend, you'll probably want to dump air from the suit. Make sure you can do this. Remember, if your suit has the standard shoulder dump valve then you need to position that valve higher than just about every other part of the suit. If you put your hand straight up, the air will just rush to your hand. Bend your elbow and get that shoulder high. Most importantly, you can't try to swim at a downward angle and try to dump air from the suit. I see more novices inadvertently start to ascend a bit, then try to dump air while at a down angle. It's just not going to work. Don't be ashamed to "go vertical" while dumping air from the suit (and BCD, as needed). It might not look as pretty as rolling slightly and getting your body (including hands and feet) lower than the shoulder, but it's effective.

 

[Still Kicking]

Reading Seaweed Doc's good advice reminds me of one thing I didn't mention earlier -- when you are in the pool or at depth, experiment with dumping air from the suit and keep your eyes on the exhaust valve. Practice the chicken wing maneuver. Practice rolling onto your right side, feet slightly down. As Doc said, before an ascent, you might want to go vertical for a minute to get most of the air in the upper part of the suit so you can dump it more readily during the ascent.

By keeping an eye on the valve, you'll learn what works for getting air out and what doesn't. Muscle memory these positions and actions so you start to do them reflexively when you need to release air on ascent.

By the way, keep the valve open all the time so you can dump as needed without having to adjust it. Air shouldn't come out of an open exhaust that's properly positioned when you are in normal trim.

 

[happy-diver]

I have learned to use the suit for buoyancy. I am not great at it yet, but it is one less thing to think about.

and as you become great and can think about everything less you can also learn to use the bc

in case a crab bites a hole in your drysuit

 

[WillieJustice]

and as you become great and can think about everything less you can also learn to use the bc

in case a crab bites a hole in your drysuit

I'm completely used to using the BC, especially in warm water. I'm not great at that yet, either. Being great at both is the goal one day. Which means lots of practice. Gosh, what a burden! I have to dive a lot for practice. Well, somebody has to do it.

 

[JoeTPhilly]

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