Drysuit Squeeze

[scubakat]

Ok... so I put several dives on my new drysuit this weekend, LOVE IT!!! IT's FABULOUS! but I am having one little problem. I tend to dive in a slightly head down/feet up attitude to keep my fins from stirring up the silt too much. In that posture I get plenty of air in my legs & feet to relieve the squeeze, but my chest & arms are squeezed & cold. If I inflate enough to take the squeeze off of my upper body I feel like I have too much air in the suit to be in control. How do you find the happy medium? Any hints or tips? Also... my exhaust valve is at my left wrist & I leave it all the way open.

-kate

 

[Lost Yooper]

Greetings,

The only real way to avoid it is to swim horizontal, or ignore the squeeze in the chest. If you try to add air to alleviate the squeeze in the chest, the air will always go to the highest point in the suit.

When I get to my desired depth, I add enough air to the suit to relieve the squeeze and leave it alone (unless I go deeper). I can swim feet up as if going head first into a ships hold or feet down if coming up through a hole and rarely touch the inflator. If I'm swimming along, I swim horizontal.

Remember that the more you touch the inflator, the more air you use -- obviously. It might take you 40+ dives to get relatively use to your dry suit. Everyone goes through those problems at first. Don't worry, it will come.

Good luck.

Mike

 

[Frog]

I agree with LY and would like to add something. Scubakat, this is a very common problem with dry suits that are bought "off the peg" and also with custom suits to some extent (having baggy legs). You can do as LY said and just add enough air to stop the suit sqeeze and thereafter use your BCD for fine tuning. Or you can buy ankle weights or try gator wraps which are tied around your lower legs to stop excess air getting to that area. I would only go with the ankle weights as a last resort, perhaps you should try using gators first if what LY suggested doesnt work.

 

[Lost Yooper]

I use ankle weights, but some don't.

Mike

 

[boydski]

Hi Kate,

We wear Rock Boots and Ankle weights to help with the horizontal trim. I generally swim with my fins/feet up, but my knees slightly lower than my chest, and the air seems to stay near my torso, where I want it.

Some of the divers I dive with use Gaiters ( I think they are made by Dive Rite ), that wrap around the lower leg and keep air from migrating into their feet. A couple of the more techie types swear by them.

Good Luck,

Boydski

 

[scubakat]

Thanks all, I would rather not use ankle weights. I find that I tire more easily with them, and I use Rocket fins that are negative. I may investigate the gators, but first I'll work on getting more horizontal. It's not that I get too much air in my legs & feet, it's that I don't get enough in my torso & arms.

-kate

 

[SubMariner]

Like boydski I use Rock Boots and find they almost act like gators themselves; they keep my feet float-free. AAMOF, I haven't used ankle weights since I started using my DUI.

Most Instructors I know (including myself & Pearce) tend to use our suits for buoyancy control underwater and the BC on the surface simply because the fewer the number of airspaces you have to worry about underwater, the better off you are. We're firm believers in KISS. PLEASE, NO BIG DISCUSSION ON THIS, OKAY? YOU SAY POTAYTO AND I SAY POTAHTO... eh?!

As for anti-silting techniques, you can avoid stirring it up simply by keeping your knees bent a bit and doing some sculling with the fins; you don't neccesarily have to keep in the head down/feet up position because, as you've already noted, this tends to shift air around a bit too much.

BTW, if you are having a bit of squeeze problem in the arms you might want to consider going to a long sleeved garment under your suit. I tend to favour long sleeved t-shirts and leggings if the water's "warm" enough.

Like any new piece of equipment, it will take you time to learn how to use the suit properly. Don't be discouraged! You're still on a "learning curve", is all.

DSDO,

~SubMariner~

 

[scubakat]

Thanks for the encouragement Submariner. I do wear a long-sleave thinsulate undergarmet. It keeps me warm if I am not squeezed too much. I am getting better at it on every dive.

-kate