Drysuit training day tomorrow

[TSandM]

XS-NRG, I spoke only from my own experience and from my experience with students and with mentoring. There is no question that it is quite possible to go into a feet-up position in a dry suit and remain entirely stable. (I spent an entire dive with Uncle Pug, trying to learn how to swim in that position!) But if you get feet up because you're overly buoyant and trying to swim down, you may manage it, or, especially if you are using TurboSoles or attached boots, you may kick your feet out of your footgear and be rendered helpless.

I still think the advice to a new dry suit diver to get those floaty feet DOWN is good advice. You can fine tune it as you get better, but having ridden a couple of students to the surface when their dry suits got away from them, I'd rather see some silt.

 

[dv]

Congrats! So, out of curiosity, did they teach bouyancy with DS or BC (like I had to ask)?

My instructor echoed most of what was said here in the forums about this, but in the end, I didn't use my BCD much anyway because relieving the squeeze was for the most part, keeping me neutrally buoyant.

I think what I want to do is practice getting air out of the DS as much as possible, so I will probably stick to the DS-only method until I feel I've got it.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2012 at 08:56 AM ----------

Is this a brand new suit, or a used one? If the former, send it back and have the manufacturer deal with the boot leak.

If the latter, take the suit home. Put something in the wrist and neck seals to block them -- you can use homemade clamps (so long as they have a large, smooth compression surface) or use something to obturate the seals. I use water or pop bottles for the wrists, and I had a nice cover to an awful antique clock that worked in neck seals, until Peter broke it. Anyway, block the seals and blow the suit up, and then spray a dilute detergent solution all over the boot and all the seams where the boot meets the suit. You should be able to find the leak, and decide whether Aquaseal will deal with it. I've had integrated boots crack where my finkeepers compressed them, and a good coating of Aquaseal solved the problem indefinitely.

My instructor is going to see what he can do to fix (He owns a shop as well) it. The problem with sending it back is that I have nothing else to wear, and the dive season has just started. I'll probably be out of a suit for 8 weeks I am guessing. I think you are right TSandM, it will likely be a small application of aquaseal that will do the trick. It was a slow leak for sure and the water seemed to be coming in at my toes.

Part of me wants to send it back to the MFG though, on the principal though. No brand new drysuit should be leaking..

 

[RTee]

DV...my first inclination would be to send it back to the MFG as it is not acceptable for a brand new suit. Perhaps your instructor has a loaner you could use meanwhile. I purchased mine two years ago and I received it just in time for my ice diving course. First dive, small leak in the thigh area...hummmm. Did the second dive and when I returned back home I flipped it inside out. There was a very small hole due to manufacturing defect. I took pictures, sent them to the LDS (Montreal) and was directed to just send it back using their Purolator code as I had a new one on order that showed up two or three weeks later at my door in Ottawa. I do not think it should take 8 weeks to get a replacement DS, I stress a replacement DS and not just send it back so they can fix it and then return it to you. You will have plenty opportunities to puncture it yourself in the future.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

No brand new drysuit should be leaking..

I feel your pain, I'm about to send my 4 month old suit back in. They say they will be getting it right back. uh-huh we'll see. I'm diving it a lot at the quarry I'm working part time at, either as an insta-buddy or working on stuff in the quarry. I would not want to dive wet right now as much as I'm in the water right now.

 

[dv]

I think I might need more weight. Should the amount of squeeze be impairing your movements at all? ie. Spreading legs, bending knees, bending elbows, etc? Should it feel about as restrictive as say a wetsuit?

I'm getting neutral fairly well, but I'm still dealing with a good squeeze. I am definitely wary of adding more air to the suit than is necessary, but I'm not sure how to recognize the sweet spot of correct weighting.

I was 18 lbs in my 7mm full suit last year with an AL80. With the drysuit, I am currently at 28 lbs, same tank.

 

[flots am]

I think I might need more weight. Should the amount of squeeze be impairing your movements at all? ie. Spreading legs, bending knees, bending elbows, etc? Should it feel about as restrictive as say a wetsuit?

I'm getting neutral fairly well, but I'm still dealing with a good squeeze. I am definitely wary of adding more air to the suit than is necessary, but I'm not sure how to recognize the sweet spot of correct weighting.

I was 18 lbs in my 7mm full suit last year with an AL80. With the drysuit, I am currently at 28 lbs, same tank.

It's going to be less "free" than a wetsuit, but definitely shouldn't feel like it's crushing you.

Also, if you're not horizontal, no amount of weight will take the squeeze off your legs.

flots

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Dv, I'm not an expert by any means but I know what I feel when I'm wearing my DS. I have seen and felt a difference when I was wearing or not wearing my wicking garments. It seems like the material of the suit will slide more easily over my skin when I have the nylon on. But the long and short of it is if you are not comfortable try something else.

That seems like a lot of weight comparatively speaking. Is that 7mm a farmer john or one piece? If it is a farmer john I could see that weight increase, but not for a one piece.

 

[flots am]

I was 18 lbs in my 7mm full suit last year with an AL80. With the drysuit, I am currently at 28 lbs, same tank.

28LBs is entirely possible. I dive with 36 with my heaviest underwear.

One way to tell is to have someone look at you underwater and see if there's a bunch of air moving around as you change positions.

It's pretty much impossible to tell over the internet.

flots.

 

[XS-NRG]

I was 18 lbs in my 7mm full suit last year with an AL80. With the drysuit, I am currently at 28 lbs, same tank.

Funny how you aren't the only person experiencing the 10 pound rule. Switching from wet to dry usually adds 10 pounds and there's a 10 pound difference between salt and fresh too. I was at 48 lbs salt dry and 38 fresh dry.

 

[ddmattos]

What did your instructor say about your weighting? I remember my first few dives in a drysuit and asking my instructor for more weight and was denied. He was right.

What type of undergarments are you using exactly? Some undergarments require more air than others. I noticed a big difference when I switch from the Whites MK2 to the Fourth Element Arctic. The Arctic has more stretch, slides easier in the suit, and does't require much air to keep me warm.

You should feel comfortable though with any undergarment you choose. You probably do this already but if not try the following. When you purge the air from the suit before you put on you harness reach for the sky. If you feel you can't stretch let a little air in via a finger in your neck seal. Then reach for the sky again. Getting the suit set correctly before getting in the water is important. Also, when descending and getting horizontal, stretch your arm and legs out again. Always be aware of how your suit is set on you body. I hope this makes sense.

I also keep the wing inflator hose in my left hand over the drysuit inflator button while descending so I can add short bursts of air to both while keeping my eye on buddy/team and wrist mounted computer (depth) at the same time.

I had trouble with trapped air in the beginning (still do at times) because when I felt I was horizontal, I wasn't. This also made it difficult to get the air out of the wing via the rear dump. I second getting a buddy to help you get into trim so you can get that sight picture in memory and to see if you have any bunched material. If you can, have him take some video for you to review. Hovering a few inches over a flat bottom/platform will give you a trim indication as well.

Add weight as needed, but don't be surprised if you need less weight as you get more comfortable in the water in your new drysuit. With this being said, when you start adding hefty weight, seek advice from a trusted instructor to review first hand your setup.

Santi E-Lite with fourth element zerotherm and arctic layered, using more than 18lbs (including backplate) for steel single tank and 6lbs for steel doubles would worry me. But everyone is different.