Drysuit training day tomorrow

[Mitchell Teeters]

I continually forget about my backplate. I'm using 24lbs including the plate with my 100g garment. HTH

 

[dv]

My instructor seemed to think that 28 lbs was enough. I felt the buoyancy was right, and I had enough weight to keep me down at 10 ft, with an AL80 tank at ~500 PSI. I think it's close to right, but i just feel a bit vacuum packed.
I am using a 2-layer polartec fleece garment 250g each layer, and my drysuit is an Edge drysuit (bilam shell type). I'm also not using a BP/W setup. It's just a regular back inflate BCD.

 

[TSandM]

28 pounds with a two layer fleece, an aluminum tank, and a standard BC may be the minimum you can carry. A lot of us find that adding a couple of pounds from there allows a little more air in the suit for mobility and warmth. Of course, the downside is that you have to manage that bubble (keep it out of your feet!). But I also found that, if I parsed my weight too closely, it could be very challenging to get that last few molecules of air out of the suit to hold a stop comfortably, and having a bit more weight made it less critical to get the suit squeezed down tight. And of course, if there is ever a time that you don't want to be shrinkwrapped and cold, it's at the end of the dive!

BTW, I use a total of 31 lbs of ballast with a single LP95 tank. I dive either the Whites MK3 or the 4th Element Halo.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

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 ----------

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..

Mind if I ask what kind of suit this is ... or perhaps what type of boots you're using? I had a similar issue with my Santi suit when I got it and couldn't trace down where the leak was coming from. Turns out it had to do with how the seams were sealed at the toe of the boot. They couldn't fix it at the factory either, and ended up replacing the boots. The replacement boots have been working fine for over a year now ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[dv]

My suit is an Edge drysuit. It's got soft boots on it. I got the suit back from my LDS. He was able to easily find it by inflating the suit while plugging the seals, and then using some soapy water in a spray bottle. Aquaseal over the hole... done.

I've decided to not send the suit back until I see how it does on the weekend. I think the fix will hold up, and I just don't want to be out of a suit waiting months for a new/fixed one. Mind you if it leaks this weekend, it's going back right away, and I am giving up on drysuits altogether.

So far, i'm not impressed with diving dry. I hope it gets better.

Mind if I ask what kind of suit this is ... or perhaps what type of boots you're using? I had a similar issue with my Santi suit when I got it and couldn't trace down where the leak was coming from. Turns out it had to do with how the seams were sealed at the toe of the boot. They couldn't fix it at the factory either, and ended up replacing the boots. The replacement boots have been working fine for over a year now ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

My suit is an Edge drysuit. It's got soft boots on it. I got the suit back from my LDS. He was able to easily find it by inflating the suit while plugging the seals, and then using some soapy water in a spray bottle. Aquaseal over the hole... done.

I've decided to not send the suit back until I see how it does on the weekend. I think the fix will hold up, and I just don't want to be out of a suit waiting months for a new/fixed one. Mind you if it leaks this weekend, it's going back right away, and I am giving up on drysuits altogether.

So far, i'm not impressed with diving dry. I hope it gets better.

It definitely gets better. I dived wet for nearly a year before going dry (about 130 dives) ... my first six dives in a drysuit had me thinking I'd just sell the damn thing and go back to diving wet. The next six convinced me that I'd made the right choice. Now at about 3,000 dives, I wouldn't even consider a wetsuit for cold water diving.

Stick with it ... you'll be glad you did ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[rhwestfall]

My instructor seemed to think that 28 lbs was enough. I felt the buoyancy was right, and I had enough weight to keep me down at 10 ft, with an AL80 tank at ~500 PSI. I think it's close to right, but i just feel a bit vacuum packed.
I am using a 2-layer polartec fleece garment 250g each layer, and my drysuit is an Edge drysuit (bilam shell type). I'm also not using a BP/W setup. It's just a regular back inflate BCD.

For fresh water, I am at 28# with a DUI Crushed Neoprene & Bare CT200 undergarment & lofty booties, with an AL80. 6# of BP, 4+4 in trim pockets, 7+7 in a weight harness. Its "close" as I sink pretty quick off the surface, but the final 10' on the way up needs to go fairly carefully..... (also, adding gaiters was a dream come true experience - dropped ankle weights by using them)

 

[RonFrank]

You are new to diving and new to drysuits. It will take some dives to become comfortable. Give it 30 dives, IOW more than your total dive history, and then report back.

When you are warm and comfortable and everyone diving wet is freezing and canceling their dives you really appreciate dry. Me and my buddy were diving S CA dry, everyone else on the boat was wet. We were doing hour long dives everyone else was freezing and doing 30 minutes (50F water). Some cancelled their third dive. We did 3 hours of diving. They did one hour to hour and a half, and we were warm the whole time and they were cold. We all paid the same rate but who got the most enjoyment? No less than 6 divers were talking about going dry after that day. Its not just the diving but the comfort during SI's as well.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

Dv don't give up. I LOVE diving dry. Give it a chance. Like said above it really huts home when you are warm and others are not.

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[ddmattos]

I only dive dry (Santi E-Lite). Love it! Anywhere in the world.
I don't own a wetsuit.

My buddy owned a wetsuit, bought a DUI trilam drysuit.
He sold his wetsuit.