Drysuit Weighting.

[crispos]

Sorry for the mix-up Firebird.

Best thing to do is go to your LDS and go diving with some drysuit divers to find out what you are doing. My guess is, you are not venting the BCD and suit well enough before descent. We all have to add quite abit of air to the suit to get neutral at depth.

There is no way you should be fighting being overweight at depth. That is dangerous.

 

[Firediver]

I do dive with drysuit divers currently.. I have mostly been venting both. Lets say I have been down at 80ft, and my buddy and I decide to asent to 50, then and there I open my vent all the way, because I know I will be venting constantly from there on it. then I focus more on my BC for bouyancy. As for venting on the surface, I drain all the air out of the BC, plus I Drain again in the water.. and for the suit I crouch in water vent through the neck seal without my BC on, and again after I get it on just to make a double check. I am very picky about double checking everything...
My guess thus far is need to loose some weight and to play around a bit to see what works in a shallow depth... I was fine at 15ft with 40lbs and neutral, but when I go to 30-100' I am too heavy, so I am using alot of air in my suit and BC to get neutral....

 

[Groundhog246]

My guess thus far is need to loose some weight and to play around a bit to see what works in a shallow depth... I was fine at 15ft with 40lbs and neutral, but when I go to 30-100' I am too heavy, so I am using alot of air in my suit and BC to get neutral....

I have always aimed to be neutral at the end of a dive 500 to 700 psig at about 10 feet with no air in my BC. I'm just making the transition to a drysuit (shell) and my warm undies just arrived this week, so only time will tell re: weighting, but I'm working on similar weighting (ie no air in BC and just enough to prevent squeeze in the drysuit under the same conditions.

 

[Firediver]

When I hit my safety stop I aim for 700psi at 10-15ft. no air in my BC. and adding just enough air in my suit as well to relieve the squeeze. Have had only one incident with air in my feet which is in another thread with a heated debate heehee.. But I have 6 dives on the suit and will have another on March 27th. I am getting the feel of the suit. Just weighting.. I have reduced my weight to 37lbs from 40 and going to get a bullet(1lbs) each and add it as I need it....try 37 if to heavy 35.. thanks for all the good advice. much apprecitated.

 

[Groundhog246]

Sounds like you're getting a handle on it. Do you have/dive with your own tanks or rentals? I have 3 Catalina AL80's and an old (the "bad alloy") Luxfer AL80 and they all seem pretty similar in buoyancy characteristics. I've been told, but I've never doeve one, that the newer Luxfer are more buoyant the the end of a dive than Catalina's. Anyone? I do have a pair of LP stell 72's and I can drop 2 lbs when I'm diving them.
If you don't tanks yet, but plan on purchasing you might want to consider steel tanks. Surface weight is pretty similar for similar air capacity, but steel in denser than aluminum, so the cylinders are less buoyant.

Off topic, but where are you diving in New Brunswick in March?

 

[Firediver]

I have been mostly diving with my buddy's 72's Steel he's got three of them and I usually rent an aluminum 80. March diving here.. Deer Island point.. or anywhere in the Bay of fundy.. Scallop season here.. but also I have been diving all winter here off Deer island.. there hasn't been any ice except in sheltered areas where what isn't moving much with the tides.. mind you the water temp was -2 at depth -5 at the surface when I was out in February. Don't mind it at all. As for the weighting,, I will let you know how the 37lbs works for me.... Oh btw also diving around here in the winter time has the best visibility in the Bay of Fundy.

 

[Groundhog246]

You will definitely find you need different weighting changing from an ST72 to an AL80. I find about 2 lbs lees with the steel. I was in a local LDS today and we discussed your post (he lurks here). He confirmed what previous posters said re: neoprene drysuits. Among the issues, the neoprene compresses as you descend and by the 60 foot point you'll have lost 5 to 6 pounds of buoyancy from the compression of an average neoprene drysuit (or wetsuit for that matter). Thus you need to add that much more air than you would with a shell suit.
I'll actually take this moment to thank you for the post as it has been educational for me as I hadn't known or considered that part of a neoprene drysuit compared to a shell (I should have as I do know it applies to my wetsuit, duh).

I think vis is best during the cold months in most of Canada. Certainly true around here. I haven't been to that part of the country since the early 80's. My ex's father was born and grew up in St. Stephen and we used to visit there most summers from about '79 to '84 when we moved to Ontario. Will be heading past your area late summer to attend a wedding in PEI. Thinking we'll travel East through NS, cross on the ferry and back via the bridge. Haven't done a salt water dive yet, but hope to squeeze in a few while we're there. There a dive shop about 20 minutes from my parents place and another a bit further away that does a Wed eve "club" dive that they would let us come along.

Do you have to watch the tides pretty close to avoid doing a fast drift dive? I remember on one visit watching a guy re-launch his sailboat after painting the bottom, by driving onto the flats at low tide, unhitching the trailer and anchoring it. Parked the truck by the side of the road, then sat and had a beer until the tide rolled in and lifted him off the trailer.

 

[Firediver]

HEh... depending where you are diving, you have to watch the tide and current. At Deer Island point the drift is done one hour before low tide and the point dive is done about 2-5 min after High or low tide or you could be waiting until the current stops and sometimes it doesn't stop at all; once in you have a 40min window and that is all. If you wish to get a dive in here in NB, I suggest the Deer Island point as there is a wall that has jut outs like fingers it's a beautiful dive. Sheltered areas such as beaver harbor, tommies cove, you don't need to worry about tides. But I do recommend diving with a couple divers who have dove the point before.

As for the weighting.. I am going to play with my weights between 35-40lbs. This has been quiet the learning experience for me. For Saltwater dives in a wet suit I dive 10lbs heavier then in fresh. In the drysuit it's a whole different ball game with the weighting.. I dive again and removing some weight and see if it helps any.. see if I am working hard and using air fast. I will only use enough to relieve the compression and the rest in the BC for control. Last time I didn't add much air to my suit and I hlearned my lesson... two nice bruises later heehee. I don't change my weighting with the Al80's I haven't noticed much difference between the Stl72's and the 80's for the last month or two I have been using the Steel 72's my buddy has use the 80's maybe twice.....

Drop me a PM if your interested in diving around NB.. St. Andrews way ish I can help you arrange a dive with a few other local divers.

 

[Groundhog246]

Thnaks for the offer and I'll keep it in mind. Since we only have 1 week this year (I can't get Aug 23 to 27 off as my boss has booked a cruise already that week) and we have to be back by Sept 7 as the kids start school), I don't think we'll have the time this trip.

 

[Firediver]

No probs.. We will be doing a shark dive and dive the Sagonay in Augest.. I think the weekend of the 21st and 22 in Luninburge NS. Again thank you for the advice on weighting greatly appreciated.