Drysuits and descents

[gcbryan]

My advice would be the same as Snowbear's. I am assuming that your drysuit vent is opened completely, that you are squating down and venting through your neckseal when you put the suit on, and when you get into the water walk out until the water is chest deep and bend down until the water is a chin level and look at your wrist as in looking at a watch. All this will be underwater (except for your head). Even give yourself a hug to remove air if necessary. If you do all this you should go down.

 

[DementialFaith]

When I descend in my drysuit, I usually orient myself so that my head is pointing upwar, then I look up so the air would escape my neckseal due to the shape of our neck muscles. This is also how I vent out my air since that dam* dump valve just never seemed to be working fast enough. Of course, a down side to this is that your neck seal might give out on ya a little sooner... though hasn't happened to me yet.

 

[String]

Raising your arm will trap air in the arm.

I love these cuff dumps - raising the arm dumps all my air

 

[WileEDiver]

You might try this technique: With the air out of your BC, use your arms to push yourself high out of the water. Then as you fall back down, exhale and go limp like a rag doll. Once you down past the first 2 feet or so, then you can start to inhale.

 

[TSandM]

Thanks, everybody, for the ideas.

I didn't explain well enough . . . when I said I raise my arm, I was using the medical term "arm" which means the upper arm; the forearm is pointed down, so the dump valve is as close to the highest point as I can manage.

I do squat and exhaust the suit after zipping it, but the idea of repeating that in chest-deep water is a good one, and I will try it.

I like the idea of bouncing up and then down to get through that first couple of feet, too. Another thing to try.

And I don't seem to have as much trouble on the second dive, so maybe this IS all nerves.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

 

[mossym]

You might try this technique: With the air out of your BC, use your arms to push yourself high out of the water. Then as you fall back down, exhale and go limp like a rag doll. Once you down past the first 2 feet or so, then you can start to inhale.

have you taught this technique?

(just kidding, he and another instructor taught my drysuit class.. )

 

[WileEDiver]

have you taught this technique?

(just kidding, he and another instructor taught my drysuit class..

)

Teach it and also use it (especially when I have to do mid-dive ascents and can't "burp" the suit as I can on land at the start of a dive) and I have some air still trapped in the suit. SO THERE!

 

[Snowbear]

You bet! what you got going this week end. I got 2 big bottles of nitrox just straining to get out. I'm supposed to rerun some of the guide lines at smitties cove one of these days but......

We could take the Whaler out of Seward on Saturday. I get off work at 9am and could meet you in Anchorage to drive down. Carr's @ Huffman is a good place to meet and to leave your car....

snowbear@scubaboard.com

 

[jbisjim]

I personally do a crouch, hug, squeeze, twist all while holding my neck seal open. I repeat this in the water, except the neck seal part, with my left shoulder up and open my valve all the way to get the last bit of air out. I then look like I am vaccuum sealed. I descend no differently with my dry suit, I always descend in the face down "sky diver" postion.

Like said above it does take practice. But its all worth it..

 

[pickens_46929]

Descents continue to be my bete noir.

{snip}

Any insights?

As strange as it may sound, visualization techniques seem to help me.

Visualize yourself sinking slowly and often times you will begin to sink.

Seems strange, but from what I can tell your body just tends to follow what the mind is thinking... eg. if you look right when driving you'll drift to the right.

Dave