Drysuits Rock - Plus Some Questions

[NSDiver]

Signed up for AOW/Nitrox checkouts this weekend at Rappahannock Quarry in Fredericksburg, VA, and the first dive (PPB - went really well) was at 47 degrees in my 7/6 wetsuit. I mentioned something about the cold when I surfaced and the shop owner offered to take me into the pool that night, show me a dry suit, and have me doing a class the next day. So I did it.

So today I did my first dry suit dives - practiced buoyancy, arresting a feet first ascent, etc etc. As much as I had heard about how great these things were, I was still pleasantly surprised to be at 46 degrees and feeling great (WARM, not just tolerably frigid). The SI was awesome too.

Anyway, by the third dive I had my buoyancy down about as well as I had with my wetsuit. I could comfortably hover horizontally - but I still have to focus on keeping the air out of my feet though I fortunately never had a rocket feet first ascent.

So after three dives in the drysuit (2 for the class, and then the search and recovery dive), I love it - I want one. A few questions though:

What kind of weight do all you DS divers carry? I carried 13 with a 7mm in fresh water, and today I carried 21 with the DS (5 BP, 12 belt, 4 trim). I'm 6'0" 175 lbs and low body fat.

Tonight my armpit area feels a little chafed which was suit squeeze I suppose, the suit felt a little tight on me. I had no air in my wing, so I was using the DS for control, so do I need to add more weight so I can add a little air to the suit? Are other materials (I was in an Andy's trilam) really more comfortable in this regard?

I talked about a lot of this stuff with my instructor, who was great, but was curious about others experiences.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated - I'm not sure I can afford the entry cost right now, but I'm really liking the idea of diving dry.

Thanks -

Nick

 

[bradshsi]

The amount of weight you need depends a lot on your choice of undergarment and the type of suit.

With my trilam suit and a Bare fleece undergarment, I need 24 lbs in salt water using a PST HP80 steel tank. I am the same height and weight as you.

I don't know whether other suit materials would be more comfortable. A suit with a different cut may relieve some of the chafing.

My suggestion is not to use the drysuit for buoyancy control. Only use enough air to relieve squeeze. Using the drysuit to control buoyancy is more likely to lead to instability and runaway ascents in my opinion.

If you like drysuit diving, but don't want to spring $800+ for a new one, then try ebay. There are sometimes some very good suits sold there for much less (make sure you know your size though).

 

[NSDiver]

Forgot to mention in the original post that I was wearing pretty heavy undergarments - had on a Dive Rite polartec jumpsuit and fleece on top of that under the trilam suit, so I was a little bulky.

On controlling buoyancy with the DS vs BC, I had always thought - before diving a dry suit- that the proper way was to use the BC for control, and the dry suit inflator for relieving squeeze. When I did the dives though, every bit of air added to the wing was less that was in the suit for neutral buoyancy. I DID find, however, that the BC was good for quick trimming as I seem to be able to add air in smaller increments there.

Oh, and I was diving an AL80 - so that affects my weighting requirements too.

-Nick

 

[TSandM]

Oh, man, in our water with an Al 80, I carry 36 pounds (including my backplate) and that weighting has been checked. I HATE Al80's in cold salt water. I'm 5'4" and 120 pounds.

As far as dry suit versus BC -- I have come to the conclusion, in my limited diving experience (most of which has been in a dry suit), that the BC should be used for buoyancy, and the dry suit air should be to relieve squeeze and for WARMTH. In 45 degree water, that ends up with significant air in the suit, and a real issue of managing your trim and stability while diving, and two air spaces on ascent. It's entirely doable, but requires practice. And it means you have to carry enough weight to be able to put some air in the suit.

 

[Tanked Monkey]

Hmmm, I'm 5' 9" 160lbs, and wear a total of 10lbs (incl. my BP) with a 7mm in fresh water wearing an AL80. In my TLS 350, with 400g undergarments, I wear a total of 16lbs (incl. BP) in fresh water wearing a HP130. I DO NOT use my drysuit for bouyancy. I use my wing for bouyancy, and just enough gas in my drysuit to keep off the squeeze.

Mike