kalvyn
Guest
I had my first two OW dives in my new OS Systems drysuit this past weekend, and while it was different than I expected (more to follow), I definitely like the experience so far.
My first dive was Saturday, with the LDS that sold me my suit (the gratis "shakedown" dive). The guy in the shop suggested that I wear 44# (I'm 6'1", 220#... I had worn 39# in the 7 mil farmer john with 7 mil shorty for my OW cert dives), so I dutifully put together a 44# weight belt for myself. Hey, I'm new, so I rely on the advice of others at this point. Anyway, we get down to Les Davis here in Tacoma, WA, and get geared up. We get in the water, and after a few minutes at depth it is really obvious to me I am overweighted. I'm already a couple minutes into the dive, with a "buddy" I just met, so I just tough it out rather than abort, and drop weight. I did enjoy being dry, but I can't say as I enjoyed the dive, what with struggling with my bouyancy the whole time.
My second dive was Sunday at the same dive site, with some divers I met on another Internet diver's forum. I had dropped the weight belt to 40#, and actually took 4# more off as I ended up diving a steel 104 instead of the (empty!) AL80 I had brought from the shop. This dive went just GREAT! I was just about right weight-wise, and even nailed the bouyancy skills my dive buddy and I talked over pre-dive. This dive really gave me a glimpse of what I have to look forward to as I become a better diver, diving dry here in the Puget Sound.
Now, I had no frame of reference for my first dry suit experience, other than diving in a wet suit. That said, I have to say that diving dry was not what I initially expected. I still got somewhat cold (I had the heavy OS Systems undergarment on, and did add some air to compensate for suit squeeze), and was always aware of the cold water around me. I did not have this in the wet suit... after the initial shock getting in the water, I was warm for the entire dive (except for my feet!). Where the dry suit experience really differs is after the dive, if I may state the obvious. I just got out of my suit, loaded up my gear, and was off to the LDS to turn in my loaner crap. Very cool!
Lastly, I wanted to address something that has been talked about in here a lot recently. I was shown in my pool orientation how to use the suit for bouyancy, but the instructor told us to use the BC for that in open water, and just add air to the suit to offset squeeze. I had an "incident" towards the end of my Sunday dive... my left foot came out of my suit boot, and I got feet first and ascending in about 15 fsw. I did the right thing by kicking down and arching my back, but once I got upright my OW training took over, and I was dumping air from my BC and not my suit. If I had put air in my suit for bouyancy, I would have ended up on the surface, because my instinct was to dump the BC, not my suit.
All in all, I'm very happy I dropped the cash on a dry suit purchase, and I can't wait to get back in the water next Saturday at Sunrise!
Jimmie
P.S. the suit is back at the shop getting a size smaller set of boots installed.
My first dive was Saturday, with the LDS that sold me my suit (the gratis "shakedown" dive). The guy in the shop suggested that I wear 44# (I'm 6'1", 220#... I had worn 39# in the 7 mil farmer john with 7 mil shorty for my OW cert dives), so I dutifully put together a 44# weight belt for myself. Hey, I'm new, so I rely on the advice of others at this point. Anyway, we get down to Les Davis here in Tacoma, WA, and get geared up. We get in the water, and after a few minutes at depth it is really obvious to me I am overweighted. I'm already a couple minutes into the dive, with a "buddy" I just met, so I just tough it out rather than abort, and drop weight. I did enjoy being dry, but I can't say as I enjoyed the dive, what with struggling with my bouyancy the whole time.
My second dive was Sunday at the same dive site, with some divers I met on another Internet diver's forum. I had dropped the weight belt to 40#, and actually took 4# more off as I ended up diving a steel 104 instead of the (empty!) AL80 I had brought from the shop. This dive went just GREAT! I was just about right weight-wise, and even nailed the bouyancy skills my dive buddy and I talked over pre-dive. This dive really gave me a glimpse of what I have to look forward to as I become a better diver, diving dry here in the Puget Sound.
Now, I had no frame of reference for my first dry suit experience, other than diving in a wet suit. That said, I have to say that diving dry was not what I initially expected. I still got somewhat cold (I had the heavy OS Systems undergarment on, and did add some air to compensate for suit squeeze), and was always aware of the cold water around me. I did not have this in the wet suit... after the initial shock getting in the water, I was warm for the entire dive (except for my feet!). Where the dry suit experience really differs is after the dive, if I may state the obvious. I just got out of my suit, loaded up my gear, and was off to the LDS to turn in my loaner crap. Very cool!
Lastly, I wanted to address something that has been talked about in here a lot recently. I was shown in my pool orientation how to use the suit for bouyancy, but the instructor told us to use the BC for that in open water, and just add air to the suit to offset squeeze. I had an "incident" towards the end of my Sunday dive... my left foot came out of my suit boot, and I got feet first and ascending in about 15 fsw. I did the right thing by kicking down and arching my back, but once I got upright my OW training took over, and I was dumping air from my BC and not my suit. If I had put air in my suit for bouyancy, I would have ended up on the surface, because my instinct was to dump the BC, not my suit.
All in all, I'm very happy I dropped the cash on a dry suit purchase, and I can't wait to get back in the water next Saturday at Sunrise!
Jimmie
P.S. the suit is back at the shop getting a size smaller set of boots installed.
