First open water "Dry" Suit dive

[pacchill]

I was warm, I felt ok, but I was quite damp when I got back to the beach. And ideas? Suit is as follows: DUI TLS350 Signature Series (cut for me).
Other than not having a p-valve yet, or wearing a diaper (could have used it the last 15 mins),a and coming back kinda wet the suit was great. No restrictions with movement, I could fin, reach valves, everything. It was awesome. I was a little cold, I opted not to wear the Weasel Extreme+ and go with fleece sweats, and Under Armor. I felt the chill, but it was still warmer than in a wet suit. I was seriously over weighted! I'm going to leave the weight and see how it trims out with the undergarment today though. I suspect I will still be a little -. O yeah... gotta get some diapers today too! Next week the p-valve is going in.
Cheers

 

[Underwater Ogre]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the dry suit. I couldn't do the diapers not a chance.

 

[dave4868]

I was warm, I felt ok, but I was quite damp when I got back to the beach. And ideas?

Dampness on the outer layers of insulation and inner surface of the drysuit is pretty normal.

If you've got good-wicking insulation next to your skin, you shouldn't feel damp.

You can reduce dampness by matching the insulation to the water temp and activity level.

Avoid cotton-containing garments.

To avoid overheating prior to the dive, get your gear set up, then suit up at the last minute prior to getting into the water.

Oh, and cut back on the coffee....

Dave C

 

[meesier42]

if your damp your probably just moving about too much, lots of movement will cause small leaks at your seals and let some water in. But that is common for a first dive. Once you get your balast/trim right you'll move less and be drier.

 

[Zerovis]

got to agree with messier42 the more you move your head the more it leaks move your shoulders to look around also if you are going to trim your weights I would suggest a set of ankle weignts keeps the boots down .

 

[ahava]

If the dampness is just on the outer layer its just your body sweat condensating on the cold inside of the drysuit..Normal

 

[Divingguy]

Was the dampness on the outside of your thermals, or on your innermost layer??
One thing I always check VERY carefully is to make sure that NO portion of your sleeves or undergarments are poking through underneath your neck or wrist seals. A tiny protrusion can wick moisture in. Other than that, pronounced head or wrist movements can breach the seals without you knowing it until after. It all takes getting used to.

 

[Dive Junky]

Congratulations on the suit. Make more dives, get your weight right, and become more familiar with dry suit diving. Give it some time. I doubt there is a problem with the suit, you have a nice one.

I just tried out my new Pinnacle Evolution 2 for the first time yesterday and came back a little wet. I really dont think there was anything wrong with it. Just me getting used to a new suit. I have been dry suit diving for about eight years and sometimes you just need some time to work out the little bugs.

BTW my new suit has a P-valve. It was sooo nice. After eight years of diving a dry suit I can now enjoy diving even more.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I noticed that you said you where overweighted. I dove like this once when I first got my DS and was damp also. I think it might have something to do with the next/wrist seals and too much air in the suit. Like others have said though excessive movement will allow small leaks around the seals.

Just my opinion but, I would avoid ankle weights try moving your tank a little.

 

[Bob]

I have a TLS 350 Signature Series suit also, and I must tell you that my suit does not leak around the neck or wrist seals. The only time my undergarment ever got wet was when the sleeve of my undergarment got bunched up close to the wrist seal, and caused a small leak. I always pull the undergarment sleeve away from the wrist before zipping up. If you continue to have leaks, you may have to consider that the seals are cut to large, or perhaps unevenly. It's normal for the outside of your undergarments to feel damp after a dive, which is due to condensation. Good luck with your drysuit, you're going to love it after you get the kinks worked out. almtree: Bob