Hands got squeezed pretty good...DUI blue zip seal gloves

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rjgiddings

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Location
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Today at getting out of the water, I noticed my hands had been squeezed pretty good during the dive. To the point where they were mildly achy. I noticed during the dive I had to stretch out my forearms in front of me to let the suit equalize better and get some air down in my fingers...but wow. Never had this before.

Since I like the blue smurf gloves so much - they have never leaked one drop - so I'm wondering if there's something I can do to keep this squeeze from happening. It's odd. My buoyancy and trim was boring as usual.

Thoughts ?
 
Can I assume you have wrist seals on your drysuit, so that the suit and the gloves do not share an air space? You need something (small plastic tube?) under the wrist seal, so that air can pass either way between the two spaces. If you just manage to "burp" some air past a seal into the gloves at depth to relieve the squeeze, that air needs to be able to escape back the way it came so that it doesn't expand and blow the glove off on ascent.
 
Hey JackD - they are the DUI blue zip gloves - so there's no wrist seal that the air would need to get past - it's the gloves that seem to vacuum seal to my hand so easily causing the serious squeeze. I should post a pic to illustrate whats happening... it's really odd.
 
Hey JackD - they are the DUI blue zip gloves - so there's no wrist seal that the air would need to get past - it's the gloves that seem to vacuum seal to my hand so easily causing the serious squeeze. I should post a pic to illustrate whats happening... it's really odd.

I just roll to one side and extend one hand up making it the highest point. The air follows. It's physics. I then repeat on the other side. I repeat that throughout the dive as needed to keep air circulating into my gloves.
 
What liners are you using? I find that if I have enough air in my suit all I need to do is extend my hands behind me, like touching the tank bottom, with a slight roll, hands up in front works well on the right but it vents the suit on the left.
 
So - I have wrist seals but my solution may also work for you. I use a large diameter bungee cord - about 1/4 inch snake it down your glove and into the suit. It is flexible because it is bungee and does not chaff or stiffen. It is also porous enough to vent air from the wrist into your palm. I did not have luck with the tubes - bungee did the trick for me...
 
If your undergarments have thumb loops on them -- consider keeping the thumb loop on, it will give the air a path to travel to your gloves.
 
So - I have wrist seals but my solution may also work for you. I use a large diameter bungee cord - about 1/4 inch snake it down your glove and into the suit. It is flexible because it is bungee and does not chaff or stiffen. It is also porous enough to vent air from the wrist into your palm. I did not have luck with the tubes - bungee did the trick for me...

I did not have luck with the tiny tubes that came with my glove system, but I do have luck with little lengths of spline for window screens. A lifetime supply at the hardware store is cheap, and if I lose one, I just cut off another few inches. Perfect combination of diameter and a hole running down the center for equalization.
 
1/8" nylon line works for me, even past wrist seals.

But this is odd. The zip gloves should not, by themselves, impede the flow of air. At least, as far as I know, they are not intended to. Are they perhaps small enough (or your wrists large enough) to form a seal on their own? If so, "something" that allows air to pass that seal is needed. Nearly anything porous larger than large thread will work. Fabric, cord, bungee cord, thumb loops (which I don't like because they irritate my hands), etc.
 
@TrimixToo I think you are right...Im getting such a squeeze from the zip gloves.... forming a seal on their own maybe. I should really post a pic just after the dive. Ill try this when my two tanks are back from hydro... stay tuned folks.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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