This is the first time I have bought a dry suit and dove it. What I am wondering is are you still supposed to use a standard BC or should I switch to a harness like a trans pac? I just don't see the need for having the extra material to inflate if I don't need it but maybe I am wrong and am missing something. What setups do you guys use? Thanks
Harness or BC with a drysuit?
- Thread starter Aquatech3
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Well really, you should use the drysuit only to prevent squeeze, thereby keeping the insulation 'lofty' and warm.
Use your BC for buoyancy as you always have.
PADI recommends only using the DS, as it's supposed to be easier to manage. I've tried diving both ways, I use both my DS and my wing.
Oh, and there are all kinds of reasons for using a BP/W, you really don't _have_ to have it to use a drysuit.
Good luck.
Bjorn
Use your BC for buoyancy as you always have.
PADI recommends only using the DS, as it's supposed to be easier to manage. I've tried diving both ways, I use both my DS and my wing.
Oh, and there are all kinds of reasons for using a BP/W, you really don't _have_ to have it to use a drysuit.
Good luck.
Bjorn
crlavoie
Contributor
I dive a BP/W with my dry suit. Everyone that I dive with uses a BC. We're all pretty happy.
There are other pros and cons to the BP/W vs BC argument but none of them really pertain to wet vs. dry. They all work.
Edited: I missed that.... Yes. I would probably still use either BC or wing. If nothing else, it's back up bouyancy. For what it's worth, it's pretty uncomfortable in my opinion to use the DS at the surface if I'm there for a prolonged period of time. Also, depending on what you do, it's a VERY real possibility to tear your suit or a seal rendering it useless on the surface. Still not a big deal if you're weighted properly but, a pain no less.
There are other pros and cons to the BP/W vs BC argument but none of them really pertain to wet vs. dry. They all work.
Edited: I missed that.... Yes. I would probably still use either BC or wing. If nothing else, it's back up bouyancy. For what it's worth, it's pretty uncomfortable in my opinion to use the DS at the surface if I'm there for a prolonged period of time. Also, depending on what you do, it's a VERY real possibility to tear your suit or a seal rendering it useless on the surface. Still not a big deal if you're weighted properly but, a pain no less.
There are divers that dive a plain harness, that is no BC bladder or wing.
This flys in the face of what seems to be the dominant practice of adding only enough air to the suit to prevent squeeze and using the BC for Buoyancy control. The disadvantages of doing it all with the drysuit are that the greater air cointent will move around the suit as you orient yourself in the water, this includes filling the feet and legs, setting you up foor a feet first ascent. Additionally the vent on a drysuit is much slower than a BC dump making an uncontrolled ascent much harder to arest.
I'm tempted to try it this fall but it will be at a very tame site.
It is done but is not the way to start.
Pete
This flys in the face of what seems to be the dominant practice of adding only enough air to the suit to prevent squeeze and using the BC for Buoyancy control. The disadvantages of doing it all with the drysuit are that the greater air cointent will move around the suit as you orient yourself in the water, this includes filling the feet and legs, setting you up foor a feet first ascent. Additionally the vent on a drysuit is much slower than a BC dump making an uncontrolled ascent much harder to arest.
I'm tempted to try it this fall but it will be at a very tame site.
It is done but is not the way to start.
Pete
It is a personal pick of either a bc or bp/w,,,,either will work. I use just enough gas in the drysuit to off-set any major squeeze, still use my bc for fine tuning my bouyancy.
Thanks for the advice.....I think after the point of tearing my suit and having no BC to control my boyancy I will for sure keep using my BC. I did notice that my dump valve on the dry suit was very slow and I had to pull my wrist seal to dump the air to control my accent and it was very awkward. I am switching over from a Nautica BC to a Dive Rite Trans pac so I just wanted to know if I should buy the wing as well. Now I will for sure.
jeckyll:
Reasonably balanced. My DS is 7mm neoprene and it would be a shallow dive probably no more that 20'. I do carry an SMB that could provide some lift and ditching weight is always an option. You are right to add that a DS is a more vulnerable form of buoyancy / flotation and that redundancy should be considered. I would not be diving solo either.
Pete
Aquatech3:
Just to be clear, you're really switching from one BC to another.
Yeah the TransPac needs to have a wing attached to it, but once you do that it becomes an expensive back inflate BC.
Why not go with a traditional/actual BP/Wing set up? Not flaming/trolling here; actually wondering why.
Aquatech3:
As a practical matter you can try to make the dive without using your BC inflator, that will give the same effect less the minimalist feel and look.
Pete
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