Have a dry suit question??

[Rainer]

Our instructor also taught the PADI method, but said to do whatever we wanted as soon as the class ended. Wasn't much discussion about why one would prefer either method, but I didn't have any interest in always using the DS for buoyancy control, so that went out the window as soon as the class was over. Still, I guess it was good practice. Pretty fancy doing your DS class out at beautiful Anacapa. I think we did our dives during an underwater pumpkin carving contest. No fish, but lots of pumpkins...

 

[g2]

I mean, you spend all this good money of a nice BC, why not use it?

I know a few very experienced ice divers who use simple backpacks, no BC at all. I'm not necessarily advocating that technique, but they've done it safely for years and feel that a BC only adds unnecessary drag and complication.

glenn

 

[Rainer]

Um, yeah, try that in cold water with steel cylinders. I dive dry, but that'd be made only A LOT worse in heavy neoprene. Warm enough water? Sure, no BC could work. A bit of a pain on the surface, but people do it.

 

[g2]

Well, they're diving in -1.5C (30F) water, typically using LP steel 95's.

 

[Rainer]

Rock on with their bad selves!

 

[CoralSeaMan]

I found that over time you change the way you dive in a dry suit. I started doing all buoyancy with the suit as taught; shifted to the BC as I learned to use the dry suit and am now back to using the suit. I suspect the reason has to do with being a better diver and using less weight. More weight meant more air; more shifting air meant more dumping. Dumping led to squeeze. Now that weight is less of an issue, buoyancy and squeeze seem to coincide. I don't fiddle like I used to and I don't need as much air in the suit to be comfortable. I don't use much air in the BC anymore whether I am in a wetsuit or drysuit.