How tight should the neckseal on a drysuit be?

[Pez de Diablo]

A hydro and Vis + including fill is $50.00.

Let me know if you want to get together in the pool, send a PM

 

[dvleemin]

Pez de Diablo once bubbled...
Darryl,

It should be comfortably snug. Now, my definition will be different than others. Don't cut that seal yet!

Do you have your AOW yet? If not, you should take it because if you plan to dive off of any boat or resort they will not want you going deeper than 60' without it and this can really hamper your trip. Anyway, you could pick the drysuit specialty for one of the modules.

I will be in Edmonton on the June 6th weekend if you are looking for someone to hit the pool with.

Don't have my AOW yet. Never had a problem with being allowed to dive more than 60' either - My wife and I have about 60 dives logged.

I already have the PADI drysuit manual, and the Barsky one is on the way.

June 6 might be possible. I can't remember why day Kinsman is open to divers (Friday or Sat) Aquatek also uses a new pool in Spruce grove that they go to every week. I'll check with Kinsman, and call the other pool to see how deep it is.

BTW, what does it cost for a vis and hydro in Cowtown?

Darryl

 

[Norda]

I don't know if this helps or not, but with mine it feels tight when I first put it on (almost to the point of being uncomfortable). However, after a few minutes I don't really notice it. So in your case maybe a good test would be to see how it feels when you do the extended "lightheaded test". If it continues to feel very uncomfortable after a few minutes then I would consider it too tight.

 

[gert7to3]

One other thing to look for might be swelling of your jugular veins. They run down the sides of your neck and would become rather prominent if your neck seal was too tight.

A slight flush of your face may subside once you started to chill out underwater.

 

[Bob3]

Your neck seal should be comfy enough to wear for at least 10 hours straight w/o any discomfort.
An approximate rule of thumb is to lay the seal flat and measure, compare with actual neck measurement.

If your actual neck diameter is greater than 2½ inches of the seal diameter (flat measurement x 2), there's a good chance it's too tight.

 

[detroit diver]

dvleemin once bubbled...
Hi,
I recently got my first drysuit. I haven't been diving with it yet, but I tried it on. How tight should the neckseal be? Its a latex seal. When I tried it on, it didn't feel exceptionally tight, but my wife said she could see my face was a bit redder. I guess I'm just not sure if I should trim it down or not. The last thing I want is to end up with it too loose.

Thanks,

Darryl

The tightness of fit depends on if you want to look like this.

 

[dvleemin]

Thanks Guys,
I'm going to do the measuring thing, and see what that says.

Pez,
I talked to Aquatek, and the pool they use isn't great - only 12' deep, and only at one end. Kinsman is the way to go. Haven't called them to yet to see if its Fri or Sat yet that we can dive.

Darryl

 

[Web Monkey]

Bob3 once bubbled...
Your neck seal should be comfy enough to wear for at least 10 hours straight w/o any discomfort.
An approximate rule of thumb is to lay the seal flat and measure, compare with actual neck measurement.

If your actual neck diameter is greater than 2½ inches of the seal diameter (flat measurement x 2), there's a good chance it's too tight.

I've got one that's pretty snug too. Not quite passing out, but a little too close for comfort.

Should I trim it, or strech it to make it looser?

 

[Bob3]

Should I trim it, or strech it to make it looser?

Neoprene seals get stretched, latex get trimmed.
The neoprene will gradually get looser over time but will maintain a "stretch memory" over several hours.
Latex forgets all about getting stretched rapidly, and is much more resistant to taking on a set. Latex seals DO like to get "warmed up" before donning, just a few rapid stretches limbers up the rubber, making it easier to get over the head.

 

[dvleemin]

Well,
I measured my neck yeterday, and its 16". The approximate diamater of the seal is 14".

However, I wore the drysuit yesterday for about 10 minutes, and it was too uncomfortable. I wasn't really feeling light headed, but it was bad enough where I wan't to take it off. There's about 7 rings left on the seal, so I was thinking of trimming one off, and seeing how that goes.

What do you think?

Darryl