Inadvertent but valuable weighting lesson

[Landau]

Thought I has my weighting dialed in after 30 drysuit dives. Was always feeling just a little floaty at the end.

Then yesterday I managed to not clip in my BCD weight pouch correctly and lost it mid dive. Didn't notice it until it was too late to find it.

I was quite worried about my ability to hold the safety stop at the but with a bit of assistance from te ascent rope managed a few gyrations to get enough air out of the suit to hold 5m with 400psi in the tank.

Next dive I put a few extra pounds or lead in the BCD pocket an was fine holding 5m and even 2m (nice shallow swim around a small island back tot he boat) with a near empty tank.

The good - I now no I can dive with 7 lbs less lead.

The bad - I'm out the cost of a replacement weight pouch and some lead.

This was only my second time out on a boat in my drysuit.

Lessons learned:

1) do all my usual pre-dive suit up routine - don't feel rushed as the boat is nearing the dive location and the pre-dive briefing is ending.

2) as part of above make sue I hear a nice loud click as the pouch retention clip engages

3) Do a pre-departure checklist - left my light in the van.

4) keep working on my dry suit air dumping technique

5) remember there is always more to learn and practice

6) figure out a better way to double check the pouches are secure

Landau

 

[The Chairman]

In drysuit diving: Weight=Warmth.

You can always dive with less weight and the resultant less air in your dry suit, but do you really want to?

 

[tbone1004]

the other important one is that depth has no impact on most drysuits. Only exception to this is uncrushed neoprene suits. For bag suits and crushed neo suits, it doesn't matter if you're at 1m or 100m, your buoyancy doesn't change.

you should still be able to retrace your steps and find the pouch. being lead, it should have gone straight down, so repeating the dive plan should result in your pouch showing up

 

[The Chairman]

the other important one is that depth has no impact on most drysuits.

Depth has a HYUGE impact on drysuits. If you don't add air as you descend, it will continue to 'deflate' to the point of creating skin bends if you're not careful. In fact, there was one death on the Andrew Doria where the diver forgot to plug in his BC and Drysuit. He plummeted to the bottom like a rock. Like vacuum packed coffee he couldn't move to save himself.

 

[tbone1004]

Depth has a HYUGE impact on drysuits. If you don't add air as you descend, it will continue to 'deflate' to the point of creating skin bends if you're not careful. In fact, there was one death on the Andrew Doria where the diver forgot to plug in his BC and Drysuit. He plummeted to the bottom like a rock. Like vacuum packed coffee he couldn't move to save himself.

that was in reference to their inherent buoyancy. Obviously you have to inflate to maintain the bubble size, but the point was that if you can maintain neutral buoyancy at 20m, then you can maintain it at 2m. Very much unlike a wetsuit that loses buoyancy as a function of depth

 

[TMHeimer]

I've never dived dry, but agree on the very loud CLICK inserting pouches. If it's not obvious, take it out & re-insert. I know I've dropped a couple of pouches over the years, one a recent as Feb.--found it. I was sure I heard the loud click. Perhaps the age of the BC. Now every once in a while I grab the "handles" to make sure they're both in there. When you tip to one side and have trouble staying on the bottom, time for the "uh oh".

 

[Landau]

I'd love to retrace the steps of the dive but it wasn't local and not a spot where boats go every week Plus a very soft bottom that might have just swallowed the weight up.

 

[NYCNaiad]

To add to the lessons learned: As newer divers continue to do more dives, they learn how to better handle buoyancy, breathing & safety stops so often need less weight as they become more experienced. This is especially true since many new divers are over weighted to begin with.

It never hurts to a full on buoyancy check once in a while.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Depth has a HYUGE impact on drysuits. If you don't add air as you descend, it will continue to 'deflate' to the point of creating skin bends if you're not careful. In fact, there was one death on the Andrew Doria where the diver forgot to plug in his BC and Drysuit. He plummeted to the bottom like a rock. Like vacuum packed coffee he couldn't move to save himself.

I have never heard this referred to as "skin bends". Skin bends is also known as cutaneous decompression sickness. I think what you are referring to is "skin squeeze".

 

[The Chairman]

I think what you are referring to is "skin squeeze".

I've never heard that term. What ever you call it, it's red blotchy and itches like hell. Don't do it. It's caused by Boyles Law because dry suits compress with depth.