Is dry suit specialty reccomended?

[kaliban]

I've just finished my OW and I also just got my drysuit. I picked up a dui cf200 on ebay and I don't have the foggiest notion what to do with it. This saturday is the dui dog ralley and demo days, and I'm thinking about going there and getting a few tips about the suit care and useage and also doing a few of the demo dives. My question is, would the dog days demo likely be enough for me to safely dive dry, or should I really take a dry suit specialty in order to get the most out of my suit, etc.

Do any seasoned dry suit divers have any feedback for me on how important or not the specialty training would be for my safety and pleasure?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Oh, also, one other thing that is of concern is the teacher of the dry suit specialty teaches using the suit for bouancy compensation, which I don't believe is the most correct form. Any additional comment on this would also be appreciated.

-k

 

[gcbryan]

I'm not a seasoned dry suit diver as I've just completed the dry suit specialty course a month ago but I recommend it.

It will answer all of your questions and for most people getting used to diving in a dry suit takes quite a few dives to get on top of things from a safety and control standpoint.

 

[rmediver2002]

Taking a course is one way of learning a drysuit if you have a good instructor, personally I do not support using the dry suit for buoyancy (It used to be taught to decrease task loading)

Another option is finding a good, knowledgeable, and safe buddy to mentor you until your comfortable.

No one course is going to make you ready to be a safe diver, you need to know your own limitations on that one...

You mentioned just finishing open water, do you feel your comfortable moving on to a new task?

I would go to the demo day to pick up some tips and tricks (maintenance and storage if not corrctly done will kill any suit quickly...) and perhaps network and meet some more experienced divers who would either help you out diving or recommend a instructor.

Most of all, have a great time doing it!!

Jeff Lane

 

[Tractor Tom]

....I took a drysuit class at the LDS, classroom time and time in the pool. Then I found a buddy who has been diving a drysuit for a number of years and he helped me along quite a bit (THANKS DAVE!) and now, after 30 dives or so with the drysuit, I don't feel that I'm task loaded the way I used to.

Diving with a dry suit is a LOT different than diving wet. It takes some practice to keep from finding yourself popping towards the surface from 10 feet or so. We did a lot of beach dives, where the gradual slope of the bottom forced me to be VERY aware how to control the amount of air in my suit as it impacts my bouyancy.

Good luck with the new suit....

 

[String]

Probably not essential but training of some sort is vital.

I got an experienced dry suit user at my club to spend 2 x 1hr pool sessions with it before some shallow "hand holding" dives to get used to it.

If you have a diver willing to volunteer their time to do this for you then fair enough, if you dont, do the speciality.

Dont try to dive it with no training.

As for buoyancy, i use my suit as its less hastle for normal diving.
Personal choice though.

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

kaliban once bubbled...
also, one other thing that is of concern is the teacher of the dry suit specialty teaches using the suit for bouancy compensation, which I don't believe is the most correct form.

I'm not sure why you'd take a class from an instructor who uses a method you have issues with, isn't there any other instructor?

 

[Uncle Pug]

They didn't have a drysuit specialty class when I bought my first rubber drysuit. I just went out and started diving it the wrong way.

I used the suit for buoyancy control (in fact when I first bought it I was just using a backpack w/o a BC.) Of course this meant I needed more weight than would have been necessary if I were doing it right.

Funny how things don't change. I guess a lot of other folks started out diving their drysuits wrong too... and some of them decided to teach classes in how to dive a drysuit... wrong.

Now I dive my suit with a slight squeeze and carry a third of the weight I used to all the while having fine control over buoyancy by using a wing.

So... I don't recommend taking a drysuit class from someone who learned from someone who learned from someone who learned from someone who learned from someone who started out doing it wrong.

If you are going to take a drysuit class... take it from someone who learned to do it right.

I agree with rmediver2002... you need to assess your confidence and competence in the water at this point.

I've seen brand spankin' new divers that looked like they were born to scuba handle a drysuit like a pro first time without much in the way of instruction.

I've also see AOW+ students who have taken a *Drysuit Specialty* class who looked like they would need an instructor with them on all their future dives and an ambulance standing by on shore.

 

[kaliban]

Thanks for the advice everyone I did about 6-8 dives before taking my OW, and I feel confidant and comfortable in the water, so I guess it's a good time to add dry suit. By the same token, I won't add bp/wing until I'm comfortable with dry suit, which I hope won't be too long.

As far as the instructor goes, I had picked them prior to learning that the drysuit is not your primary bc, but they do dive exclusively dui, so I figured they would know my particular suit very well and I could probably just set aside the dry suit as bc philosophy once one my own. Does that make sense?

My brother feels very comfortable diving dry, though he has only about ten logged dives (post cert). Not exactly an old-timer, but he feels confidant that he can show me what I need to know. I could also shop around for a different instructor.

I guess I'll go to the dog days and see how I feel after that.

[edit] Ok, I found an instructor that teaches that a drysuit is not a bc, and does an all day specialty for $75 including 3 dives. Sounds worthwhile

-k

 

[String]

"Doing it wrong" !?

Unless you're diving twins and/or stages a dry suit is perfectly adequate for controlling buoyancy and provided you arent overweighted you dont have a huge bubble.
It greatly reduces task loading (especially with manual or cuff dumps) meaning you only have to mess with 1 expanding air source on ascent.

As for needing more weight. How ? Its irrelevent, you'll need the same weight and therefore the same amount of lift produced no matter what you use to produce it.

Granted if diving twins or stages you NEED the lift of a bp/wing or BC to counter the tank weight but on singles there is no problem

Its a bit judgmental deciding "RIGHT" and "WRONG" out of a system thats purely personal choice.

 

[ERP]

FWIW my first dive in a drysuit was possibly the most uncomfortable dive I have ever had, I spent the majority of it inverted, with a SAC rate almost 2x my normal.

It took me two or three dives to get a feel for it and 10 or 11 for it to be natural feeling.

I didn't take the drysuit course, but I had a very experienced buddy who helped me out, and between fits of laughter gave me a few pointers. If you don't have an experienced buddy to help out and you can find a good instructor the course might be a good starting point.