Learning to Dive Dry

[Litefoot]

Well after recovering from mountain bike injuries and much improvement from a herniated disc, I finally got to do a real dive in my new Seaskin suit. My computer said my SI was over 280 days and this was my first drysuit dive. For safety, my experienced buddy kept me in 30’ of water (freshwater shore dive). I made lot’s of mistakes (burped my neck seal in the water and got wet, didn’t seal my catheter well enough and pee’d my suit, kept letting my feet get floaty, buoyancy all over the place). However, after thrashing around a lot, my buddy got me down to bottom where I calmed myself and gradually got into trim. I was able to do the last half of the dive reasonably well with the shoulder vent open as I added and released air to maintain buoyancy. So despite the mistakes, there were nice little victories as well.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Well after recovering from mountain bike injuries and much improvement from a herniated disc, I finally got to do a real dive in my new Seaskin suit. My computer said my SI was over 280 days and this was my first drysuit dive. For safety, my experienced buddy kept me in 30’ of water (freshwater shore dive). I made lot’s of mistakes (burped my neck seal in the water and got wet, didn’t seal my catheter well enough and pee’d my suit, kept letting my feet get floaty, buoyancy all over the place). However, after thrashing around a lot, my buddy got me down to bottom where I calmed myself and gradually got into trim. I was able to do the last half of the dive reasonably well with the shoulder vent open as I added and released air to maintain buoyancy. So despite the mistakes, there were nice little victories as well.

Sounds about right. All the above and then some. I tell everyone the same, just take it easy. 10 dives feels different than 50 dives feels different than 100 dives.

Congrats on the body working again and getting back to diving! And stop mountain biking... that stuff will kill ya

 

[boulderjohn]

Well after recovering from mountain bike injuries and much improvement from a herniated disc, I finally got to do a real dive in my new Seaskin suit. My computer said my SI was over 280 days and this was my first drysuit dive. For safety, my experienced buddy kept me in 30’ of water (freshwater shore dive). I made lot’s of mistakes (burped my neck seal in the water and got wet, didn’t seal my catheter well enough and pee’d my suit, kept letting my feet get floaty, buoyancy all over the place). However, after thrashing around a lot, my buddy got me down to bottom where I calmed myself and gradually got into trim. I was able to do the last half of the dive reasonably well with the shoulder vent open as I added and released air to maintain buoyancy. So despite the mistakes, there were nice little victories as well.

Not bad for just starting with drysuit! I started tech diving at the same time I started drysuit diving. I was advised by someone far more experienced in both than I that I should do 20 drysuit dives before starting tech, and I should have followed that advice.

I bolded one phrase I liked. You indicated that the floaty feet was your fault, and that is the truth. Many people think they are at the mercy of the air bubble in the drysuit, but they eventually figure out that they are in charge.

 

[Litefoot]

Not bad for just starting with drysuit! I started tech diving at the same time I started drysuit diving. I was advised by someone far more experienced in both than I that I should do 20 drysuit dives before starting tech, and I should have followed that advice.

I bolded one phrase I liked. You indicated that the floaty feet was your fault, and that is the truth. Many people think they are at the mercy of the air bubble in the drysuit, but they eventually figure out that they are in charge.

Yeah, on my first descent with a pocket of air around my shoulders, I leaned forward to fully release air from my bladder with the butt dump valve. Whoops! I haven’t checked yet, but my dive profile probably more resembles an EKG.

 

[Boarderguy]

Yeah, on my first descent with a pocket of air around my shoulders, I leaned forward to fully release air from my bladder with the butt dump valve. Whoops! I haven’t checked yet, but my dive profile probably more resembles an EKG.

My first dry dive made me question whether I should even be in the water...

Correct rock boots that fit and fins with foot pockets to accommodate them made a huge difference. The other piece was using enough weight because I was a minimalist for weight when wet. Now I dive with a bit extra to stay a bit puffed up for warmth. Once you get down on your next dive figure out your trim. Lay flat with legs extended and arms in front with hands on top of eachother. Do you pitch and roll or stay in that position? That will help you determine the correct tank position, weight belt position, fin weight, etc. Ankle weights are a good temporary fix but shouldn't be your standard fix for floaty feet. Don't make any major changes until you've figured out how to not cork lol. Don't make multiple changes at once unless you know for sure how everything will be affected. Be analytical during and after the dive to help make the next one easier and more enjoyable until you get to the point where you throw on your kit and go. 10-20 dives to get comfortable while making those changes.

 

[Litefoot]

I'm really struggling with initial descent in the dry suit. I dump air from my wing and I sink like a rock. Do I control descent with the BC or with the dry suit? For now, I kind of want to operate without the BC because if I need to dump air after I get into trim, I have to get my backside higher than my head to use the lower dump. But that means my feet go up along with the suit's air bubble and then I'm all over the place again. My dive buddy thinks I need to use the BC more, but on my first dive a couple of weeks ago, I mostly used the suit for buoyancy and it worked better. I know this will probably evolve over time. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks.
ETA: Pee valve plumbing worked this time. Yay!

 

[Boarderguy]

Butt up doesn't mean feet go up too, just make like downward dog and dump. Ass up, face and feet down. I lean slight right and push my right shoulder down while arching my hips up to drain my wing. If I feel there is still air left I'll raise my inflator if I absolutely must dump the full wing for whatever reason.

Your profile will affect your descent rate. I dump air from both to drop, but I immediately go flat in the water and am ready to hammer my wing inflator to slow down. I'm heading to 10' quickly and am ready to fully stop if my ears don't play nice. I alternate adding air between my suit and wing so that I can maintain my comfort as well as my buoyancy.

Some folks do full buoyancy control with their suit. Some maintain a squeeze throughout their dive. I'm in the middle but lean towards more air in my suit for warmth.

More diving, more playing with it. It will become second nature.

 

[lexvil]

It’s all about finding what works best for you, I dump with the inflator, flatten out as I drop and add air to the suit to stop the decent, add air as I go deeper to keep the squeeze off and to stay warm. I never touch the wing again until I’m on the surface if than at all because I’m usually diving all the way out to standing depth.

For my point of view if taking off the squeeze gets me neutral I would have to add weight to bother with using my b/c-wing.

 

[inquis]

I dump air from my inflator and I sink like a rock. Do I control descent with the BC or with the dry suit?

I use both, but for different reasons. I use the inflator vent and the suit vent to start. BTW, if you want a slower initial descent, don't vent as much from the wing. (I know that sounds obvious, but I can't tell if sinking like "a rock" is your desire.)

I keep my shoulder vent wide open and strive for a consistent volume/squeeze at the point where the vent just stops bubbling. (This is also where I've weighted myself, leaving the wing to compensate for the weight of the unused gas.)

I'll add a touch of air to the suit when I feel enough squeeze (maybe about 5 ft the first time?), but with my arm/shoulder vent raised. I stop adding when it bubbles. This simplifies everything, since the wing handles everything else, including descent rate. (If you prefer less squeeze, then just close the suit vent by a click or two.)

When leveling off at the bottom, I will already have hit my suit a bit before the target depth, so it's just the wing/lungs to slow/stop, just like you'd do in a wetsuit. (The lead-time and how hard to hit the inflator are, of course, linked and influenced by your speed.)

Keeping a little over the desired neutral point in the lungs when leveling off allows a final touchup of the suit, exhaling to the neutral point.

 

[inquis]

FWIW, my buoyancy improved greatly once I corralled most of the gas in the wing where it can't run around. Plus, excess suit gas tickles my back when it moves.