My second drysuit experience ...

[SeaHound]

It was much much better than the first one. I did 2 quarry dives in 60 ft water. I was able to get my buoyancy right this time and swimming around was not a problem. I was able to manage most of the buoyancy with only the wetsuit. BCD was only a surface flotation device for me. This is what is going on in my mind now:

1. Other than a surface flotation device, why do we need a BCD in drysuit diving? If it is only a surface floater, should BCDs for drysuits be selected for better surface flotation characteristics (jacket BCs) instead of better vertical positioning (BP wing)?

2. Whites Fusion did not go well with me. I dont like the idea of being squeezed by elastic. Simple drysuits with One basic shell on which no layer is crawling on top of another layer, would be easier to get in and out of. Would it create siginificantly more drag while swimming?

3. Do occasional drysuit divers prefer to rent drysuits or do you guys prefer to own them?

Thanks so much for all those who offered help in last post.

S H

 

[Saudi-Diver]

Lots of Commercial shell fish divers only use there Dry suits for Buoyancy, using a simple harness for their cylinder. Surprised your not impressed by the Whites Fusion, its got an excellent reputation. I would rent a few different types of suit, dive them and see which one you like best.

 

[HenrikBP]

3. Do occasional drysuit divers prefer to rent drysuits or do you guys prefer to own them?

A buddy of mine were switching drysuits all season, and ended up quite frustrated. There is enough difference between various brands as well as various models, that unless you can try out various options and then stick with the one that works, it may be preferable to own.

Henrik

 

[Bubbletrubble]

1. A BCD is necessary as a redundant buoyancy control device. Use whatever type of BCD you like most with a drysuit. I find that a BP/W setup works great with a drysuit on the surface, and I do a great deal of shore diving here in San Diego. I simply inflate my wing and kick out on my back. Very comfortable.
2. Squeeze during descent is a phenomenon associated with all drysuits. I suspect that you weren't adding enough gas to your drysuit at depth to offset squeeze. This is typical of a novice drysuit diver who is guarding against having an "unmanageable" amount of gas inside the suit (leading to an uncontrolled ascent). On a side note, the two layer design of the Fusion makes it more difficult to don than a standard drysuit composed of one layer of material. I think it's a small compromise to make for better performance. You may have a different opinion. In my experience, I felt a lot less drag while demo-ing the Fusion (vs. my baggy Bare Nex-Gen and a fairly well-fitted DUI TLS350 demo suit).
3. I don't know anyone who has opted to rent drysuits on an occasional basis. Find out what works for you, save up, and then purchase it. Good fit is paramount to drysuit performance.

 

[Bogie]

The correct way to get proper buoyancy is to put enough air in the drysuit to eliminate uncomfortable suit squeeze and then use your BC for buoyancy control. This works best because air travel is limited which creates more stability. It also is safer because you don't get into the feet first uncontrolled ascent.

A shell drysuit is compressed to your body under water so there is no added drag.

Drysuit divers usually own their suits. Renting costs $60 or more to rent.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The correct way to get proper buoyancy is to put enough air in the drysuit to eliminate uncomfortable suit squeeze and then use your BC for buoyancy control. This works best because air travel is limited which creates more stability. It also is safer because you don't get into the feet first uncontrolled ascent.

I think this is too strong of a statement. The OP should know that there are certain cases, e.g., single tank recreational diving with a shell drysuit, in which the amount of gas to offset drysuit squeeze is just about the right amount of gas for buoyancy control. As a drysuit novice gains experience, I recommend trying both methods (either drysuit only or drysuit + BCD)...and deciding for himself what works best. Obviously, use common sense with this. Please understand that I am not advocating that drysuit divers impersonate the Michelin man underwater.

 

[manni-yunk]

duplicate - sorry

 

[manni-yunk]

The correct way to get proper buoyancy is to put enough air in the drysuit to eliminate uncomfortable suit squeeze and then use your BC for buoyancy control. This works best because air travel is limited which creates more stability. It also is safer because you don't get into the feet first uncontrolled ascent.

A shell drysuit is compressed to your body under water so there is no added drag.

Drysuit divers usually own their suits. Renting costs $60 or more to rent.

So I have to ask as a new drysuit diver - is that really the "correct" way - or just one of the ways. Ive been instructed that I can either use the DS for bouyancy OR just enough to eliminate squeeze but that after a while - most DS divers eventually use the DS for buoyancy and the Wing for redundancy and/or surface flotation.

Also -the feet first thing to me seems unlikely - unless you add way to much air - AND get inverted. If I only add enough to the DS to maintain bouyancy and I am neutral at any given depth -becoming inverted may send the bubble to my feet - but it would not make me positive - just inverted - Right. After all, Neutral is neutral irregardless of where the bubble is located. It might be inconvenient - but I practiced purposely inverting myself and it wasnt hard to get back. (I end up inverted on purpose anyway while reaching into holes - so I want to make sure I can manage the situation)

The feet first ascent would me that BOTH to much air was added without being vented(manually or auto) and the diver became inverted. - Even then I would imagine it is a manageable situation.

Am I missing something or oversimplifying something? Again - Im new to the drysuit so I am not challenging - just trying to understand.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

A shell drysuit is compressed to your body under water so there is no added drag.

A shell drysuit will almost always create more drag than a tight, form-fitting wetsuit. Even when the shell drysuit is compressed tightly against one's body, the folds in the material will create drag as the diver moves around underwater.

So I have to ask as a new drysuit diver - is that really the "correct" way - or just one of the ways. Ive been instructed that I can either use the DS for bouyancy OR just enough to eliminate squeeze but that after a while - most DS divers eventually use the DS for buoyancy and the Wing for redundancy and/or surface flotation.

@manni-yunk: Use the method that is appropriate for the situation. There are certain situations (e.g., single tank recreational diving) in which adding enough gas to offset squeeze is just about enough to achieve neutral buoyancy at depth. For double tank diving, it probably makes more sense to use a combination of drysuit and BCD inflation to control buoyancy. In caves, divers might prefer to tolerate more squeeze and use the BCD as the primary buoyancy control device to make it easier to manage buoyancy with the forced up-and-down cave profile.

The feet first ascent would me that BOTH to much air was added without being vented(manually or auto) and the diver became inverted. - Even then I would imagine it is a manageable situation.

My advice would be to give the possibility of an uncontrolled feet-first ascent in a drysuit more respect. First of all, if you are horizontal (neutrally buoyant at a given depth) and then rotate quickly into a feet-up/head-down position (without dumping any gas), the gas in your legs will be higher in the water column and subject to a lower ambient pressure than your torso...which will probably get squeezed. Combined with changes in breathing due to stress, the gas in your legs could start to expand a little and the diver could find himself becoming positively buoyant.

 

[dave4868]

So I have to ask as a new drysuit diver - is that really the "correct" way - or just one of the ways. Ive been instructed that I can either use the DS for bouyancy OR just enough to eliminate squeeze but that after a while - most DS divers eventually use the DS for buoyancy and the Wing for redundancy and/or surface flotation.

Just one of the ways, IMHO. But some will challenge that statement. Nothing wrong with differing or questioning.

My drysuit fits pretty well, so I'm able to easily manage the bubble shifting in my drysuit. And, for my wintertime insulation, that's a big bubble! My winter insulation's bouyancy requires over 50lbs of lead to offset. :shocked2:

There are significant benefits to using only the drysuit for bouyancy control, primarily greater warmth, but simplicity, too. There are also benefits to using combinations of drysuit and bcd, primarily to reduce problems caused by the shifting air bubble.

Luckily, my suit fits well enough over my usual insulation that I don't have any trouble managing the shifting air bubble. Only when I wear very light insulation do I minimize my drysuit air and use my bcd in combination with the drysuit. That's because, with light insulation, my suit fits so baggy that it allows the air bubble to shift rapidly. Nevertheless, on the same dive, I might switch back to using only the drysuit for buoyancy control when I'm below the thermocline and getting cold. Our local lakes can be 65 degrees above 30 feet and in the low forties below 80 feet. The extra air in the suit can make all the difference.

Dave C