No ditchable ballast

[InTheDrink]

There are inexpensive laminate suits -- my Mobby's that I started with was $800 brand new. Not everybody has to dive a $3000 DUI!

Now that's good to know. I'll hunt around and see what's available for not much $$$. I note that Mobby is no longer trading . If you have any other recommendations then I'd be all ears.

Those DUI trilams sure do look nice though...but it would mean pretty instant divorce. Which I'm not entirely closed to. It would give me more time to dive

In response to the question about gearing up in a dry suit in hot weather, yeah, it's hot. But we gear up in two inches of insulation in 90 degree weather in Seattle (because the water is still ice cold) so you learn strategies to avoid spending much surface time fully dressed. In MX, it's always always in the 32 - 38 degree range, but you get to wear lighter undergarments. I dove the Red Sea in a laminate suit with a set of Land's End fleece sweats under it, and I loved it. The water wasn't quite as warm as you are describing, but I could have gone to an even lighter undergarment if I'd needed to.

The water in the red sea is pretty warm, I dive there at least once a year. I would only dream of diving it dry if I felt I could get in/out quickly/easily. I really think I would get too tired doing 4 dives a day getting in and out of the neoprene beasts I've grappled with.

I do love diving wet though so I will also look at how twin AL tanks would impact the equation.

Cheers,
J

 

[vjanelle]

Be mindful that the webbing will wear on the material of the suit, as will the wing nuts when considering what suit to get.

 

[JeffG]

Since this is the DIR forum, you will need the DIR answer.


Get an SMB, stick it between your legs. Fill it...and ride it like a pool noodle.

 

[InTheDrink]

Since this is the DIR forum, you will need the DIR answer.


Get an SMB, stick it between your legs. Fill it...and ride it like a pool noodle.

Cheers Jeff, if you could kindly post a video of you performing this I think it would be really beneficial, all round

 

[Ronald K]

If you're negative at the start of the dive, you're not balanced. You will need to fill your wing with more gas than needed when balanced. Therefore you are in bigger trouble in a failed wing situation. Get a more buoyant wetsuit.
The take the minimum amount of weight to remain neutral at the end of the dive. This means you will have only the amount of gas in your wing needed for compensation of the loss of gas-weight.

Gr. Ron

 

[mikemill]

If you're negative at the start of the dive, you're not balanced. You will need to fill your wing with more gas than needed when balanced. Therefore you are in bigger trouble in a failed wing situation. Get a more buoyant wetsuit.
The take the minimum amount of weight to remain neutral at the end of the dive. This means you will have only the amount of gas in your wing needed for compensation of the loss of gas-weight.

Gr. Ron

If a person is neutral at the end of the day they HAVE to be negative at the beginning dive. There is no way around it.

 

[kanonfodr]

If a person is neutral at the end of the day they HAVE to be negative at the beginning dive. There is no way around it.

Not necessarily, Mike. For a while I was making a go of diving without using my wing in a single tank configuration. With the initial bouyancy of my wetsuit (and by breathing deep on the swim out) I was actually neutral before I started the dive. So then I would have to actually dive down a few feet and get the wetsuit compressed a bit to begin my descent.

By 15 feet, the wetsuit (a 3mm, then a 4/3 in my case) had compressed enough and I actually had to add a little gas to my wing to stay neutral, even when applying proper breathing technique. On the ascent, I had no gas in my wing and was a bit light at the 10 foot stop, but nothing breathing technique, horizontal trim, and some gentle sculling couldn't fix.

Of course, this was in tropical waters with a single tank on fairly shallow shore dives. In cold water and/or with double tanks there would be no way I could pull that stunt, and I would happily be very negative at the beginning so I could fluff my drysuit plenty since I'm a cold weenie .

Peace,
Greg

 

[Gareth]

If you're negative at the start of the dive, you're not balanced. You will need to fill your wing with more gas than needed when balanced. Therefore you are in bigger trouble in a failed wing situation. Get a more buoyant wetsuit.
The take the minimum amount of weight to remain neutral at the end of the dive. This means you will have only the amount of gas in your wing needed for compensation of the loss of gas-weight.

Gr. Ron

errr. I disgaree

you are always going to be negative at the start of the dive. you have several Kg of gas along for the ride. Being negative does not equal not being balanced. Adding a more buoyant wetsuit is a poor solution if you are overweighted, and will certainly not lead to a balanced rig. This is because the suit will change buoyancy characteristics with depth, which means you are now MORE negatively buoyant at the bottom, and unable to swim up. NOW you are not balanced.