Open Water: Saint Lawrence River Yesterday

[Mr. Ed]

i wasn't confident going into the dive. 2 hours drive time to the site and it had been 6 weeks since last I was in the water so I wasn't 100% on my game. I used my 100 CUFT Farber steel cylinders never dived with steel cylinders before yesterday. Wore a hood and gloves for the first time, 30 pounds of weight was too much, ongoing leg squeeze without relief. Very annoying cannot circulate air into dry suit legs.

20 feet down, tried to execute regulator retrieval. I could not retrieve my regulator. My instructor forced his regulator into my mouth so I get air and pulled me to the exit ramp. The instructor told me not to be discouraged, if wanted to fail me he would have done so.

My plan is to brush up on my diving skills so they are fresh for my next open water dive, instructor approved

 

[-JD-]

I admire your persistence, sir.

Drysuits don't work too well when you are vertical. Even worse if not snugly fitted to you and your current undergarments. The air goes UP and forms what bubble that it can, squeezing the bottom. Getting legs-up can be really bad in too large a suit.

I'm sorry that I'm not fully caught up on your recent threads - have you pool-trained in the drysuit?

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Mr. Ed

You are training under difficult circumstances, it will come. Don't worry, persist

 

[Marie13]

i wasn't confident going into the dive. 2 hours drive time to the site and it had been 6 weeks since last I was in the water so I wasn't 100% on my game. I used my 100 CUFT Farber steel cylinders never dived with steel cylinders before yesterday. Wore a hood and gloves for the first time, 30 pounds of weight was too much, ongoing leg squeeze without relief. Very annoying cannot circulate air into dry suit legs.

20 feet down, tried to execute regulator retrieval. I could not retrieve my regulator. My instructor forced his regulator into my mouth so I get air and pulled me to the exit ramp. The instructor told me not to be discouraged, if wanted to fail me he would have done so.

My plan is to brush up on my diving skills so they are fresh for my next open water dive, instructor approved

Why couldn’t you retrieve your reg?

Some drysuits fit so close in the legs that you can’t get much, if any air, down there. My old Fusion was like that in the lower legs. Meant I never had to worry about getting too much air in my feet. I considered it a good thing. Never had any squeeze.

 

[Mr. Ed]

I admire your persistence, sir.

Drysuits don't work too well when you are vertical. Even worse if not snugly fitted to you and your current undergarments. The air goes UP and forms what bubble that it can, squeezing the bottom. Getting legs-up can be really bad in too large a suit.

I'm sorry that I'm not fully caught up on your recent threads - have you pool-trained in the drysuit?

Pool trained slightly but no experience in deep water. Leg squeeze is an ongoing problem with the Bare Trilam Pro Dry. I tried head down with legs vertical but no relief. After a awhile, if no relief, leg pain ruins the dive.

 

[-JD-]

Pool trained slightly but no experience in deep water. Leg squeeze is an ongoing problem with the Bare Trilam Pro Dry. I tried head down with legs vertical but no relief. After a awhile, if no relief, leg pain ruins the dive.

So you were head down legs up in the pool and you weren't getting air into the legs?

The only things I can imagine are:

• Your waist belt is crushingly tight.
• The legs are way too tight for the combination of you and undergarments.

 

[Mr. Ed]

Why couldn’t you retrieve your reg?

Could not feel the reg cord through my dry suit, perhaps most of all mask view has tunnel vision, cannot see anything that is not directly in front of me

 

[Mr. Ed]

In the future, I'm reaching over my head to retrieve reg

 

[Maresia]

i wasn't confident going into the dive. 2 hours drive time to the site and it had been 6 weeks since last I was in the water so I wasn't 100% on my game. I used my 100 CUFT Farber steel cylinders never dived with steel cylinders before yesterday. Wore a hood and gloves for the first time, 30 pounds of weight was too much, ongoing leg squeeze without relief. Very annoying cannot circulate air into dry suit legs.

20 feet down, tried to execute regulator retrieval. I could not retrieve my regulator. My instructor forced his regulator into my mouth so I get air and pulled me to the exit ramp. The instructor told me not to be discouraged, if wanted to fail me he would have done so.

My plan is to brush up on my diving skills so they are fresh for my next open water dive, instructor approved

Why not rent some gear and head over to the pool to practice with your gear on. Get use to those gloves, the hood and the suit like that once in open water you will be more comfortable. Loads of centers offer practice time in the pool and have DMs to help that you can hire. It's not too expensive
Good luck with your course!

 

[rx7diver]

In the future, I'm reaching over my head to retrieve reg

I was trained a very long time ago to retrieve my 2nd stage (single-hose regulator) by reaching back over my shoulder with my right hand, to my first stage, locate the IP hose, surround the IP hose with thumb and forefinger, and extend my right arm to find my 2nd stage in my hand. We practiced this technique a million times (it seems), including during stress-coping skills.

This presupposes that (1) I can reach my cylinder valve no matter my orientation in the water, and (2) that I am using a standard-length IP hose.

This is a solid technique, IMHO, and "should" always work--even if your second stage should somehow momentarily get caught up in your gear (a situation in which the "arm sweep" technique fails).

When I introduced my then very young daughters to scuba years ago, this approach is one of the first skills I taught them. Pic is of one of my twins in my parents' backyard pool about ten years ago.

My eldest daughter, a univ junior, was recently certified through her univ scuba course. This technique is what her instructor taught her.

FWIW.

rx7diver