Over-inflating drysuit. Why is it bad?

[bertschb]

Right now I use my suit exclusively for bouyancy. I think I may be a couple pounds over weighted and as a result I may have a little too much air in my suit. I feel like I make too many minute adjustments to my bouyancy at depth. Could this be because I have too much air in the suit? If I removed half of the air from my suit, could I get away with fewer bouyancy adjustments? If so, could you explain the science behind why the extra air causes me to tweak the air volume more frequently?

 

[Dryglove]

Here is a good article to read http://www.baue.org/faq/dynamic_instability.html

 

[bertschb]

That's just the information I needed.

 

[Scubatooth]

because you might end up looking like the michelin man

 

[h2omammal]

you might wanna take a class....

 

[h2omammal]

lal7176 once bubbled...
Here is a good article to read http://www.baue.org/faq/dynamic_instability.html

That is an awesome article, when you take time to relax and read it through.

Nice post!

 

[bertschb]

you might wanna take a class....

So is there a class for every topic that every person on this board asks a question about? C'mon! Lighten up. I've been diving dry suits since the 70's. That doesn't mean I know what I'm doing. Far from it. But, I could teach some of the classes I've been to.

Sorry, but I don't know everything about diving. I rely on others around me (including the many helpful people on this board) to answer questions I have. I asked a simple question. "lal7176" took the time to give me the link to the article that provided exactly what I was looking for. A more scientific explanation for why, as much as possible, we should limit the amount of air in our suits.

I'm sure glad people like that are here on this board.

 

[mempilot]

I too have been looking for good text on this subject. The article mentioned answered some of my questions. I agree this board is a great source outside the LDS.

Is anyone using Argon as a DS gas? My LDS doesn't stock argon, so where does one go to get a bottle filled? Will a thin layer of argo between the suit and fleece make a big difference in insulation? or would air be fine for temps in the upper 60' to low 70's?

I'm new to DS's and I am playing with the config.

Thanks,

 

[Bob3]

Will a thin layer of argo between the suit and fleece make a big difference in insulation? or would air be fine for temps in the upper 60' to low 70's?

Argon vs air as a suit gas: invest in an extra layer of underwear.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/divers3/Argon.pdf
500kb PDF file

Here's a thread on the topic: http://www.scubaboard.com/t42602.html

Oh, I almost forgot about this pic I posted here: http://www.scubaboard.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2230
You wouldn't really want to look like those guys, would ya?

 

[RichLockyer]

I feel like I make too many minute adjustments to my bouyancy at depth. Could this be because I have too much air in the suit? If I removed half of the air from my suit, could I get away with fewer bouyancy adjustments?

Zero air in the suit means zero adjustment for buoyancy compensation as depth changes.
The more air you have, the more expansion you have, and the more compression you have (as a percentage of total buoyancy).

If you are "perfectly" weighted, you will still be "overweighted" at the beginning of the dive by the amount of gas in your tank(s)... anywhere from 5 to 18 pounds heavy. This is WAY too much to compensate for with the suit.
Yes, the VOLUME will be the same, whether in the suit or the wing, but it is much more controllable in the wing.