PADI Drysuit Course confusion REC vs TEC

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I contend there is no Right answer -- it is whatever works for you in that particular situation.
While there may not be a single RIGHT answer, there are definitely WRONG answers, one of which is to use a dry suit as the sole buoyancy device in a situation that requires enough air be added that it sloshes about inside the side and makes a feet first blow up more likely.
 
From the start I went air for warmth, BCD - BP/W buoyancy. Through proper positioning, I find that the suit will burp itself of excess air upon ascent ( I normally just put enough to remove the squeeze) and I am back to normal with my BP/W to fine tune my buoyancy or rate of ascent. That way I am also not greatly concerned if I ever have to go head down first because my suit contains minimal air and the bulk of it is in my wing where I can easily get to it through one of the purge valves.
 
Good under-garments and, if necessary, argon takes care of the cold.

Other than not waste precious air that you could be breathing, what are the advantages of argon? How does the thermal conductivity compare to air or nitrox?


I used a drysuit.... to keep me dry.
I used a buoyancy control device.... to control my buoyancy.

My thinking too :cool2:
 
I have rarely talked to a diver who uses his drysuit as a BC, but whatever floats your boat!

A drysuit dumps air very slowly. So no fast ascents when using a drysuit as a BC as you fast ascent may quickly become out of control.
 
I have rarely talked to a diver who uses his drysuit as a BC, but whatever floats your boat!

A drysuit dumps air very slowly. So no fast ascents when using a drysuit as a BC as you fast ascent may quickly become out of control.

I never use my drysuit for buoyancy for exactly this reason. Like most others here, I just inflate my suit enough to take the squeeze off - and I have a reasonable tolerance for the squeeze. Comfortable shrink-wrap is the term I heard here I think? Sounds about right.
 
There was a thread a couple of years ago on this topic, and during that we found that just about every agency that we could find information on gives the same advice, so it is not a PADI thing.

My copy of Dry Suit Diving: A Guide to Going Dry, by Barsky, Long, and Stinton, 4th Edition, (2006) says the same thing, and it goes on to say that as the diver gets more experience, he or she will eventually learn to use both the BCD and the dry suit to adjust buoyancy. The authors are from DUI, so I think we can infer that this is also DUI's position.

I, too, use both. I find it very easy, for example, when going to the next depth in decompression diving to punch a little squirt into the suit, inhale, and ascend, followed by an occasional arm lift when needed to vent.
 
I took my drysuit course from a PADI shop with instructors and divemsasters that, much like lots of folks on here, dove both rec and tec and were familiar with both configurations. I already owned the suit, and had been using it for six months, to include ice dives, at that point. The instructor sat down with me to go through the knowledge reviews and we discussed the pros and cons of both techniques for buoyancy control. They did not require me to use my drysuit for buoyancy control due to the fact that I was in backmounted doubles while I did the OW dives. They also did not require me to remove and replace weights due to the fact that my configuration did not include ditchable weights (doubled steel 98's). I had weights and a weight belt with me that weekend and was prepared to use them if necessary, and I also had a single tank rig with me to use in the event the instructor wanted to see that. (I am a big believer in the cooperate/graduate concept as it pertains to taking diving courses of instruction)

I feel like BCD vs Suit for inflation is not much of a debate. I will never plan to dive in a drysuit without both the suit and the bcd hooked up to a low pressure inflator. In a properly weighted single aluminum tank configuration, I doubt that I will ever need to put much air into the BCD, but it will be there if I need it. With steel tanks, and/or double tanks, I will plan to use the inflation wing for primary buoyancy and the suit inflator to eliminate squeeze. If I find myself getting a little cold in that situation, I will dump a little air out of my wing and put a little more in my drysuit.

Safe Diving!!!

Will
 
I was taught to use my suit for buoyancy control, and I had a lot of trouble managing it. Then, in Fundies, I was taught to put the minimum in the suit to remain more or less comfortable, and use the wing for the rest. This basically ended my uncontrolled ascents, at least when unmolested. A couple of years later, I took a class from the guy who started the whole "20 foot squeeze" concept, and he wanted us all to put MORE gas in our dry suits. I found I was more comfortable and warmer, and I had gained enough facility with venting a suit that it wasn't a problem to do this. My takeaway message was to put the air in whatever WORKS for the application you have. In very cold water, with a single tank, I can put all the air I need for buoyancy in the suit and manage it, and I'm warmer. With a technical setup, my suit won't HOLD enough gas to get me neutral with full tanks (unless I close the valve, which I won't do) so I split the air between the suit and wing. In caves, I don't want any more air in the suit than I absolutely HAVE to have, because I may end up going head down to follow a passage, and be unable to find anywhere later to get the air out of my feet (and diving with floaty, expanded feet is an absolute nuisance).

But I think at least one of the reasons for the difference in teaching between recreational and technical classes is simply that, if you are starting a dive 15 pounds negative, you just plain CAN'T manage your buoyancy with your suit.
 
Excellent. Thanks everyone. I did the course and the instructors didn't push either way and said to do what works for us and to play with it and try both.

Thanks for the argon info Andy!
 
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