So what the heck is a semi dry suit?

[ronbeau]

A semi dry is also the result if your p-valve plumbing comes apart without your knowledge in your previously dry suit. Or if you forget to close the relief zipper the first time you use the new drysuit when entering the water at the Ear in Ginnie Springs.

 

[String]

So you ditch your BC....OK were do you put your tank/s strap em to your legs?

Obviously you're unfamiliar with the backpack/harness setups used all over the world by commercial,police,military and other professional divers and for decades by amateur divers.

 

[BigFame]

Obviously you're unfamiliar with the backpack/harness setups used all over the world by commercial,police,military and other professional divers and for decades by amateur divers.

In my defense I am not cert'ed and only know a very little info rom reading SB. For the life of me though I can't picture what is meant by weight belt under crotch strap.

 

[spectrum]

In my defense I am not certified and only know a very little info from reading SB. For the life of me though I can't picture what is meant by weight belt under crotch strap.

I'm sure that you know what a weight belt is.

Some buoyancy compensator's include a crotch strap that runs between the legs to keep the rig from riding up on the divers body while diving and especially when vertical at the surface.

If you look at the common teaching of scuba diving you repeatedly find that the weight belt is the last item to go on so that it is positively on top and will be easy to ditch if you need to become positive in a hurry.

The biggest risk of a weight belt is to inadvertently loose it at depth and find yourself in an uncontrolled ascent.

By wearing the weight belt under the front of the crotch strap you have created an interlock that keeps the belt from falling off your hips should it become sloppy from suit compression or from you being horizontal after donning it while standing. If you do this such that only the front of the crotch strap is on top of the weight belt it can still be easily released since the smooth tail of the weight belt will slide right out under the crotch strap. Meanwhile as long as the weight belt is clasped it will be interlocked and cannot end up down around your ankles.

I believe that explains Strings signature statement.

Pete

 

[String]

Pretty much sums it up - i cant see any situation where id want or need a weight belt to come off underwater but can think of several reasons as to why i dont want it to come off.

 

[BigFame]

thanks that made perfect sense. Man so so so much to learn.

 

[peterbj7]

The biggest risk of a weight belt is to inadvertently loose it at depth and find yourself in an uncontrolled ascent

Thanks for that. Goodness knows why PADI persist in their totally incorrect statement that the most important aspect of a weight belt is that it can easily be ditched. I have never come across any incident even aggravated by inability to dump weights, but quite a few serious incidents caused by a weight belt falling off.

Weight belts don't fit over dry suits very well, nor to a slightly lesser extent over a semi-dry (which of course should be called a semi-wet). In the UK the norm is an over-the-shoulder harness with detachable/ditchable weight pockets. It also spreads the enormous weight of dry suit weights and makes it far more comfortable.

On the suits themselves, the most important aspect of any wet suit, whether with seals or not, is a good tight fit. The best and thickest semi-dry is less effective than a modest wetsuit if the latter fits properly and the former doesn't. So it really is best to get a suit custom made, so long as you can trust the company that makes it. A small local suit builder is usually far better than a nationally-known name.

 

[cmburch]

I posted that I have an Xcel Polar SCS 9/7/6mm one piece wetsuit with integrated hood about $350 on sale with a list of $500. I have actual experience with the wetsuit. I dive about 44-54F Pacific Ocean Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, Sonoma, Mendocino. It is warmer down to 44F than a 7mm Farmer John; the Xcel Polar 8/7/6/5mm is warmer also. It is more comfortable and easier to get on than a Farmer John. Water does not flush through it like a normal wetsuit, so do not pee in it. This is a popular wetsuit for many prior 7mm Farmer John users in my area due to cost, comfort, and warmth. Xcel has an extended range of sizes for good fit. Xcel has a website. Less weight can also be used because it is not doubled up to 14mm on mid-region like a Farmer John.

Ability to drop weight is very important in an OOA situation. YouTube - Jan's "Out Of Air" PADI Open Water Scuba Diving

Google Mendocino diver death weight. Mendocino diver death weight - Google Search

Read about divers found with their weight belts on. There is a reason for the training and the ditchable weight.

 

[peterbj7]

It is warmer down to 44F than a 7mm Farmer John

..... on you. Whether it's warm on someone else depends whether it fits them properly.

I can't find the Mendocino reference - can you give a URL?

 

[BigFame]

I googlrd it alo, and came up with articles about a dead fisherman. No name released, no cause of death or dtails and that it had been the fourth death in that area that year. No info about weight belts that I found.