Some things that I haven't learned yet

[Soakedlontra]

Yesterday I wore a vest (not electric but conventional) made of some kid of synthetic material (it is not designed specifically for scuba diving) under my Whites MK3 undergarment and added 5 more lbs on my weight belt (so in total I had 20lbs on the belt).

My first dive was at max depth of 107 ftw and my second at 84 ftw. I think the vest made me feel a little bit warmer. However in shallow water I got pretty anxious because the suit 'behavaed' differently. I thought I was still too light and I kept thinking that I had to flood the suit because I could not dump air...Then I tried again to release air from BC and the suit and at last it came out and I was able to stay down...So then I thought that I was not light after all!

During the end of the second dive the same thing happened. I thought I was too light then when I was able to dump air I was able to stay down...I guess the air inside the suit must circulating differently or something and I need to get used to have a third layer on my torso and how the air 'travels' inside the suit now ...Or maybe it is just the fact that I added weight and I have to inflate my dry suit more so I have to learn how to deal with a bigger bubble?AAAARRRGGGHHHH! (I wish I could go back diving in a wet suit!!!!!!!!!!)

 

[TSandM]

Is your dump valve getting sticky? Sometimes it's good to soak them in some fresh water overnight.

 

[Teamcasa]

Yesterday I wore a vest (not electric but conventional) made of some kid of synthetic material (it is not designed specifically for scuba diving) under my Whites MK3 undergarment and added 5 more lbs on my weight belt (so in total I had 20lbs on the belt).
However in shallow water I got pretty anxious because the suit 'behavaed' differently.

Any added fabric inside the drysuit will add to the air trapped and the amount of space left even if your valve is wide open. Your suit will behave differently with each undergarment configuration. It's just a matter of figuring it out. Maybe 5 lbs was not enough to offset the added fluff of the vest.

 

[Guy Alcala]

Any added fabric inside the drysuit will add to the air trapped and the amount of space left even if your valve is wide open. Your suit will behave differently with each undergarment configuration. It's just a matter of figuring it out. Maybe 5 lbs was not enough to offset the added fluff of the vest.

I'd think 5 lb. is excessive for just a vest. I add just 2 lb. for a fleece vest, and even going from a single layer fleece undergarment to a White's Mk. 3 only requires an extra 5 or 6 lb. The problem seems to be more one of dumping than extra weight.

Guy

 

[wadedeeper]

1) There are a couple ways to deal with that, but mainly it comes with practice. It only takes a couple times having someone blind you before you are more attentive to making sure you don't blind others. Retractors or different clips might help but it really comes down to you handling the light better with practice.

2) Buoyancy is every new divers wall to climb. Remember the basics, bouyancy check at the surface till you figure out your right amount of weight. Then, you will start to work on placement so you don't twist and turn underwater. Then you work on adding air to your BCD or drysuit in very little increments to adjust as needed.

3) Buoyancy is a huge part of air consumption. If your buoyancy sucks, you waste so much air trying to stay down or level. Huge loss...work on your Buoyancy and your air consumption will improve dramatically

4) PREDIVE SAFETY CHECK!!! at the car. I always run through all my gear at the car before I ever lock it up and head to meet my buddy. I have a ton of dives under my belt and still do it...so should you it seems. once you get in the habit of checking yourself, you won't forget the little things anymore.

Have fun and keep diving...it'll all become much easier as you gain experience.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Thank you very much for this interesting discussion!

Is your dump valve getting sticky? Sometimes it's good to soak them in some fresh water overnight.

Funny that you and others mention the dump valve! After my second dive the dump valve leaked and I thought that I needed to rinse it. At the end I soaked it in water overnight .

5lbs too much weight to compensate for a vest? Well it may be too much weight but from what I have understood by reading past posts having a bit more weight will allow me to have more air in my suit and stay warmer!

Maybe I could get rid of the vest if I can find a more efficient hight-tech, Antartica-proof base layer...Any suggestions?

 

[Soakedlontra]

I went diving in the Hood Canal last weekend and the dump valve kept leaking...I guess I must have done something wrong when I put it back on the suit after soaking it overnight. This is how I put the pieces together:

 

[Soakedlontra]

I went diving in the Hood Canal last weekend and the dump valve kept leaking...I guess I must have done something wrong when I put it back on the suit after soaking it overnight. This is how I put the pieces together:

Last Sunday I mounted the dump valve differently. I positioned the clear plastic ring between the back piece of the valve and the middle piece. At the end of the dive I had two leaks!

The first on the arm below the dump valve but smaller than the previous one and the second on the wrist...Well it turned out that I had a hole in the my sticky dry gloves, which I never liked them that much.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Last Sunday I was also told buy one of my buddies that during the dive I kept kicking ...It was not the first time that I had heard that comment.

I guess I keep kicking because I haven't found a balance inside my dry suit. The second buddy of the three-divers team told me that she used to wear a Mobby's suit before switching to a Fusion and she always had to 'rearrange' the air inside the suit by doing underwater stretches. I do those stretches too but maybe not frequently enough.

Next time I will do what my first buddy suggested: stop kicking to see how far I can go...Maybe I will understand the dynamic of the that air trapped inside the suit better...