Stuck drysuit inflator

[BarryNL]

Not much of an incident really, but I'll post it anyway...

I was making a dive yesterday morning in Zeeland and while putting my kit together some grit got into the drysuit inflator coupling. I flushed it with bottled water and didn't think any more of it.

During the dive at about 5m I had to put a squirt of air into my suit for about the third time and the inflator stuck open rapidly filling the suit.

No biggie, I disconnected the inflator and dumped the air from the suit - I rose about 2m in the process but no major problems. I flushed the drysuit valve by pressing it with the hose disconnected which gave me a nice shot of water into the suit but seemed to clear the problem. I reconnected the hose and tested it a few times and continued the dive.

I think the only lesson really learned is that there's a lot of dirt around in dive car parks and I need to get some sheeting or something to put my gear together on to keep it out of sensitive areas.

Any other points?

 

[z3r0c00l]

Yes, many guys bring a tarp out to the dive site to use as a surface, I would do this even if you have nice grass or clean rock to use. Even a tarp has to be kept clean, however, and that car boot is a sand area as well! I have scratched every mask I own at some point with grit from who knows where, and it is a real shame. Good thing you reacted quickly, and were not that deep. The great fear with a drysuit is the rocket man ascent.

 

[muddiver]

I keep a bag of theose little red dust caps that come on the new regulator conections and ends of hoses. Your local dive shop might have some. There is one size that will fit over the suit inflator connection.