Two HOURS??????

[Doc Intrepid]

Forget the DUI 400. Get yourself a Weezle Extreme Plus. Use argon. Pull on a set of thin polypro beneath the Weezle. You will be fine.

And rjack is dead on. Tell'em "girls need to pee" and get out when you need to. You can't pay attention to much if you're freezing and cramped up from having to pee.

I think you'll find that a Weezle Extreme Plus with the booties will keep you toasty, though. Pull on a set of wool hunting socks beneath the booties.

Use a heavy plate. If you haven't got one, FredT can likely overnight you one of his works of art, I'd recommend the 12 lb but he also offers a 15 lb plate. they are quite reasonable. If you can't see it, borrow another plate identical to the one you own and double them up. Ask Ron if he knows anyone with a heavy plate you can use. Hell, if you want to use it I will fedex you my heavy plate and harness, and you can fedex it back to me after your class.

Chin up. You're going to do fine.



P.S. For "apres dive" situations in March right off the water in Puget Sound, these may prevent you from having to un-drysuit any further than absolutely necessary:
http://www.travelmateinfo.com/page002.html
http://www0.epinions.com/webs-review-4816-39632F7-39AEDEF1-prod1

 

[amascuba]

All I can say is brrrrrrrr... 45min. was all I could stand last summer in puget sound with my gander mountain special undies. Have fun though! I'm scheduled for fundies over two weekends with Ron Calkins in CO.

 

[Blitz]

I agree with Doc on the weezle. I have dove mine for 2 winters and it works great even after a 213 minute dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Two hours in the Sound isn't so bad, Twiggy.....

Uh uh ... "Twiggy" is before the undergarments and drysuit ... then she becomes someone else ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Meng_Tze]

Add two t-shirts to your combination and you should be fine. Layering is the trick. Of course if you burb, or have a leak, all bets are off. And yes, diapers are your friend.

 

[*Floater*]

Take it someplace warm in a 3mm wetsuit... problem solved.

 

[KMD]

Does this instructor dive in the PNW? 2 hours in the water doing skills is going to freeze anybody's butt off.

Tell him you all want to do the class in warm water.

 

[SDAnderson]

Around here, where the water temps at depth are only marginally colder than yours, we normally limit dive times this time of year to 60 minutes. As the sun warms the top-water, we extend run times to 90 minutes or so. Local conventional wisdom would challenge the smarts of anyone planning a 120 minute dive in sub-50F water.

Weezle wear is great but it does have limits and some endorsers can be a little hyperbolic. You understand better than most that hypothermia is a real danger and perfusion issues can create a fizz problem even if you stay well inside the usual NDL's. Worse yet, the He mixes you will be using exacerbate the potential for a problem. Suit heaters can help but they can also make things worse - if you warm the core enough to feel better but not enough to restore full blood supply to the periphery, you can increase the perfusion disparity.

This is a non-decompression course with no dives below recreational depths. Aside from it's value as a rite of passage, I don't see any real need to be in the water that long. Safety first: I'd verify the information and, if it is correct, I'd ask why before I rescheduled to a warmer date or location.

 

[dsteding]

Lynne is going to go from twiggy to piggy-plus for this class . . .

(oops, time to run and hide . . . again)

 

[shoredivr]

As an Ontario diver, I agree with what Riffraff says big time.