Two HOURS??????

[riguerin]

JeffG - Would you have part #s for the heater?
Thanks
Eric

JeffG wouldn't be able to see this post as he was permanently banned from the DIR forum some time ago. Presently, he is no longer actively participating on SB (by his choice). You can find him on mossmanscuba.

BTW .... I've chatted with him about his drysuit heater in the past. As I recall, he was satisfied with it.

 

[*Floater*]

There was a recent thread about heated wetsuits, which included some links to wet- and drysuit heaters: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=175125&page=3

There was also some discussion about sodium-acetate heat pads: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=175740

I have no experience with either, but that's what I would be tempted to try if I needed an extra boost quickly but didn't want to change the undergarment. A bunch of those little pads in the boots, glvoes and undergarment pockets, maybe above kidneys, and elsewhere should be worth something. The electric heating systems look a little too expensive for my taste since I haven't heard much feedback about them but if they work then maybe they are worth it...

I've also heard good things about Carol's, and since it's supposed to be super stretchy you could probably fit their size XXS, that is in case you could use a new base layer for a little extra boost. And I've heard of people using Xerotherm base layers and/or Arctics with thinsulate undergarments on the UK boards (dirx), but those are expensive.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I ordered a Cozy Winters heated vest. We'll see how it works.

Now off to contemplate diapers . . .

 

[Rick Inman]

Well, I ordered a Cozy Winters heated vest. We'll see how it works.

Now off to contemplate diapers . . .

I'm VERY interested in hearing how this works for you. Please keep us posted.

Also, let us know what you're instructor says about it (can't imagine adding this additional failure point is DIR).

 

[TSandM]

There's actually been an active discussion going on on my local DIR LDS e-group regarding such matters. The statement has been made that such things should only be necessary for the most extreme dives, but none of those guys is me.

This vest doesn't require a hole in the drysuit, and I plan to put the battery in a ziplock, so it would require a true total suit flood to get water on it. And even if that happened, it would liberate a little hydrogen gas, and I think I'd have more to think about than that.

 

[String]

How do you turn it off if it malfunctions in any way if theres no direct access ? or is there a magnetic switch to work through the suit?

 

[MonkSeal]

Freeze? Withdraw?

No, of course not. Have in mind that Rec Triox class isn't army training camp I hardly believe that the instructor will force you to go beyond personal level of comfort - btw level of comfort is one aspect of safety in diving.

I guess that first few dives (drills) will be the most challenging due to low level of activity.

Regarding practical advices:
- be sure to have good feet insulation
- be sure to have proper gloves
- stay active on surface during debriefing

I must admit that I scheduled my Tech-2 class for September because I still remember freezing Tech-1 in February

Good luck!

 

[lamont]

There does seem to be a little bit of aspect of hazing to how long they're currently liking to keep you in the water in rec triox and tech 1. 2 hrs in rec triox and 3 hrs in tech 1 in 45F water in puget sound seem like overkill in teaching students that they need to be concerned about thermal protection and other issues for long decompression exposures in this environment. Before I got sick I was debugging things to try to get to the point where I could stay comfortably in 45F water for 120 mins, which seems like a more than adequate bar for tech 1 diving. Doing 180 minute exposures day after day is just going to introduce students to hypothermia and extreme fatigue.

 

[jtivat]

This is why I do all my training in Florida now. The water is always 68-72 degrees. This last trip the water was warmer than the air. It was nice getting in...and staying in...

I strongly believe all training should be done in as bad or worse conditions that you will be doing in real life. When I took Trimix there were students that put on wet 3mm gloves on there dry suits to do the skills and now wonder why they have a hard time shooting a bag in there dry gloves. The point of training is not to get a card but to learn the skills you need to do the real dives safely.

 

[TSandM]

jtivat, I agree with you. On the other hand, this is a NO DECO class for diving helium in the 100 foot range . . . Any dive I do in that range is not going to be more than an hour in the water, ever, and stay no deco.

The reason for the long stays in the water is class logistics, I think, more than anything else. And it amazes me what the instructors can do. When we did Fundies, Steve was staying in the water for a couple of hours at a time. But I don't have the muscle mass to generate the heat, nor the fat to insulate it, and I'm up against practical limits on layers of insulation and the resulting weight I have to carry. I'm never going to do long deco hangs in Puget Sound, if I ever do any deco at all (which isn't necessary for the Mexican caves, which is where I'm headed!)