Unpressurised Dry Suit for Shallow Surface Supplied Air Diving

[lowwall]

More great points. One of my friends also has a SCUBA certificate (although we would both have a refresher and drysuit course). Asking any of them to train in freediving is probably a bit much. The Airbuddy allows 2 people to go down 6 m simultaneously.

My concern with the Airbuddy is that it's an expensive toy. It does not appear to be up to the rigors you would be putting it through and it's made up of a bunch of plastic and proprietary parts which would make successful field servicing unlikely.

For example: AirBuddy Dive System Review: Fun but Fragile – SV Sparklemuffin

Also, looking at their specs, it will have a tough time delivering sufficient air if you are performing any work near its max depths.

 

[Edward3c]

One point not yet mentioned. Often a properly fitting wetsuit will be as warm in the water as a drysuit. The drysuits real advantage is when you get out of the water; and getting dressed for the second dive.

 

[Orthodoxality]

A friend of a friend who leads a dive club has said that I can experiment in their pool (they're curious too.)

It would probably be a good idea for to join up for a few dives, and we can experiment with this thing in a few different water conditions before making any decisions, and get some dry suit experience.

Before that, you've all successfully convinced me that snorkeling/skin-diving (possibly with some mild freediving techniques thrown in) is definitely the way to go.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. You may have saved everyone the sight of some idiot washing up on the beach wrapped in a blue air hose.

Unscrew the reg from the end of the Airbuddy hose. Screw this into the end. Screw this into that. Attach a regulator and an inflator hose to the Y block. Attach the Airbuddy reg to the end hose, and the inflator hose to your BC. Try not to die!

Again, for the record, I think freediving would be safer, better, and more in keeping with your project ethos.

Amazing, thank you! I had been trying to figure out how to do it with the quick connects. It does seem to be possible to unscrew the regulator, and these components are very affordable.

Air buddy to me seems like the spare air, a gimmicky marketing scheme and not a good idea. I might be wrong but I wouldn't trust my life to it...

You're probably right, and thank you for your patience.

One point not yet mentioned. Often a properly fitting wetsuit will be as warm in the water as a drysuit. The drysuits real advantage is when you get out of the water; and getting dressed for the second dive.

The thought of being able to get in and out at will, or hang around stationary is definitely a big part of the dream. It's literally freezing at the moment, so I'll just wait it out for a bit.

 

[happy-diver]

most people don't dive in the desert

One point not yet mentioned. Often a properly fitting wetsuit will be as warm in the water as a drysuit. The drysuits real advantage is when you get out of the water; and getting dressed for the second dive.

 

[Orthodoxality]

Just in case I was being ambiguous, by "desert island", I meant islands which were at one time inhabited but currently aren't (Ireland is littered with them). Some are lush with access to freshwater, but super windy with the potential for rainstorms, so being able to place cameras in the ponds or interesting nooks and crannies under the sea/estuary without having to dry off every time would be very handy.

 

[happy-diver]

In reference to the quote from my post above regarding the guy above you above me

I would imagine, if his stated location of Alexandria is correct, his post is, questionable
with regard to people not diving in the desert

 

[Orthodoxality]

Oh, cool. I'm sure that helps all right!

Just trying to compensate for my previous lack of forthcoming.

 

[happy-diver]

Often a properly fitting wetsuit will be as warm in the water as a drysuit.

See once you reach a certain point either north or south of the Equator the above statement would not apply dude

Why Is It Hot At The Equator But Cold At The Poles?

Solar energy heats the equator consistently throughout the year. The colder poles receive less solar energy due to Earth's curvature and axial tilt. The equator temperature averages above 64°F all year. The north pole ranges from 32°F to −40°F and the south pole annually varies from −18°F to −76°F.

sciencing.com

Equator - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I once did an ice dive and didn't realize I had not plugged the inflator in all the way. Ice build up and 5mm gloves. As I descended the suit got tight. At 15ft it was very clear what was going on. I grabbed the descent line and stopped. With a well-fitting tri lam in 38 degree water a few more feet would have stiffened my arms up enough that it would have been difficult to move. I pulled myself up a couple feet, put a little more air in the BC, connected the inflator and continued the dive. Not being able to do that could have been more of a problem.
Ie, Linnea Mills. Suit filed in case of "Girl dead, boy injured at Glacier National Park

 

[David Wilson]

During the 1950s and early 1960s, shallow-water diving was routinely undertaken in a valveless unpressurised drysuit, e.g.:

In February 1961, the Santa Cruz Sentinel published the above article about the "Golden Tiger" drysuit made in Loveland, Ohio, by the So Lo Marx Rubber Company. This "Skooba-"totes" drysuit proved its worth as an exposure suit for a snorkeller diving the Pacific Ocean in search of shellfish for the table.

The "Golden Tiger" drysuit above is from my diving history collection and I have used it while snorkelling in the North Sea off the coast of North East England.

I found the suit warm, dry and liberating for surface snorkelling off North Sea beaches since the thin material will not bind arms or legs when moving through the water. Thanks to water pressure, deeper dives will expel all or most residual air, flattening the suit against the body, but shallower dives will have less impact.

It is all in the preparation. Donning the footed trousers is relatively straightforward, while the hooded top may need a little soapy water or talc for lubrication when passing the arms through the sleeves, especially if perspiring on a hot day. Beach shoes or fins should be worn over the feet to prevent abrasion.

After dressing, suit watertightness necessitates careful sealing of the sleeve cuffs against the wrists, the hood aperture edge against the face and, last but not least, the jacket and trouser waist skirts, which must be twisted together into a leaktight roll between the top and bottom of the suit.

The final stage of the process is venting the air trapped inside the suit. Failure to do so will lead to the suit ballooning in the water and preventing even shallow submersion. Residual air is removed by walking slowly into the water, which will result in the air being squeezed upwards from the trouser legs by water pressure and then released from the suit by raising a wrist or hood seal momentarily from the skin.