Using a Drysuit Questions

[SpyderTek]

Originally posted by Arduous
Important note:
Only use your BC to establish positive buoyancy at the surface. Do not use your BC for buoyancy control at depth ! Only your dry suit should be used for buoyancy control at depth ! Take a dry suit specialty course this is the type of information you will learn. Not just how to but why you must ! It could save your life.
Please dive safely ………………….Arduous

Yeah, this seems contrary to everything I've heard so far from every dry suit owner I know. Well, at least those that deemed to share dry suit secrets with me instead of just telling me to take a class

According to my information (so far) there are three styles of dry suit use:

1) Dry suit and BC; BC is used for peak buoyancy control at depth
2) Dry suit and BC; Dry Suit is used for buoyancy control at depth
3) Dry suit and NO BC; Dry Suit is used for ALL buoyancy control.

It has been my understanding that only the 1st of the three was "Safe" practice do to the following reasons:

On the 2nd option: If you use your Dry Suit of buoyancy at depth there was a far greater chance of run away ascension due to inverted diver, clothing clogged dump valves, and/or "free-flow" intake valve.

Additionally, with the 3rd option (Just a Dry Suit sans BC), you run all the risks from the second option as well ass the added risk of suit integrity failure thus leaving no way to gain / maintain positive buoyancy.

BIG NOTE!! I freely admit I do not know anything about dry suit diving first hand! Nor have I had the opportunity to review written source / training material. All my knowledge on the subject is word of mouth second hand from other divers. So, with that said, please tell me where I am misguided in my knowledge so far.

Dryly,

SpyderTek

 

[Arduous]

You have been lead to believe wrong. You use your dry suit for buoyancy control at depth and your BC for positive buoyancy on the surface only. Reason: Due to suit squeeze you must add air to your dry suit while diving. Now in addition to this you plan on adding air to your BC to control buoyancy ? If you are having a relaxing dive and everything is going great, you may with a little practice, be able to this juggling act between your BC & dry suit. However… if things go astray you have now task loaded yourself. If you run into the situation where you need to terminate a dive under stress and you begin your assent, now your dealing with two containers of expanding gas, your BC and your dry suit. If your going to try to control your assent under stress with to expanding gas containers then your asking for trouble. This is a juggling act I would not want to follow. However if your using your dry suit for buoyancy control, then your only concern is venting the air from your dry suit. This is much less stressful. You have to put air in your dry suiot during the dive anyway, but you do not need it in your BC. Why would you want to task load yourself like this. Can it be done, sure, but you get no benefit from doing do. The only time you should use your BC for buoyancy control while wearing a dry suit, is if the dry suit fails.

Dive Safe ……………………Arduous

 

[jetblast00]

I easily lift my left upper arm to deflate my suit while releasing air from my power inflater during assent. It's a skill, and I guess, yes, an extra task, but who said drysuit diving wasn't more complicated? It isn't overly complicated, but it does require more skills to be learned. I hardly think that qualifies it as life threating. Scooters require and extra task and a learned skill, should we not use them? lift bags take practice, running reels, etc... Heck, all scuba gear is more complex than snorkels, should we only go snorkeling?

IMO, I would rather manage both deflations in a stress situation, then have a big air bubble shifting around my suit in said situation.


Hey, Arduous, I see we have the same B-day... great, 2 Leo's with differing opinions!

 

[Friggincold]

I agree with jetblast, I can vent my suit at the same time, am venting my bc it just requires a little bit better awareness of my bouyancy. So I guess for a new drysuit user your way is ok But I like using the drysuit for warmth and the bc for its designed purpose bouyancy control. Plus my dry suit can act as my redundant BC.
Friggincold

 

[Arduous]

Sorry jetblast00, the B-day listed for me is false, in fact it’s not even close. I give out very little of my personal information over the internet.


Arduous

 

[SpyderTek]

YEEEEEEHAAAAWWWW!!! Well, it is official! I'm the proud owner of a Poseidon Jetsuit!! Got it for only $142.50

So, now I can dive anytime, anywhere! So, PLEASE keep the information coming in.

I am probably going to get that Book from Amazon you mentioned earlier. Has anyone seen / read:

"NAUI "Diving Dry: skills and techniques" VHS video made by Mosby Lifeline, and/or DUI "Diving Dry" VHS video that comes in a hard case, this video has three chapters; Fundamentals of Diving Dry, Dry Suit Selection and Operational Procedures. (covers items such as suit materials, selection critera, why suits leak) and/or DUI "Be a responsible diver, How to get the most out of your wetsuit, Dry suit diving is fun and How to teach dry suit diving"

??

Thanks again!

WooooooHoooo!

SpyderTek

 

[Uncle Pug]

The contention that buoyancy control using the drysuit only is the best, and especially in a dive where things have gone bad and the taskloading is stressful...

Is wrong.

But it is fun to watch the bubble boys buoyantly bob by...

Keep only as much gas in the suit as absolutely necessary and use your BC as a BCD...

 

[Campana]

"Important note:
Only use your BC to establish positive buoyancy at the surface. Do not use your BC for buoyancy control at depth ! Only your dry suit should be used for buoyancy control at depth ! Take a dry suit specialty course this is the type of information you will learn. Not just how to but why you must ! It could save your life.
Please dive safely ………………….Arduous"

You must know that this is an opinion not shared by a lot of very good drysuit divers. In the cave diving community that I know, the way I use my drysuit and BC is very common and is taught by a lot of agencies and very good instructors. I don't have any trouble managing the small amount of air in my suit plus my bc as I ascend from a cave or open water drysuit dive.

 

[scuba nube]

Yesterday I was diving on the west coast. We were coming up a small rope using it an ascension line. I was using my computer to guage how quickly we were coming up. Now it is on my left, so dumb question but how am I supposed to vent my bc and my dry suit and hold my computer at the same time? The rope broke at 40 feet and I ascended way quicker than I should and didn't do the safety stop that I should have done. What should I have done? How do you ascend properly, slowly and safely?

 

[grf88]

I think the idea of using only the drysuit for buoyancy made a lot of sense when drysuit valves required pressing to release air. Now that we have automatic valves and venting can be accomplished simply by raising your shoulder or lifting your forearm using the drysuit for warmth and the BC for buoyancy makes the most sense to me. Certainly two schools of thought but I wonder how much the idea of drysuit only was influenced by the older type valves and is just a carryover from that time.