Viking problems

[Jared0425]

Last year I was issued a Viking drysuit by my sheriff departement. Over a year later I still cannot get used to the darn thing. The rubber hood acts as a giant ballon when I use the AGA mask because of the constant airflow. The neck seal is lose causing the air in the suit to rush to the hood adding to the balloon effect. Whatever air that is left goes to my feet when I have to swim down underneath the ice just so I can get leveled out, the air rushes to my feet. The foot and the sole is soft and not booted making the air balloon if not leveled out. The legs are too big allowing air and fabric to be squeezed. Does anybody have any advice for this? I have dove a DUI Bare for years for my tech diving but this suit is ridiculous. I consider myself good with most drysuits but this blasted thing comes straight from hell to bug me.
Jared

 

[Glenn08]

A loose neck seal is definately a problem. Youtube has instructions for how to trim a neck seal. Or have the shop that replaces the neck seal help you to size it. Also consider if you want to stay with a latex seal or change to a neoprene seal. I have a ProSeal (Viking) with a neoprene neck seal, and a Viking Sport with a latex neck seal. Are you wearing ankle weights ? 2 pounds on each leg should be good. Are you wearing too much lead ? By the time you have equalized for squeeze you should be neutral. Any air more than that will slosh around. I picked the Viking instead of neoprene because the suit doesn't change buoyancy with depth.

 

[Jared0425]

In the Viking I wear up an above 26lbs of lead, my ankle weights cannot fit around my ankle area. It could be a factor that maybe the suit is too big? My Bare I wear 22 with ankle weights and I'm fine in any depth of water. But that is a very expensive drysuit to be using in the environments that I dive in. I just think there is too much suit on me to make it effective. Is there a way to harden the boots, make legs "thinner" along with the suit?

 

[Glenn08]

I remember seeing gaiters to compress the suit legs from the knees down - but I don't remember where I saw them. Are you wearing fins ? Something you could try for the feet is snowmobile boots - take out the felt inner and wear them over the suit. I have 2 sets of ankle weights. My favourites are like a 1" web weight belt with 'chicklet' weights. They are adjustable for ankle circumference.

 

[oldflounder]

I use McNett Durward ankle weights [do a search on Leisurepro.] I have a Viking and the 3.3# weights fit snug but have enough stretch to get them on with just a little pulling. The next size up might be a little looser. Inside my boots I wear Lavacore socks and neoprene liners that are used inside the stream fishing chest waders that have attached boots. They firm the boots up a bit. I have tried snowmobile boot liners inside but they are too tight.

 

[ditch-diver]

If you are in the Viking for PSD work, try to avoid ankle weights. You work close to the bottom and you'll want to keep your fins out of the mud less it ruins what little viz you have. Try to track down some 'finkeepers' at a dive shop. They are rubber "Y" shaped stirrups that fit around your ankle and under your heel. Don't use them as finkeepers, just pull them on the boot and leave them there. They'll snug down the boot and prevent too much air from going in the boot while at the same time hold the boot to your foot so it wont always feel like your foot wants to come right out. You can leave them in place and take your foot in and out no problem.

Fix the neck seal first, so you'll be able to tell how much is air from the suit air coming into the hood from the mask. In a large percentage of the time, in my experience, air from the AGA into the hood is the result of one thing. Operator error. Make sure the mask is seated and put on properly. Tighten the bottom straps first, firmly. Then the upper straps at the temples. Leave the top strap alone. There is a buckle there so you can change the strap. If you tighten it, it pulls the mask up off your face and makes the seal worse. If you are leaking air at the top, pull the mask down by the bottom straps and snug them up.

I've taught hundreds to use the AGA and only one had to tighten the top strap to prevent air from going in the hood, and that was my daughter when she was nine. Everyone else could cure it by working on mask placement and tightening straps from the bottom up.

Good luck

 

[Jared0425]

I think a have found a temporary solution to the problem. I will try and roll the neck seal down to as tight as I can get it. The AGA strap I will find out at our practice this month. Maybe instead of a weight belt, I will use my DUI harness along with my safety harness to try and compress the center of suit to eleminate all the space. As for the arms and legs, duct tape or straps should restrict the air to a certain point. I will see what I can do to try and harden the soft foot on the suit. If this does not work and I cannot get a smaller suit, I guess I will grit my teeth and go back to the Bare and hope to heck it can withstand the punishment until late April early May where my 7MM can take place.

 

[3D diver]

Put a mask purge valve in your hood to let the air out. I've done it with all my Viking hoods except my latest---had the factory do it this time.

This might help with the neck seal issue too.

 

[oldflounder]

I've recently tried putting a dry suit hood over the latex Viking hood [instead of under it] and putting cottonballs over the ear canals; also a Bio-Seal neck seal to slow down the neck seal leak.