w00t!

[ScubaTwo]

Hi
I hope all y'all keep posting to the site. I'm determined to begin diving dry here in Massachusetts this summer. Right now the water temp is 36*F so I might wait a bit & learn some from your experiences if you're willing to share them.
I did the SSI drysuit specialty course last fall & the confined water dive in a pool with a tri-lam suit but no cozy underwear & it was still warm as heck. very odd feeling having the suit loose around me and the air moving from place to place. I made the mistake of extending my arm up above my head in a vertical position and all the air went up to my wrist. I had to grab it with my other hand to pull it down & get the air back into the rest of my suit. reminded me of waterbeds when they were first manufactured, before they were baffled. Bloooo-rp!
Good luck with all your training and keep posting your experiences.
ADY

LOL I was picturing us diving together, you with air stuck in your wrists and me upside down from air in my feet! I havent taken the course yet but we are signed up and ready to go. We took a sorta "dry run" (awful pun) to see if we really wanted to do this and I spent most of the time upside down lol. thankfully it was very shallow and I had an Instructor basically holding onto me the whole time. From what I have gathered reading the diff threads including this one is Mabe I was putting to much air in the dry suit, wich allowed the air bubble to move around to much. I cant wait to start our course. I hope you will update on how your diving dry is going. Oh and the old water beds is the perfect example! lol

 

[Ain'tDeadYet]

People around here use ankle weights to keep the feet down. I think it's a pretty common problem. Ankle weights are said to be good also because you can distribute your weight requirements more evenly thatn just around the waist/torso. What does your instructor recommend?

 

[ScubaTwo]

People around here use ankle weights to keep the feet down. I think it's a pretty common problem. Ankle weights are said to be good also because you can distribute your weight requirements more evenly thatn just around the waist/torso. What does your instructor recommend?

I purchased the DUI weight harness to try and distribute my weight a bit lower on my hips. My instructor reccomends (this is just his personnal opinon) that I save the ankle weights as a last resort and that with practice maybe I can keep my legs down without them. We shall see!

 

[H2Andy]

another thing to do if you are feet heavy is to raise the tank on your back
(lower the BC or wing straps on the tank)

you might be surprised what a difference just a few inches can make

 

[mrobinson]

I purchased the DUI weight harness to try and distribute my weight a bit lower on my hips. My instructor reccomends (this is just his personnal opinon) that I save the ankle weights as a last resort and that with practice maybe I can keep my legs down without them. We shall see!

Hey Scubatwo! I'm happy for you - You'll never go back! I was really interested in hearing about your DUI because I'm going to be getting one as well.. I don't think I've heard a bad thing about them.

The ankle weights= vertical diving.... ]
Since you're learning how to dive with the dry suit, try not to learn a bad habit - diving vertical. I know the idea is not be vertical the wrong way, but just try to trust yourself. Trust you won't go inverted and try to stay horizontal in the water...

Of course - listen to your instructor first and foremost!

just my two cents.. I know you'll love it! Good luck with these new dives.

 

[H2Andy]

hey, i had my dry suit class today with GDI (he's an instructor and a member on
here). it went really well.

at first, i had some trouble with a heavy front trim (my feet kept rising up), but
we lowered my tank by about two inches and that did it. almost perfect trim!
(well, as perfect as i can manage)

it went really well, but i think i did one too many summersaults underwater and
got dizzy. sort of made the rest of the dive iffy... at one point, i started dry heaving
and had to thumb the dive.

but, overall, it was awesome.

oh, and i didn't have to add ANY weight at all

 

[ScubaTwo]

hey, i had my dry suit class today with GDI (he's an instructor and a member on
here). it went really well.

at first, i had some trouble with a heavy front trim (my feet kept rising up), but
we lowered my tank by about two inches and that did it. almost perfect trim!
(well, as perfect as i can manage)

it went really well, but i think i did one too many summersaults underwater and
got dizzy. sort of made the rest of the dive iffy... at one point, i started dry heaving
and had to thumb the dive.

but, overall, it was awesome.

oh, and i didn't have to add ANY weight at all

Excellent! Im still waiting on my class. Work is so busy right now. Chomping at the bit tho! Im looking into some diff fins. Mabe some negative ones. Keep me updated. Also, just wondering...in class do you have the choice of using your bc or suit for buoyency? The DUI book and the padi book says to use the suit but when we did a trial run we used the bc and it was easier. Dunno. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

 

[H2Andy]

everybody whom i respect as a diver has told me never to use the suit
for bouyancy. that's what we did in class. bc for bouyancy, suit for
exposure protection.

it makes sense to me. the suit is way too slow for fine-tuning bouyancy. it
takes way too long to vent.

also, i want to keep as little air on that suit as humanly possible, so i wouldn't
use the suit as inflation even if i didnt' believe these guys.

hurry up and take the class!

 

[seakdivers]

I just had to chime in and say that I also have the TLS350 - it's an awesome suit! I love the newer style of zipper.

Just get yourself some dry gloves, and you are set!

 

[Mako Mark]

i think i did one too many summersaults underwater and
got dizzy. sort of made the rest of the dive iffy... at one point, i started dry heaving
and had to thumb the dive.
:

:rofl:....noob....