What exactly is squeeze?

[Lenaxia]

Here's a random question then.

I'm sure there's some viscous fluid there with a super high surface tension with a low heat coefficient. If you were to fill your drysuit with this fluid you could eliminate squeeze completely. You shouldn't need much because once you enter the water it should spread it evenly through your suit.

Or even a gel, like the gel they use for ultrasounds.

Sure, it'd be kinda messy, but there could be a way of dealing with it. I wonder how practical something like this cold be.

Someone want to invent a dry liquid for diving (mecury isn't exactly safe for that use)? (One that has super high surface tension? If the surface tension is high enough, it won't soak into any materials, wear a skin tight swimsuit)

 

[DevonDiver]

But....why???

Just attach an LPI hose between your 1st stage and your drysuit...and equalise the suit pressure upon descent.

 

[Lenaxia]

But....why???

Just attach an LPI hose between your 1st stage and your drysuit...and equalise the suit pressure upon descent.

Because it would:
-it would eliminate squeeze
-it would eliminate a hose (fixed volume)
-it would be a fixed buoyancy at all depths
-it would eliminate the need for thermals (maybe)

and most importantly

it would keep your entire body warm instead of where ever your bubble was at the moment meaning even more efficient insulation. Longer dives, more dives and more comfortable.

 

[DevonDiver]

Lenaxia.... did you ever actually dive a drysuit??

 

[Kingpatzer]

And it would have a very cool sci-fi feel to it!

But in all seriousness, it's looking for a solution where there isn't a problem. Squeeze is not a big issue in a well-fitting dry suit, it is a minor annoyance that is easily addressed with relatively simple, reliable, inexpensive, low-end technology.

 

[Lenaxia]

And it would have a very cool sci-fi feel to it!

But in all seriousness, it's looking for a solution where there isn't a problem. Squeeze is not a big issue in a well-fitting dry suit, it is a minor annoyance that is easily addressed with relatively simple, reliable, inexpensive, low-end technology.

Indeed. I was just providing to a suggestion to a problem that someone was complaining about. Yeah it's overkill. It may have its uses, but not in any kind of diving that I will do. Ever.

DD: Yeah, I've dove dry before. Admittedly only twice, but I haven't been relegated to merely trying dry suits on in the LDS.

 

[PfcAJ]

Where this does get a bit more interesting is how much squeeze could be eliminated by a better undergarment design? If one wore a thick neoprene wetsuit under the drysuit to minimize and normalize the air space's direct contact with the skin, then put over that a cover with a loft-able material, the result might well be a more comfortable diving experience underwater. However, I can't imagine that producing a more comfortable experience prior to getting into the water.

I'm pretty sure the neoprene would still be compressed. All those little bubbles would still be subject to pressure, regardless if they are dry or not.

A quality undergarment is an often overlooked aspect of drysuit diving.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I'm pretty sure the neoprene would still be compressed. All those little bubbles would still be subject to pressure, regardless if they are dry or not.

Yes, but they would compress evenly, and the tight fitting material would provide a small level of protection against friction and pinching of skin in suit material and seems.

A quality undergarment is an often overlooked aspect of drysuit diving.

+1 -- a dry suit only really has to stay dry. The undergarment does the bulk of the work (sorry for the pseudo-pun).

 

[boulderjohn]

FYI, although I have not seen it done, the shop with which I work sometimes puts people in thin wetsuits from the pool gear to use as undergarments when people are trying out dry suits in the pool. They say it works fine.

 

[cloudflint]

Here's a random question then.

I'm sure there's some viscous fluid there with a super high surface tension with a low heat coefficient. If you were to fill your drysuit with this fluid you could eliminate squeeze completely. You shouldn't need much because once you enter the water it should spread it evenly through your suit.

Or even a gel, like the gel they use for ultrasounds.

Sure, it'd be kinda messy, but there could be a way of dealing with it. I wonder how practical something like this cold be.

Someone want to invent a dry liquid for diving (mecury isn't exactly safe for that use)? (One that has super high surface tension? If the surface tension is high enough, it won't soak into any materials, wear a skin tight swimsuit)

They already kinda have those, they are called semi-dry suits. I dive all year round in one. Basically they are wetsuits with seals at the wrists, cuffs and neck which allows water to enter but dosent let it out. If its cold weather ill take a Thermos of hot water with me and when i get into my suit I will pour hot water into the neck seal filling the suit up with hot water which keeps me nice and warm during the dive.

The thing is though that liquids in general are very good conductors of heat. The reason dry suits are so warm is because air is a very bad conductor of heat so it dosent conduct the heat from your body into the surrounding water very fast. If you fill the suit with liquid then the liquid is generally going to conduct the heat away from your body much faster resulting in you being colder.

My semi-dry suit has a 7mm layer of neoprene which basically separates the thin layer of water in the suit from the water on the outside of the suit i.e. the sea. I get a cold rush at first as the cold water in the suit sucks the heat out of my body but the water in the suit quickly comes up to body temperature at which point it stops absorbing heat from my body and i remain nice and warm. If i dive in a regular wetsuit then i basically have an entire sea trying to suck the heat out of my body and i end up frozen.