Why It Is So Difficult ???

[TSandM]

With my trilam suit, I can easily reach the valve (even in "full winter regalia"), but in the compressed neo, it's a real struggle, and I turn it with my fingertips against the outside of the valve, rather than being able to grasp it.

I dive the two suits differently. The Mobby's, I leave the valve full open, because where it's located, I have to raise my arm or roll a little to dump. The DC suit, I close the valve three or four clicks during the bottom portion of the dive, because it'll vent if I raise my arm at all, or even get just a little bit head up. And now that I'm using argon, I'm too CHEAP to vent that gas when I don't want to!

 

[piikki]

I wonder if my valve is 'tight'. I have never had it accidentally dump. I have a SiTech valve and I always dive it fully open, would not dream clicking it anywhere else.

 

[dave4868]

Now I feel like a freak. I don’t fit these descriptions at al. When I got a drysuit , I was positively surprised (demo had not been beautiful). First dozen or more dives were very easy. It was a surprise how easily the suit cooperated, and I assumed it was the custom cut and better fitting (better) undies and all.

Then around DS dive 20 I hit some sort of wall. The suit started torturing me. Ascents became a real nuisance, air was trapping and always sloshing to my calves if I moved around more, and I felt generally very insecure of what was going on. I kept a good squeeze and still that air always crept on from somewhere!

I got over some of that hump and then the real cold weather arrived, and brought on some more trouble with having to stuff so much insulation under that lofting and mobility became an issue. (Can you guys turn your suit valve on surface in full winter regalia – I can’t?) Then ice arrived and left me stranded, and now I am awaiting the return to the suit with eagerness but a fair amount of doubt too.

In the winter, I wear more insulation than anyone I know, but, thankfully, my drysuit is roomy and I can reach everything with ease.

Like you, my first couple of dozen dives with the drysuit were almost trouble-free.

Then I began experimenting with different combinations of insulation and weight....

I took a bunch of notes of what worked, but now I don't seem to need to tweak things as much.

Maybe now the problems just seem minor.

Or maybe I've lowered my standards!

About the only time I need to really avoid overweighting or go with more squeeze in the suit is when I'm using very light insulation. Then, the roominess of the suit lets the air move too easily.

Dave C

 

[piikki]

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Like you, my first couple of dozen dives with the drysuit were almost trouble-free.

Then I began experimenting with different combinations of insulation and weight....

I took a bunch of notes of what worked, but now I don't seem to need to tweak things as much.

I think that's one thing. At first I was vigilant and careful with what I did. Then I started thinking it was easy and then it bit me in the butt. Then I started overthinking and trying to change too many things to regain control... I have yet to arrive in a state where I can quickly adjust to changes without thinking too much. I feel something and I react too quickly and the chain starts...

Floaty legs just feel so freaky... I witnessed someone taking the feet first speedtrain to the surface, and I think that spooked me too. That was about when my control probs had just started.

 

[dave4868]

I think that's one thing. At first I was vigilant and careful with what I did. Then I started thinking it was easy and then it bit me in the butt. Then I started overthinking and trying to change too many things to regain control... I have yet to arrive in a state where I can quickly adjust to changes without thinking too much. I feel something and I react too quickly and the chain starts...

Floaty legs just feel so freaky... I witnessed someone taking the feet first speedtrain to the surface, and I think that spooked me too. That was about when my control probs had just started.

"Speedtrain to the surface". I like that!

Embolism Express on the BubbleRail.... sorry, I'm getting carried away....

I can understand how you might feel with a sudden shifting of air. It's happened to me a couple times when I've worn light insulation that doesn't fill out my suit and had a little too much air in the suit.

That's not fun.

I think my heavy insulation fills out my suit pretty well, so any air shifting gets slowed down because it has to pass through the material.

And there's plenty of material, since my winter insulation requires about 50 lbs to offset.

Slowing the shifting of air apparently gives me plenty of time to adjust.

Since my suit legs are already filled out pretty completely, I can head down vertically and hold a neutral, inverted position without excessive air ballooning the legs.

Not so true in real shallow water, of course. There, the buoyancy changes are more drastic.

The other thing I do is keep a lot of air in my drysuit socks/Rockboots, for warmth. I trim that out with ankle weights.

If anything, my feet are more likely to become more negative from air shifting out of them during a dive.

Maybe you could use gaiters on your legs to create resistance to the shifting of air toward the feet. Might be a little colder, but worth a try.

Dave C