Gil Middlebrooks
Registered
After several dives in a 5mm wetsuit at 48F, I bit the bullet and bought a low end drysuit. My dive buddy and I did two dives yesterday at the Lake Norman Quarry just above Charlotte. Surface temp = 60F; temp at 70 ffw = 48F.
On our first dive, we started off by doing buoyancy drills. I was able to work out of the feet-up problem with no difficulties. We tooled around and took in the sites. I was wearing a Hollis AUG 100 undergarment and was not cold at all, but I could tell when there were significant temperature changes (and not just through my hood and gloves).
Our second dive was to do a little work on my buddy's mapping assignment for his Divemaster class. No issues, except a couple of the attractions had slight issues with their attached guide ropes, and that caused us some time to deal with.
I have already signed up for the PADI drysuit class at my LDS, because I think I can take advantage of time with an instructor to work on buoyancy issues and to maybe sneak in a deeper dive (past 70 ffw). A lot of folks don't think it is a necessary class, but I just view it as a constructive way to learn more about diving.
A few thoughts for those who have not done this yet: Drysuit squeeze is an "interesting" feeling that takes some getting used to handling. I also used my BCD for minor buoyancy control on the bottom. On my next dives, I am going to not put any air into my BCD and use the drysuit for minor buoyancy adjustments. Final thought: Fins with spring heel thingys may be the best scuba invention ever for beginners. (New pair of Hollis F1s that I love!)
On our first dive, we started off by doing buoyancy drills. I was able to work out of the feet-up problem with no difficulties. We tooled around and took in the sites. I was wearing a Hollis AUG 100 undergarment and was not cold at all, but I could tell when there were significant temperature changes (and not just through my hood and gloves).
Our second dive was to do a little work on my buddy's mapping assignment for his Divemaster class. No issues, except a couple of the attractions had slight issues with their attached guide ropes, and that caused us some time to deal with.
I have already signed up for the PADI drysuit class at my LDS, because I think I can take advantage of time with an instructor to work on buoyancy issues and to maybe sneak in a deeper dive (past 70 ffw). A lot of folks don't think it is a necessary class, but I just view it as a constructive way to learn more about diving.
A few thoughts for those who have not done this yet: Drysuit squeeze is an "interesting" feeling that takes some getting used to handling. I also used my BCD for minor buoyancy control on the bottom. On my next dives, I am going to not put any air into my BCD and use the drysuit for minor buoyancy adjustments. Final thought: Fins with spring heel thingys may be the best scuba invention ever for beginners. (New pair of Hollis F1s that I love!)