Using your drysuit as a BC

[jagfish]

Drat - about 6 months ago I could have sent you a picture of a drysuit with an oral inflator - you know, they had drysuits before auto-inflators, so oral was what you used

You can still see these rather commonly, especially on Ebay. They are not intended for deep water use. These suits are generally used commercially for very shallow water work, even standing depths I understand.

JAG

 

[nwdiver2]

Drysuits were around before BC that were more than house collars. For many years I dove drysuits without a BC, I didn’t own a BC. The suit was the BC. This was not uncommon in our area up to about 7-8 years ago. Now very few people don’t use BC but I saw a couple on a dive charter boat last weekend without BCs. I still have a single tank harness filled with lead shot that I used for 10 years with my drysuit.

So the long and short is drysuits have been used as BCs with success for years none of my 20-30 friends (who dove for years without a BC) are dead from the practice.

 

[Boogie711]

Drysuits were around before BC that were more than house collars. For many years I dove drysuits without a BC, I didn’t own a BC. The suit was the BC. This was not uncommon in our area up to about 7-8 years ago. Now very few people don’t use BC but I saw a couple on a dive charter boat last weekend without BCs. I still have a single tank harness filled with lead shot that I used for 10 years with my drysuit.

So the long and short is drysuits have been used as BCs with success for years none of my 20-30 friends (who dove for years without a BC) are dead from the practice.

And people drove without seatbelts for years and are still alive today as well. Or used a horse and buggy, for that matter, rather than a car. It works, right?

If you can't handle the inflation mechanism on a BC and on a Drysuit, get out of the water. That's the argument that traiining agencies use - using the suit as a BC reduces taskloading. It's a BS argument.

My drysuit keeps me dry, my bouyancy compensator compensates for bouyancy. I dive with a shrink-wrapped drysuit, and love the streamlining, non-floaty feet and lack of runaway ascents that it provides. My air stays above my centre of gravity, and I'm a happy, warm, well trimmed diver.

 

[Laser]

My drysuit keeps me dry, my bouyancy compensator compensates for bouyancy. I dive with a shrink-wrapped drysuit, and love the streamlining, non-floaty feet and lack of runaway ascents that it provides. My air stays above my centre of gravity, and I'm a happy, warm, well trimmed diver.

Well said.
A buddy I dive with started diving dry at the beginning of last season. He took the PADI course and was all set. About halfway through last year I mentioned that I thought he was messing with his suit an aweful lot. I explained that I only take off the squeeze and use the BC for everything else. One dive later he says, " I wish ya would have told me that sooner! My buoyancy is much easier to control now."

 

[jcclink]

When you use your drysuit as a BC the only difference is the location of the air in the suit vs location in the BC. Since I'm mostly horizontal or vertical its all a non problem. Your buoyancy doesn't change - just your trim. If we have problems maintaining trim, then maybe we just need more practice. Since my right hand us usually glued to my camera, the fewer things that I have to worry about the better. This means that my BC is strictly a tank holder, unless I need a little help on the surface. The DUI owners manual says don't use the BC at depth. Some are forgetting that a little more air in the drysuit will keep your warmer. To each his/her own, but why burden yourself with more tasks than necessary?

 

[mempilot]

When you use your drysuit as a BC the only difference is the location of the air in the suit vs location in the BC. Since I'm mostly horizontal or vertical its all a non problem. Your buoyancy doesn't change - just your trim. If we have problems maintaining trim, then maybe we just need more practice. Since my right hand us usually glued to my camera, the fewer things that I have to worry about the better. This means that my BC is strictly a tank holder, unless I need a little help on the surface. The DUI owners manual says don't use the BC at depth. Some are forgetting that a little more air in the drysuit will keep your warmer. To each his/her own, but why burden yourself with more tasks than necessary?

How is using one inflator vs the other any more or less of a task load? The difference in the location of the air in the suit vs the bc is the whole discussion. Going vertical in a dry suit means the air is going to shift quite a distance vs going vertical with air in the bc. Dumping air from a bc is much more convenient than dumping air from a suit. If putting enough air in the suit to keep the squeeze off doesn't keep you warm enough, then you're not wearing the proper undergarmets.

You're right when you say to each their own, but your arguments are a little weak; especially when a new suit diver is asking the questions.

 

[String]

If you can't handle the inflation mechanism on a BC and on a Drysuit, get out of the water. That's the argument that traiining agencies use - using the suit as a BC reduces taskloading. It's a BS argument.

A far better way of putting it is why make things harder for yourself ? A dry suit is capable of compensating for buoyancy changes provided the weighting is correct and you will need to put air in it anyway so why not just use that and reduce the chances of a mistake or an equipment failiure such as a sticking valve? If using your suit works for you then carry on doing so, nothing bad will happen, you wont suddenly die and its more than possible to enjoy diving with it.

lack of runaway ascents that it provides.

If you get runaway ascents at all using any means of buoyancy control you need to get back to training. Using a dry suit does not give ANY more scope for a runaway ascent than using a BC does.

My air stays above my centre of gravity,

Just like in a drysuit then, when horizontal the air all stays above centre of gravity.

and I'm a happy, warm, well trimmed diver.

So are most other dry suit divers i know, those that use their suit for buoyancy and those that dont. Again provided weighting is correct there is no reason to expect trim to be out, floaty feet, inversions or anything else.

 

[String]

Dumping air from a bc is much more convenient than dumping air from a suit.

Uh ? To dump air from my drysuit i raise my left arm. No buttons to press, no tubes to find, no pull cords to find...Raise arm....Dump air. It cant get any simpler than that.

 

[jcclink]

String is my kind of diver. Sounds like he's been doing this for awhile. Diving is easy if you do it right.

 

[mempilot]

If you get runaway ascents at all using any means of buoyancy control you need to get back to training. Using a dry suit does not give ANY more scope for a runaway ascent than using a BC does.

A drysuit holds a lot more air than a bc bladder. The bc bladder has an overpressure relief and many more ways to get rid of the air know matter what position your body is in. Breaking a seal on a drysuit and potentially flooding it with a ceiling is very dangerous. I prefer to use as little air as possible in the suit.