Dry Suit Diving Advice

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

ChilliNZ

Registered
Messages
19
Reaction score
3
Location
Auckland, New Zealand.
# of dives
50 - 99
So, building on the other thread.

I've never been diving in a DS before - I got a brief talking to from the dive shop, they have said after my trip they will take me down to the pool and teach me to use the DS as part of the purchase but in 2 days, I will be diving in this.
It will be 10m/33ft MAX so not too much to go wrong.

How do you dive in a dry suit? I just know lift left arm to descend (Keep the valve half open).. if all the air goes to your feet (Thank God for Hollis batfins!) then rectify this.. etc.

Cheers
Adam
 
At least to start, I'd plan on just enough air in the suit to take off the squeeze, and use the wing/BC for lift. Later on, when you're more comfortable with it, you can think about running more air in the suit for extra warmth if you want.
 
Personally, I would recommend the PADI drysuit course.

If that is not an option though, then here is some info..

You have the concept down right, which is good. At the start of the dive, I have the exhaust valve all the way open (and I usually leave it open during the whole dive, everyone has their own preference, and utilizes it differently). When descending, add air to prevent squeeze. If you use your drysuit as your primary buoyancy compensating device, obviously, add enough air to keep you neutrally buoyant. If you have excess air in the feet, and you get into a feet first ascent, you want to perform a swimming "U":

1. Kick down, exhaling forcefully to help make yourself more negative.
2. Get your body in a head up position and dump air from your drysuit exhaust valve.
3. Re-establish neutral buoyancy

Another option is the "tuck and roll," which I just discovered at this link: Dry suit Control:

When ascending, utilize your exhaust valve to vent expanding air so as to have a safe ascent rate.


Other than that.. enjoy your new bullet?!
 
Personally, I would recommend the PADI drysuit course.

If that is not an option though, then here is some info..

You have the concept down right, which is good. At the start of the dive, I have the exhaust valve all the way open (and I usually leave it open during the whole dive, everyone has their own preference, and utilizes it differently). When descending, add air to prevent squeeze. If you use your drysuit as your primary buoyancy compensating device, obviously, add enough air to keep you neutrally buoyant. If you have excess air in the feet, and you get into a feet first ascent, you want to perform a swimming "U":

1. Kick down, exhaling forcefully to help make yourself more negative.
2. Get your body in a head up position and dump air from your drysuit exhaust valve.
3. Re-establish neutral buoyancy

Another option is the "tuck and roll," which I just discovered at this link: Dry suit Control:

When ascending, utilize your exhaust valve to vent expanding air so as to have a safe ascent rate.


Other than that.. enjoy your new bullet?!

Okay, thanks Mr Huntley! Exactly the kind of advice I want to know :D

The Bullet is a pretty ganky suit, yes? I worry about brands I've never heard of, haha.

Why would you use a dry suit as the main BC? Save weight/equipment?
 
Okay, thanks Mr Huntley! Exactly the kind of advice I want to know :D

The Bullet is a pretty ganky suit, yes? I worry about brands I've never heard of, haha.

Why would you use a dry suit as the main BC? Save weight/equipment?

All, and I mean all, my dives have been in a Whites Fusion. Sure, it's different than most suits, but it works damn great. It may not be popular where you dive, but it is very popular here on the West Coast. (At least in Vancouver) And if it comforts you, Whites is owned by Aqualung, and has great customer service.

The main reason I would use my drysuit as my BCD underwater (not on the surface) is simply because of task loading. I don't understand why you would be inflating your drysuit to prevent squeeze and then also inflating your BCD for neutral buoyancy. In a runaway/feet first ascent you would then not only have to be venting the air in your suit, but as well in your BCD. Arguably, you could get used to it, but I like only using one air bladder to control my buoyancy. To each their own.

Hope that helps.
 
Okay, so the Whites Fusion can go pretty hardcore then, huh? What would the limits on it be?
Now I want to froth on dry suits, haha.

Is there anything else to know? :)
 
I'd personally say it is. My LDS' rental department is full of fusions, and the only repairs needed (assuming you have the SLTs) is a skin replacement every few years (if you beat it up pretty hard) and a patch usually in the foot from some idiot running around in it without booties on. A few months ago a cave diver gave a review on his Fusion bullet at our shop, and I think this sums it up for you: His cave diving buddies were shocked when he told them that this was the exact same suit he was diving the year before.

In terms of what else you need to know, take care of your suit as Whites/Apeks recommends. For the first ten dives, wax your drysuit every time, and then you should be fine doing it on an as needed basis. Get McNett Seal Saver and apply it to your seals every once in awhile before the dive, it'll extend the life of them.

I believe that is it, everything else the manual can tell you or another SB member can tell you. You might learn something from this post as well; http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/260824-padi-dry-suit-class.html (An example being that it is recommended that after you close the zipper of your suit, open your exhaust valve, and crouch, it should vent all the air in your suit, which makes it easier to descend. Reading this article more, I realized another benefit of using your DS for primary buoyancy: "more air in the suit means more loft")
 
You probably already know this, but just to be sure... you need to verify that your neck seal is not too tight, or else you might pass out underwater. Not clear from your post whether you are planning to make your very first drysuit dive as a part of the course with an instructor (as opposed to doing the course later), I would highly recommend that.
 
Wicked! Thanks a lot, mate.

Wax it? What do you mean? Yes, I got the SLT one :O So much hating on latex but is that just everyone that has hated on latex so far has been male? Ha!

---------- Post added September 23rd, 2014 at 05:36 PM ----------

You probably already know this, but just to be sure... you need to verify that your neck seal is not too tight, or else you might pass out underwater. Not clear from your post whether you are planning to make your very first drysuit dive as a part of the course with an instructor (as opposed to doing the course later), I would highly recommend that.
I did not know this.
No, my first dive(s) will be in the field (10m/33ft max) on the most sediment-y bottom I have ever seen and a **** load of starfish and hermit crabs scouring for geoduck and setting up transects.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom