Dry Suit and Doubles

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jrc

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Messages
73
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Location
Chicago area
# of dives
200 - 499
I'm hoping someone can help me with this problem. I'm diving a Diving Concepts ZFlex front entry suit with a fairly heavy undergrament [ temps are 44]. The problem is I can't reach back to do valve drills. In the pool I can reach right post, left is a little hard to get to. One person with me at the pool said it looked like the suit was restricting my movement on the left. I'm wondering if the suit is to small or if this is normal and I'm missing some sort of technique.

Any help would be greatly apperciated.
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I saw a few threads on similar issues in the last few months, so do a few searches. You'll want to make sure your undergarment isn't bunching in odd places before you hit the water. Also, you might want to start with some stretching exercises. Can you move the bands to put the valves closer to your head? And are you reaching back with your elbow pointed straight in front of you and not to the side?
 
I've been strectching alot which is helping alot. I keep my elbow close to my head also. Without the undergrament on I can reach the right post but not the left. I've got the bands up to the break on the tanks.
 
Besides reading the various threads here on this subject, your best bet is to find a mentor who can watch you and give advise. Seeing you in action can really be a help. For example, when I was first training on doubles doing my valve drill, I couldn't reach the valve. My instructor watched me and immediately saw the problem. When I reached back, I was dropping my feet a bit and my butt would drop down a bit. Because my harness was a little too loose, the whole kit would slide down my back a little - not much, but enough to drop the valves down just out of reach. A little tightening of the harness and some focus on maintaining a level trim fixed the whole problem.

These types of issues are difficult to diagnose yourself on the internet.
 
totally agree with Rick!
but have a little something to add... I know valve drills are MUCH easier in the water than they are on land, however try laying down with your doubles on, no drysuit and no undies. Cam you do the manipulate the valves? Lets say you can, now put on the undies and repeat, if you can still shut down, retry one more time with your drysuit. It may be the undies are constricting your movement as well. I was told by a GUE instructor to stand up in street clothes reach behind your head and touch the 2nd or 3rd vertebrae supposedly if you can do that, you can do valve drills, repeat with undies and then again with ds to see what is stopping you. I can only trust that this test works, as I could touch my spine easily and never had trouble doing valve drills. Just incase it helps you, I touch the outside of my hand to the side of my head and look up, this brings my hand right in contact with the valve. HTH
 
Thanks Dave, I will differently try those suggestions
 
You might want to find out if it's the undergarments that are too restrictive or the suit? Try reaching the back in just the undergarments and see if you are getting a lot of resistance. Properly fitting undies should give you none. Than try everything (suit + undies) on a dry land. Again if you cannot reach the valves, it's the suit. Also try with thinner undies.

A friend of mine has exactly the same problem with his Bare HD ATR. In 400g thinsulate he cannot reach the valves, the suit is too tight.
 
I agree with Marcin2005 on this.
In street clothes reach back as far down your back as you can.
Then put on the undies see if you can reach the same spot.
Then put on the suit over the undies and see if you can reach the same spot.
At what ever point the restriction is felt then you know what is too tight or causing the problem.

I dive the same suit with heavy undergarments I can reach My valves fine.
Something is probably not sized properly.
Maybe your undies are to thick.

Good luck,
Milo
 
Milo,
The undergarments are thick, water temps here are 44.I not sure if thinner graments would be warm enough. I'll try reaching valves on land with suit on. But, do you think the harness has anything to do with it ?
 
I've been fighting the same good fight with a DC Pinnacle compressed neo drysuit, and I've just about got it whipped now.

What I found out: There was some point to optimizing the gear. I did move the bands up on the tanks some, and bent the isolator knob a little forward. I think that helped.

Body positioning makes a HUGE difference. I was "arching my back" by pushing my shoulders UP, which made the tanks slide down. When I figured out to push my BUTT up instead, it put the tanks in a much better position to reach the valves.

Technique matters: It's critical to get those elbows in toward the middle of your body. The natural tendency to reach back by pulling the elbows out and back does NOT work well.

Stretching helps: I did Cameron Martz's exercises for several weeks.

But above all, confidence makes a difference. I have two suits, and discovered that, with careful pre-dive positioning of the trilam suit, I could reach the valves with relative ease. I could then take that experience and the technique I memorized to the other suit, and although it was more difficult to get it done, it was possible, where I had felt it was not before.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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