weight adj. and drysuit

[chuckrt]

OK here goes,

I have begun diving with BP/wings and used them this past week in FL. My question is when diving dry and trying to keep a slight heads down attitude how do you keep even the minimal air for squeeze out of your feet?
I have up till now worn my weight harness lower on my hips to offset this but I would like to take the cavern class. I was also able to dump significant amount of lead from my jacket style to the BP. I was wearing a 5ml steamer with beanie and gloves and I used to wear 19lbs. I was able to drop to 11lbs. and may still be slightly heavy, I am a little more bouyant than some.
Thanks to any and all that reply.

chuckrt

[amaze]

Hi, You can buy a pair of gaitors that wrap arround your calves. bill

[Doppler]

Well the simple answer is ensure your drysuit fits through the legs and feet. If it's too big and you can't get it altered, wear gators -- as previously posted -- and start saving!


;)

DD

[O-ring]

Doppler once bubbled...
Well the simple answer is ensure your drysuit fits through the legs and feet. If it's too big and you can't get it altered, wear gators -- as previously posted -- and start saving!


;)

DD
I have never had a problem with air in my legs and I don't wear gaitors... IMHO, this is usually a practice issue. I have a buddy that has problems with air in his feet, but he rarely gets out diving. I keep telling him he doesn't need gaitors...just more time in the suit doing nothing but practicing neutral buoyancy while maintaining horizontal trim... Just something else to think about..

[landlocked]

chuckrt once bubbled...
....trying to keep a slight heads down attitude how do you keep even the minimal air for squeeze out of your feet?... I'm sorry, is slightly heads down preferable? :confused:

[chuckrt]

Landlocked,
I was reading in the GUE guide about slight heads down to keep feet and fins from stirring up silt as well as alternate kicks. With my heavier thermals on the legs are fairly tight but when the water gets above 55 I use a fleece suit. Ordinarily I will try to stay in a horizontal trim and just have to practice. I really would rather not use gaters but It may come down to that.
I guess I forgot to mention that this slight heads down was for cavern training, and not open water sorry 'bout that.

chuckrt

[Dryglove]

I got me one of those high speed drysuits with built in gators.My Bare ATR HD came with built in gators.They are about worthless for use as gators as they fit loosely around my lower legs.I guess it was a nice thought by Bare though.Fortunately for me i have no problem with air going to my feet as i use very little air in my drysuit.

[O-ring]

chuckrt once bubbled...
Landlocked,
I was reading in the GUE guide about slight heads down to keep feet and fins from stirring up silt as well as alternate kicks. With my heavier thermals on the legs are fairly tight but when the water gets above 55 I use a fleece suit. Ordinarily I will try to stay in a horizontal trim and just have to practice. I really would rather not use gaters but It may come down to that.
I guess I forgot to mention that this slight heads down was for cavern training, and not open water sorry 'bout that.

chuckrt
...one of the instructors in my DIRF was wearing them and he looked better than I can ever hope to look in the water.. I don't personally need them, but who am I to say somebody else shouldn't need them?

[Norda]

While I don't have near the diving experience of many of you on this board, I can relate to Chuckrt "heads down" position comments. Since I have studied this board and learned of the need to be careful around reefs I have developed a slight heads down profile so I keep my fins up and away from any possible damage while allowing my head to get up close to view small creatures, look under ledges, etc. The problem is most of my early diving was in warm water/wet, which worked fine until I bought a drysuit. Now I find myself having a difficult time adjusting and I think it is due to the bad (?) habits I learned in warm water. I only have about 10 dives on the drysuit so I know I have a long way to go, but it seemed it only took me 5 - 6 dives to get really comfortable with good bouancy control diving wet. So far I still don't feel confident diving dry and it has been a little frustrating. Just last weekend I ended up inverted and went from 40' to 25' before I could get myself stabilized and under control. I have been putting only enough air in my drysuit to keep the squeeze off. I think maybe I am overweighted since I do experience a little seesawing, but I am afraid to dump any more weight until I get better control. Right now I am using 30 lbs.

So far we are getting in about four dives a month so I hope I can get this drysuit diving down!

[ScoobieDooo]

This may sound foolish but how come no one has adopted bungee 'loops' for around the lower legs vs gaitors?

[Norda]

Ahh.. good question, I was thinking the same thing. Some way to restrict the flow of air. However, if you weren't careful I would think you could also restrict flow of blood?

[King Kong Matt]

ScoobieDooo once bubbled...
This may sound foolish but how come no one has adopted bungee 'loops' for around the lower legs vs gaitors?

This might work...

I kinda think the loops might be susceptible to rolling down your leg and basically not doing what they were intended to do.

The velcro on the Halycon gaitors is crazy...it always seems to take all my strength to get those things off...once you put them on, they stay on.

Personally, I love em

[GearHead]

I found happiness after I learned to embrace the squeeze. Once I figured out how much insulation I needed to stay comfortable with just a small amount of air, I found that I didn't have a bubble of air shifting around the suit. This allowed me to drop more lead from my rig too, which sounds like one of your goals. I suggest if you go dry, let the suit show you some love.:lovey:

[kalvyn]

I bought a pair of fin keepers and put them over my drysuit boots. They have really helped and cost a lot less than a pair of gaitors. :)

Jimmie

[amaze]

While i don't wear gaitors with my drysuit yet i have also heard it said since they keep air out of your legs there is less drag when using them so better propulsion.

[chuckrt]

I was really trying to avoid the gator route but may not be able to.

Kalvyn what in the heck are fin keepers?

chuckrt

[GearHead]

This is what fin keepers (http://www.eyeline.com.au/View_Large_Optical.asp?ShopperID=&SKU=EFKA) look like, Chuck.

[ScoobieDooo]

How do you use them?


????

[padiscubapro]

ScoobieDooo once bubbled...
This may sound foolish but how come no one has adopted bungee 'loops' for around the lower legs vs gaitors?

Since your a northeaster and our wrecks have so much fishing line on them..

why not put a knife on each leg(I do).. You may look like a commando, but you have a cutting implement and it stops air movement to your feet as well..

I dive with at least 3 cutting implements (usually 4), 2 knives on legs, 1 small knife up high, and cuttiing shears at my waist..

The shears are an absolute necessity, spyder wire is becoming much more prevalent and knives do didley under water on it..

I also subscribe get used to the squeeze, I just add enogh gas where it just begins to squeeze.. no gas bubble to move back and forth and buoyance is a piece of cake.. If I begin to feel the cold then I will add a bit more gas...

[ScoobieDooo]

chuckrt,
Just curious - what are you diving for wings? Did you go to twins as well?

[chuckrt]

Scoobie,

I dive a single tank right now (al80) but will be getting steel 95's. I have a Deepoutdoors 40lb. wing on a GaryHoadley Dir rigged BP.
I got the wings in FL. from Birds Underwater after talking to him about what I would like to do. He stated the Deepoutdoors were put together well and I agree. I compared them to Diverite in the shop and he gave me an excellent price as well.

chuckrt

[ScoobieDooo]

Sweet Chuck,
I am kicking around steel 98's this Fall as well, coupled with two Apek's ATX50's (own one currently).

[kalvyn]

ScoobieDooo once bubbled...
How do you use them?


????
I place the fin keepers over my drysuit boots (OS Systems suit w/ attached rubber boot) before putting on my fins. The fin keepers squeeze the boot to my foot, making less room for air to congregate. I also like the fact that the fin keepers keep the boot snugly on my foot... it doesn't feel like my foot might slip out at any moment. I actually got the idea from one of the 5thD guys I dove with on my BP/wing orientation dive. It's what he does and he suggested I give it a try.

Jimmie

[ScoobieDooo]

Anyone have any pics on HOW these 'fin keepers' work and look when hooked up?

[kalvyn]

ScoobieDooo once bubbled...
Anyone have any pics on HOW these 'fin keepers' work and look when hooked up?
If no one else beats me to it, I'll take pics before my dive tonight and post them for you.

Jimmie

[kalvyn]

As promised...

[kalvyn]

Second shot...

[kalvyn]

Last, but not least...

[chuckrt]

thanks Kalvyn for the pictures and info on fin keepers. This might be an option.

chuckrt