Loss of Buoyancy from Flooded Drysuit

kafkaland · Oct 4, 2014

I am trying to determine the proper size of a wing, and one if the contingencies I'm planning for is a flooded drysuit. Does anyone have an idea how much buoyancy I lose when my drysuit (a DUI FLX), that I usually keep minimally inflated to avoid a squeeze, floods? In that case I need enough spare capacity in the wing to make up for it, but I don't know how much that should be.

EastEndDiver · Oct 4, 2014

Would it not be the inverse to the amount of weight you need to sink? I have to think more on this.

FinnMom · Oct 4, 2014

Interesting question, I've wondered about it myself. I've just about decided that the easiet way to check it out would be to try it in the pool sometime (undersuit and all).

Even if you can make it to the surface and float, the part that worries me is getting up the ladder into the boat while wearing a suit full of water and a soaked undersuit.

PfcAJ · Oct 4, 2014

Water in water is neutral.

Your wing needs to be big enough to float your tanks without you in the harness.

fire_diver · Oct 4, 2014

FinnMom:
Interesting question, I've wondered about it myself. I've just about decided that the easiet way to check it out would be to try it in the pool sometime (undersuit and all).

Even if you can make it to the surface and float, the part that worries me is getting up the ladder into the boat while wearing a suit full of water and a soaked undersuit.

There are "floods" and then there are FLOODS. If my DS is truly flooded and I can't get up a ladder because of the weight inside the suit, I'm using my shears to cut the leg bottoms open. This will let the water drain as you move up the ladder. The suit is replaceable, you are not.

RJP · Oct 4, 2014

PfcAJ:
Your wing needs to be big enough to float your tanks without you in the harness.

Plus anything else attached to your rig - stages, reels, lights, etc.

(Plus - yourself, if you are one of those people who claim to be negatively buoyant at the surface.)

---------- Post added October 4th, 2014 at 05:05 PM ----------

fire_diver:
There are "floods" and then there are FLOODS. If my DS is truly flooded and I can't get up a ladder because of the weight inside the suit, I'm using my shears to cut the leg bottoms open. This will let the water drain as you move up the ladder. The suit is replaceable, you are not.

During my Rescue Class - after towing my unconscious diver to the shore while getting them out of their gear and me out of my gear and then carrying them out of the water - I was sweating like crazy in my drysuit. To avoid melting completely I unzipped the front of the suit to cool off. A few moments later I waded back in to the chest deep water to retrieve my rig... with the zipper still completely open.

After crawling out of the water I needed to lay on the ground and slowly swing my legs around so that my feet faced up the hill in order to allow the water to run down out of the suit.

PfcAJ · Oct 4, 2014

I don't see a need to have to account for full everything that might be attached. Worst case that junk weighs a few lbs and you can swim against it easily. Ditch it or hand it to a buddy if need be.

I dont think anyone is going to be negative in a drysuit, either.

knotical · Oct 4, 2014

Seems to me there is a fairly straightforward test.

Get in the pool with your normal configuration of gear, except drysuit. Find the minimum of amount weight you need to submerge.

Do the same, but with your drysuit. You will need more weight to submerge, and that difference is how much buoyancy the drysuit provided.

CamG · Oct 4, 2014

I have had some really nasty floods some even that when you unzip a front zip it runs out.
You can tell your are negative but haven't had horrific troubles getting on a boat or out of the water.
It has made some deco stops very unpleasant but if you are caring a lift bag, a wing, and a dry suit you should be good.

CamG

Buoy_A · Oct 4, 2014

Seems to me question isn't whether or not your drysuit floods. If it floods, you put more air in, right? Then you've "re-acquired" your buoyancy. Sure, you'll be colder than you would otherwise, but the actual buoyancy characteristics can be re-established.

The real question is, is it possible for your drysuit to have a complete buoyancy malfunction to where it can no longer serve as a secondary buoyancy device. As far as I can tell, that would require a catastrophic failure. I almost can't imagine how that can occur. You can always orient your body so that you "trap" air in a part of the suit that is not compromised.

Loss of Buoyancy from Flooded Drysuit

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kafkaland

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EastEndDiver

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fire_diver

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RJP

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knotical

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