Help with accessories please

[Daniel1]

I am currently doing my open water diving course and today had a horrible time on my first open water dive - keeping in mind it was with a dry suit in the middle of winter!

1. My feet got extremely hold. I think I need to buy something proper for my feet, the warmest I can get. I found the hotfoot pro drysuit socks. Is this the best, or are there any alternatives that are just as good but a bit cheaper? £50 for socks is harsh!!

2. My mask ALWAYS floods, both in the pool and today. It makes it hard to concentrate on other skills, or anything else, when the second I go underwater, the water is halfway up my eyes...and this seems to happen nearly every time. Can anyone recommend a mask that I can buy for myself, instead of using the ones from the company, that are maybe really good and won't flood all the time?

Thank you!

 

[Marie13]

Personal tolerance to cold is such a subjective thing.

You must be referring to the Fourth Element Hotfoot socks. I have the Fourth Element Arctic socks. You might try layering merino wool socks under the fleece socks. What were you wearing today?

I'm the resident SB flooding mask expert. I think I'm on mask 17 now and I've finally found one that works most of the time. Leaks some, but not as bad as others. I have deep smile lines on either side of my nose and a mask with a longer bottom skirt did the trick.

Do I understand correctly that you are using a rental mask? That surprises me, as least in the US, it's common for students to be required to buy their own mask, snorkel, fins, and booties.

Anyway, if you are using a rental mask, you need to get your own ASAP. Your best bet is to go to a shop with lots on display and try them on. Mask fit is a very personal thing, dependent on face shape. What would work for me wouldn't work for someone else. Search out other threads here on SB on mask fit.

 

[decompression]

I’m guessing that your feet are probably lower than your body when you are diving, this stops the air (warmth) from getting to them. Do your best to maintain the proper trim position (skydiver) as this puts your feet at a high point and cuddly warm air around them. You can also try neoprene socks as they are better suited to this than “loft” style socks that compress.

The mask is vital, remember that a perfect fitting mask in the shop/pool will leak when you are moving like a tornado in open water, so go slow, try not to smile and get the best fit possible. Work with your instructor on this.

 

[Daniel1]

Today I was just wearing two thick woolen/winter style socks. My drysuit leaked like crazy and I was in the water for a very long time totally soaked, so that probably didn't help! I had to cancel my 2nd dive as I was shivering uncontrollably after the first dive - very annoying as I now have to squeeze in another dive before my diving holiday in 4 weeks' time.

It is indeed a rental mask. The only thing we have had to buy are the gloves. They were a bit cold but worked well enough. I'm happy to keep them, but before my re-attempt at a second dive in two weeks, I want to get some proper gear - especially since I also plan on diving in Iceland in April.

Sorry if I am being a bit stupid here, but, on the continuum of neoprene socks - fourth element hotfoot - fourth element arctic - merino wool etc, which is the warmest? That's what I need - haha.

The rest of my body was ok with two thermals on and long johns. Well - obviously not ok given my aborted second dive - but I imagine without the leakage, it'd have been ok. We were in the water for ages due to weight issues, so the 15 minute diving exercise dive turned into 30 min trying to adjust weights and other things, and then the 15 min, all while soaking inside, so the timing didn't help either. Unpleasant.

My feet were indeed lower, but we were kneeling at the bottom to do some of the skills, so I didn't have too much choice in that (meaning that between being at the surface and kneeling at the bottom, I wasn't moving much which didn't help with keeping warm either).

I'm based in Scotland, by the way!

 

[Landau]

Did the mask work in the pool? If so perhaps the hood was interfering? I spend a bit of time before descending making sure my hood is over the edge of my mask and not the other way round.

Also the best way to keep the feet warm is to cure whatever was causing your drysuit to leak. Failing that another layer of wool or fleece socks.

Good luck

 

[Edward3c]

I’ll iterate what the others have said, try plenty of masks until you find one that fits properly. If you’re being distracted by the mask you’re not going to learn as quickly.

The same with the drysuit, don’t be rushed into using one if the seals aren’t fitting properly. Are you using a neoprene or membrane suit?

Scottish water is still reasonably warm, it starts to cool down from now and gets to its coldest in March/April.

Where are you located?

 

[Bierstadt]

Sounds like an utter debacle. A drysuit is a fairly advanced piece of kit to try and learn, and you are trying to do that on top of your first OW dives... I guess you do what you have to do, but I would call that clear task overloading.

I advise isolating each problem and fixing it.
1) Your drysuit leaks. Fix the leaking. Or use a wetsuit.
2) Your feet are cold. Um, you mean colder than the rest of you in your leaking drysuit? lol. I suspect that a non-leaking drysuit will address most of the issue. A warmer sock would help, but it is only a part of the solution. Also, was your drysuit inflated enough to let your socks loft?
3) Ill-fitting leaky mask. Get a mask that fits. Nothing complicated about that. There are plenty of guides to finding a mask that fits. If a visit to your LDS does not find you a mask that fits, then come back here for some advanced tips from someone like Marie, mask-fit ninja that she is. But you'll probably have no problem finding a mask at your LDS.

Good luck. Learning to use a drysuit while learning basic scuba skills is a lot of task loading, so some hiccups are to be expected. I imagine once you fix your problems you will find your next dive far easier.

 

[Edward3c]

Sounds like an utter debacle. A drysuit is a fairly advanced piece of kit to try and learn, and you are trying to do that on top of your first OW dives... I guess you do what you have to do, but I would call that clear task overloading.

I advise isolating each problem and fixing it.
1) Your drysuit leaks. Fix the leaking. Or use a wetsuit.
2) Your feet are cold. Um, you mean colder than the rest of you in your leaking drysuit? lol. I suspect that a non-leaking drysuit will address most of the issue. A warmer sock would help, but it is only a part of the solution. Also, was your drysuit inflated enough to let your socks loft?
3) Ill-fitting leaky mask. Get a mask that fits. Nothing complicated about that. There are plenty of guides to finding a mask that fits. If a visit to your LDS does not find you a mask that fits, then come back here for some advanced tips from someone like Marie, mask-fit ninja that she is. But you'll probably have no problem finding a mask at your LDS.

Good luck. Learning to use a drysuit while learning basic scuba skills is a lot of task loading, so some hiccups are to be expected. I imagine once you fix your problems you will find your next dive far easier.

In the UK its quite common to learn in a drysuit from the off. with BSAC by the end of lesson 2 students are quite capable of controlling their buoyancy. as to get the lesson signed-off they need to show competence in maintaining a horizontal hover and recovering from an inversion.

 

[Daniel1]

Thank you for the replies. I'm based in the northeast of Scotland.

Each time we practice with the company, we get a different mask, different suit, etc., so it's different every single time. I'll look to buy my own mask so at least that distraction is out of the way, but obviously I wouldn't be buying a dry suit so the leakage issue will be a gamble the next time I go out.

I found buoyancy control very difficult but hopefully next time it will be a bit easier!

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Don't forget when you try on a mask, have a regulator mouth piece in your mouth. Subtle changes can make that mask that fit perfect in the dive shop leak like the titanic in the water. Clean shaven helps too. Short stubble can prevent a good seal.

Good luck,
Jay