Rescue in a drysuit?

[undrwater]

I DID rescue the fin, though!

 

[lowwall]

As a former pool and lake beach lifeguard, I've gone in many times without an extra flotation device to perform rescues on children. They aren't going to be able to drag me under and I'd rather have positive contact than trust them to maintain their grip on a float. OTOH, the float is a very good idea when rescuing adults, unless you enjoy practicing your underwater judo moves.

Since a fin is unlikely to successfully climb onto your head and hold you under (except possibly a ScubaPro Jet), I think I'd venture rescuing one without flotation devices.

 

[SparticleBrane]

So are you suggesting that if you had an individual in the water in need of rescue, that you should just jump in WITHOUT a floatation device, or fins and mask?

That is certainly NOT what I was taught.

There is a finate set of circumstances, and basic decisions to be made based on each type of problem. In this case the diver was rescuing equipment, from the shore, so not really a rescue. But say it was an individual. THAT is your scenerio, now tell me I am incorrect in suggesting you should get a floatation device, and fins together before swimming out?

Even Bay Watch Babes carry a floatation device when getting in the water to rescue, so in this case TV land got something right!

You don't bother to list your dive training, but you describe a solution for a LOST diver, which is only one scenerio, and does not really fit the description of what the original poster described.

I can assure you that after an entire semester at NCSU of a rescue course, I have been readily trained.
By "skin diving", especially in an area where there are divers present, usually that includes a wetsuit. I don't know about you, but I'm not in any danger of drowning in a wetsuit; in fact I'm rather floaty and can't get down more than a few feet--that's all the floatation you need. In a situation of a lost diver, sending out skin divers to a point where people took a fix on where the divers were last seen before sliping before the surface is one of the best ways to go--they can get out there much faster than scuba, and while they might not be able to rescue the diver they can probably mark the spot better than just sending out divers to look.

In an emergency situation, running and grabbing your mask and fins (possibly snorkel?) and going out as a skin diver to mark a position is probably the best of ideas, while other people go put their scuba gear on if it isn't on already. Not only do they help to mark a location, they're also good for helping to bring a possibly unconscious diver in to shore. I guarantee you that after towing a victim several hundred feet to shore by yourself, giving rescue breaths every few seconds--you'll tire rather quickly.

 

[rongoodman]

I just took my new drysuit and fleece to the pool tonight to establish weighting. It took 24 lb of lead to make me neutral or slightly heavy. My swiftwater rescue vest only provides about 25 lb of flotation. I float with my shoulders completely out of the water in a 7mm wetsuit. In a swimming suit, though, I woudn't go without some type of flotation.

 

[eod]

As many before me have said, you are positve in your drysuit.

About flooding the suit. You are still positive. At least if you are wearing an undergarment that is meant for diving. This binds air pretty good, in fact so good that I could stay in cold water with my suit flooded when doing a course in cold water survival (The Baltic sea in April). I was positive even with the zipper opened.

 

[kjundvr]

Actually you can get all the air out but you'll have to use a vacuum device. A buddy of mine does that, looks like a raisin going in because he hooks a vacuum line from his car to the suit and pulls the air out.

I would love to see someone out there at the beach with a hoover, it would be a hoot!!!