1st time in a drysuit

[jeckyll]

So I heard all the horror stories.

"Don't worry about it, it will make you hate scubadiving but keep going it will get better" etc etc.

It must be because I'm new, but it wasn't nearly as bad as anyone said. I did my best hover ever (kid you not). Though in all fairness, my fin pivot sucked ... I had one floaty foot, one non- floaty foot (no ankle weights btw), but on my 2nd attempt it all worked out

I must say I don't like the squeeze feeling. Hopefully I'll do ok with that once I'm at depth. Anyways, I just thought I'd post this here, since I think that if you're going to dive dry, don't hesitate if you are a new diver. I figure since I don't feel like I have good buoyancy anyways, I'm not going to be worried about have to 'adjust' alot. If I had waited until I had more dives under my belt, I think it may have been tougher (on my ego ).

I guess most of all I'm just glad that I'm not regretting spending all that money.

Thanks for listening to my (happy) rant

Bjorn

 

[vkalia]

Bjorn, are you being taught to control your buoyancy with the BC or with the suit?

Also, 1 tip: if you are diving a trilam or similar membrane suit - get these thingummies called Trident Triangles and put them over your boot. That keeps the boot pressed in snugly against your foot and minimizes the floaty-foot effect.

The only downside to diving with a drysuit is greater air consumption. And you are right - it isnt really rocket science or even all that hard!

Vandit

 

[BarryNL]

The only downside to diving with a drysuit is greater air consumption. And you are right - it isnt really rocket science or even all that hard!

Vandit

Really? I'd be surprised if I ever use more than a couple of bar during a dive for the suit, which is what - maybe 5-10 breaths at 10m.

 

[skybird]

I am afraid to try a dry suit. NOT because I am afraid it will be hard or that I will hate it. It is the complete opposite. I know I can't afford to buy one and if I try it, I know I will want one so I can dive all winter here.

SkyBird

 

[TSandM]

I second the recommendation for fin keepers (the triangle foot things)! They really help, especially if your boots don't fit perfectly.

For me, the key to getting along with my drysuit is to put the minimum amount of air in to allow my undergarment loft, and use the BC from there. It makes my PADI instructor mad, because he says it's too difficult for students to manage air in two different places. But it seems as though it's generally a lot easier and faster to vent air from the BC than from the suit, and the BC isn't subject to air trapping anywhere. I've had a couple of nasty experiences of being unable to vent a suit . . . one which may have been related to using a Weezle, and one which was a stuck valve on a rental suit, and they have left me a little jaundiced about using the suit for buoyancy.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Actually, fin keepers are shaped more like a Y than like a triangle ... but I also recommend them. They're a far more effective solution to floaty feet than ankle weights ... cheaper too.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[abitton]

Do any of you have a link to those fin keepers/triangle/Y thingies? Just for my own enlightenment. Don't yet dive dry, but living in Canada it is DEFINITELY in my future (how soon depends on how soon I can get back to work and bring home the bacon... just decided to go to school full time to finish my MBA)...

Alex

P.S. No FedEx jokes!!

 

[jeckyll]

Vandit: I used the drysuit exclusively. Unless we were doing surface skills (weight removal, etc) where I would use the BCD.

I'm using a Bare Nexgen, which has boots with it. My instructor had brought along plenty of spare ankle weights, but we only ended up using one... and that was on my tank as we were fine tuning my weights

I've read about the different techniques people use (just suit / suit & bcd / suit just to get ride of the squeeze and then bcd ... etc). I think for now I will try to use just the suit. Once I'm comfortable with it, I _may_ try just using the suit to eliminate squeeze and then use the wing for 'finetuning' to see if I like it.



BTW, I have no idea what finkeepers are, so if anyone has a picture or a link I would much appreciated it

Thanks

Bjorn

 

[Scottri]

Once you go dry there is no going back to the wet side! I'll second the fin keepers. I love mine. $5.00 a pair and they last a while. They really keep the air out of your boots plus they make my feet feel more secure. Drysuits just take a little time to get used to but they are not hard to use. I use my BC for bouyancy. I figure that is what it was designed to do. I add just enough air to my suit to stay comfortable. I agree that it is easier to dump air from a BC in an emergency that it is a drysuit.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

BTW, I have no idea what finkeepers are, so if anyone has a picture or a link I would much appreciated it

Thanks

Bjorn

It's a lousy picture, but it is from the Trident catalog ... click the link and scroll down to item RP57 ...

http://www.tridentdive.com/page180.htm

... Bob (Grateful Diver)