All I can say is I hate drysuits!

[WreckedDiver]

OK - let me say it: Have you given any thought to demonstrating proper bouyancy skills to your students as you demonstrate the skills themselves?

This proper bouyancy is only made easier by proper weighting.

I am not an instructor - but I know I would have appreciated it if my instructor had taken the time to show proper bouyancy skills while doing simple things like mask drills and regulator retrievals. I know it can be done now - so why isn't it demonstrated? Is it just laziness?

Sadly, it's this kind of OW instruction which makes for a lot of angry rants about the state of Scuba Instruction today.

As you said you are not an instructor and perhaps you have not had to bring extra wieghts to put on people to get them properly wieghted and yes I do demostrate proper bouyancy techniques but as an instructor I find I have to do a lot of work on the bottom going through skills with students. Perhaps go for your instructors teach for a couple years then come back and give me some advice. Most of the people I have taught liked my teaching and I enjoy diving with them outside of class as well.

 

[JButla]

I'll tell ya all. I kept working over and over in varrying positions; trying to find that optimum form and position. Is that what it comes down to? Just having to find that exact approach to positioning and movement so as to avoid the movement of any air pockets? Seriously here. What is the basic concept that dry suit divers are looking to achieve overall.
(After writing that last sentence and remembering where I am about to post this, I started laughing. Never ask a bunch of scuba nuts for anything basic! LOL!)
No seriously again. Is it all in physical positioning with the least amount of air as possible in the suit?
Does The Squeeze have to be to the point of pain? Does this become a danger factor in and of itself at depth?

(I know there will be repeats of "Go take a professional dry suit advanced course...etc, but that's easier suggested than done in my area. Besides, that's why we're all here!)

Thanks,
John

 

[jepuskar]

Hey Bubba,

I am in the middle of taking my Dry Suit Specialty course now. In fact, I just did my confined water yesterday. My open water dives are this weekend.

I bought a neoprene suit and my only complaint so far is the added weight I need, but I knew this going in, but I dont have to like it. With my undergarment, hood, gloves, and suit..I'm looking at about 30lbs..maybe a little more, as compared to about 10lbs I need in a 7mm.

I'll let you know how it goes on Sunday, I'm pretty excited to finally try this.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Is it a shell suit that you have to wear underwear with for insulation? Are you using drysuit undies or just layering clothes. I found that getting the real undies including the booties for my suit got rid of my air in feet problem because they take up most of the excess space.

I have over 50 dives in my suit now and still hate it, I did have 1 good dive with it in those 50 and that was enough to inspire me to win the war. I'm slowly working out my problems and hopefully one day I'll be able to say I like dry suit diving.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[TomP]

Boy, threads like these scare me.... We told him to sign up for a free introductory session at the store. Stubborn guy ended up taking his suit out a and diving it. He comes in the next morning and says his suit is defective. Air went to his feet, couldn't get it out. Valve wouldn't release air.
We took him inside to the pool, had a Dive Master spend two minutes showing him a few techniques on how not to get air in your feet, and if you do, how to get it out..... The moral of the story is to make sure you get proper instruction.

Jerry,
Nice to see a Mfg weigh in. I don't think anyone here is suggesting that hands on instruction wouldn't be a good thing. My LDS also offered free orientation but many LDS make dry suit certification a pre-req to buying one, often citing liability but since most don't have on premises pools I think it's just too much of a bother. And, given the price of most dry suits -- i've bought several cars for less -- the incremental cost of the certification is small so it's probably an easy, if opportunistic, sell. If it's USIA position that in-water orientation is included in the price of the suit I think that's great.

 

[JButla]

The need for Bubba05 and myself to have dry-suits is mainly for employment issues. Our LDS offers instruction/certification on dry suit operation, use, etc., and did offer a good bit of facts and what to expect. From what I'm seeing in posts wherein divers are claiming somewhere around of 20 minimum dives and as many as over 100 to get used to the suits, I'm not sure any more extensive LDS instruction would help. I submit that remark not so much as a claim, but more of a "just wondering" sort of comment.

These threads serve a neat service, and I for one am getting some interesting info. regarding what to expect in the future with my trials and errors. I think I'll stay shallow with it though for awhile.

I don't think any of us are really ready to start hitting ebay with our gear... Than gain... Knowing Bubba...

 

[ScubaSarus]

Have you had pool session in a controlled envioronment with the drysuits you wear for work to see how much weight you may need and to familiarize yourself with its operation.

You dont want to be at 100 ft and find out your not familiar with something you should be or are unable to dump air should the valve get stuck or find you have air in your feet and upside down not able to right yourself. These you practice in a nice warm clear calm pool.

His first message say it all; that he needs more training then an overview. If you catn understand that you don't see the whole picture of safe drysuit operation with redundancy in safety.

 

[JButla]

Did a pool session. Became frustrating at times. (Though it was fun at first floating upside-down and feeling your legs shooting up through the surface. Nope... wouldn't wanna do THAT at 100'!)
But, yes. We did pool session, and I found positioning, but I was a bit taken back when I could not achieve a horizontal position.

Also did a lot of work with being upside down in an uncontrolled ascent and flipping myself around to dump air. Luckily we were able to have the "training" in a deep water dive pool @ university.

 

[ScubaSarus]

I am also in the trying phase. Get those ankle weights put a strap around the ankles to limit air. I used a knife strap instead of buying expensive gators.

Do this at your own risk. Just a disclaimer incase somethig happens.

 

[JButla]

So is it majority agreement that utilizing ankle weights IS an acceptable method, or just as a training instrument that should be lessened over time (as I believe one post put it)?