Any tips for January Drysuit Course?
- Thread starter Decompressionable
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A drysuit "cert" is worth it if you need to rent a suit if yours breaks on a trip or something similar.
Big problem here in that most people learn in a drysuit from day 1 but never get a certificate to prove it. For example 100% of my dives in this country from my first ever sea dive have been drysuit. However im not "certified" to use one. That means if i need to rent one due to mine breaking on a trip i cant as im not qualified.
Heard of one Adv trimix instructor on turning up to an inland site had his neck seal rip. As he was running a course he went to the shop there to rent a suit and was told no as not certified. They offered to lend him a semi dry wetsuit. So.....80m dive in with 4c temperatures a wetsuit is "safer" than a drysuit according to the ridiculous policy.
Its even stranger here as i've never once been asked for proof of qualification to enter any dive site or go on any boat - the only thing they do demand is a drysuit cert to borrow one and its the one thing most people here dont have despite having used one for all their diving life.
(i agree the course can be a waste of time though, an experienced buddy can do the same thing when added to common sense).
Big problem here in that most people learn in a drysuit from day 1 but never get a certificate to prove it. For example 100% of my dives in this country from my first ever sea dive have been drysuit. However im not "certified" to use one. That means if i need to rent one due to mine breaking on a trip i cant as im not qualified.
Heard of one Adv trimix instructor on turning up to an inland site had his neck seal rip. As he was running a course he went to the shop there to rent a suit and was told no as not certified. They offered to lend him a semi dry wetsuit. So.....80m dive in with 4c temperatures a wetsuit is "safer" than a drysuit according to the ridiculous policy.
Its even stranger here as i've never once been asked for proof of qualification to enter any dive site or go on any boat - the only thing they do demand is a drysuit cert to borrow one and its the one thing most people here dont have despite having used one for all their diving life.
(i agree the course can be a waste of time though, an experienced buddy can do the same thing when added to common sense).
It CAN certainly be a waste, or it can be somewhat useful, depending on BOTH instructor and diver. The drysuit specialty was provided by the LDS as part of my DS purchase, and I found it useful (in part because I had the instructor to initially trim the neck seals). The class didn't make me a proficient drysuit diver, but I had an instructor right there for my 'beginner' questions (and to laugh at my frustration at times). As a relatively new diver (7 dives), you may be well-served by taking the course, rather than just plunging in with a rental suit.Lauri:
This is a not uncommon experience - certainly that is what happened to me. I started out trying to use only the DS, as recommended, then moved to the other end of the spectrum because it seemed so hard and used only my BC and put up with a lot of squeeze, and finally ended up using a combination of BC and DS. Definitely something to pursue with the course instructor.ToddK:
A DS will spoil you. If you like the course, and have the funds to buy one soon, you may find the number of wetsuit dives you do afterward can be counted on one hand. I never wear more than a 3mm wetsuit, and I don't dive wet if the water temps are below 73. In fact, I find the DS more comfortable than a wetsuit for almost all my diving now.ToddK:
kawasakign
Registered
I got dry suit certified and it was well worth it. Although I didn't realize this till after the fact. I was getting AOW certified and the deep dive was the last dive we had for the weekend. By deep I mean 80 feet. Boy was that cold even with the dry suit. 2 fellow divers were in 7mm and shivering a little right as we were ending the dive. Well this deep dive allowed me to use the dry suit for my buoyancy control and I needed to reduce squeeze. I hadn't really felt what real squeeze was during my dry suit dives (cert) but was prepared for it and how to offset it. I was worried the most that buy putting in air to offset squeeze I would become to buoyant. Well I hadn't and the bottem was comfortable as it could be. Well everything was really fun and great and we were surfacing to about 25 feet for a SS. I guess I hadn't purged enough air and went feet first up... ... Because of my cert and the teaching I had I didn't panic and was able to perform a "flip" to right myself...(actually had to 2 times , the first I overdid it and went over again). I righted myself and grabed the line and purged even more air . My mistake was not letting enough air out fast enough (even though my acent was controlled and slow) I had relied on the automatic venting of the dry suit and this was something I won't even make the mistake on again. Now this prob was not going to turn into a terrible dive accident, but you can see how things could have gone bad if I was deeper or if I had a deco obligation. Taking the cert allowed me to be comfortable when a situation came up that could have been bad. Plus it gave me some extra dives test out a different suit. Now I don't completely agree with the no cert no dry suit mentality, but I do get its point. The dry suit does change your diving style...living and becoming certified in Hawaii was about as far from dry suit diving as I though I was going to be, but things changed and now I'm forced to dive cold water and a dry suit sure is nice to have.
Pearldiver07
Contributor
I only dive wet when the water is over 75(f). If the suit weren't so warm in the height of a Texas summer, I probably wouldn't ever dive wet again.
But for advice? I'd say focus on your buoyancy and weighting. Get it right and you'll have a blast. But until then you could be a bit frustrated.
I like to manage that larger "bubble" of air in the suit. I think it actually enhances position and buoyancy control. Like the above, I like to manage most of my buoyancy with the BP/W too. In my case, when I have to slow a student down during an ascent it allows me to get more "negative" buoyant in a hurry.
Have fun. It may be expensive but it is definitely worth it!!!
But for advice? I'd say focus on your buoyancy and weighting. Get it right and you'll have a blast. But until then you could be a bit frustrated.
I like to manage that larger "bubble" of air in the suit. I think it actually enhances position and buoyancy control. Like the above, I like to manage most of my buoyancy with the BP/W too. In my case, when I have to slow a student down during an ascent it allows me to get more "negative" buoyant in a hurry.
Have fun. It may be expensive but it is definitely worth it!!!
The reason the training says to not use the BCD for buoyancy is that if you do then you have two air pockets that are subject to Boyle's Law instead of just one. Adjusting just one is easier on a beginner dry-suit user.
Most manuals do say that you CAN use the BCD for buoyancy but that its use is a more advanced technique and should be reserved until you are more comfortable with the dry-suit and its functionality.
I find myself doing both at times just depending on what I am doing and how I want to play. If I am helping to teach students then I will use just the dry-suit since that is how they are learning.
Bottom line is about the class is to familiarize you with the differences of dry versus wet suit diving and the potential hazards as well as benefits of using a dry-suit over a wet one.
Gary
Most manuals do say that you CAN use the BCD for buoyancy but that its use is a more advanced technique and should be reserved until you are more comfortable with the dry-suit and its functionality.
I find myself doing both at times just depending on what I am doing and how I want to play. If I am helping to teach students then I will use just the dry-suit since that is how they are learning.
Bottom line is about the class is to familiarize you with the differences of dry versus wet suit diving and the potential hazards as well as benefits of using a dry-suit over a wet one.
Gary
I second the "certification for rental" position. I have some experience diving dry, but can't rent a drysuit because I'm not certified. It's funny that the same shops have no problem selling me a drysuit without certification 
In the end, it's a class, you're not expected to go in knowing what to do, and it should be FUN. Enjoy it, learn what they have to teach you, and get yourself spoiled diving dry from now on.
In the end, it's a class, you're not expected to go in knowing what to do, and it should be FUN. Enjoy it, learn what they have to teach you, and get yourself spoiled diving dry from now on.
ian@1904
Registered
It is worth doing the course. Like most things it is largely common sense.
For novice divers managing the air inside the suit is a novel experience. You should have to practise an drysuit inversion and recovery. If you suddenly tilt your head down the air will move to your boots and inversion can happen, ...........closely followed by a rapid ascent.
Managing your trim becomes more important. If you are lying flat in the water the air is evenly distributed around the suit. If you go vertical the air will move to the top of the suit, out the shoulder dump valve and you lose buoyancy.
Buddy check to become more thorough. All zips FULLY closed and chest inflator securly attached and working.
For novice divers managing the air inside the suit is a novel experience. You should have to practise an drysuit inversion and recovery. If you suddenly tilt your head down the air will move to your boots and inversion can happen, ...........closely followed by a rapid ascent.
Managing your trim becomes more important. If you are lying flat in the water the air is evenly distributed around the suit. If you go vertical the air will move to the top of the suit, out the shoulder dump valve and you lose buoyancy.
Buddy check to become more thorough. All zips FULLY closed and chest inflator securly attached and working.
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