Cold water diving is a PITA

[Peter_C]

I tried it with only doing one side but found it to be very uncomfortable.

Is that because it wasn't tight enough? Or was something off center? If I remember correctly the heal pull slides on the spring. I don't understand why both sides have to be adjusted to the same point. It won't change the spring angle.

 

[billt4sf]

A Great Day at Pt. Lobos!

We had a great day of diving Saturday at Pt. Lobos! We met our dive buddies and mentors Peter_C and Hepcat62 and they helped us a lot. For me it was the first cold water dry dives that I felt comfortable, could control my buoyancy and trim (somewhat), and just really enjoyed cold water diving! (Repeat: this was the first cold water dive after about 10 tries, that I felt good down there!) Emily had a little bit more trouble, she had great trim in the water but her feet kept rising. All thanks to Peter and Brian, they really sacrificed their first dive to take care of us!

We had a few adjustments to make before we got in, and we know of a few things to do now, but overall it was good. The drysuits leaked in the feet, so we were cold and didn’t do a second dive. Saw some cool stuff in the water, hopefully next time we’ll get to check out more. The BP/W is working well for us, I think I dropped about 10 lbs as compared to the jacket BCD. Emily not so much (yet), but the good news is that she came away talking about buying a drysuit.

We plan to do some more pool work on buoyancy, and then we'll try the BW ourselves again. (The first post in this thread was about our first crappy experience doing that.)

One thing I have to say: getting your own equipment is a big help !!!

In total we spent 10 hours on the trip, including four hours driving, and barely 45 mins in the water, but who cares, we had a great day together!

 

[Wineaux]

Bill, glad to hear you got an enjoyable dive!

Question about the leaking dry suits, particularly Emily's... Were they rental dry suits? If so, where did you rent them and what size was Emily's?

 

[Ben_ca]

I can't imagine using a rental drysuit everytime. Even if you are using the same model undergarment those things wear out and that will make you weighting complicated. Bravo to Peter and Brian for helping you guys out. They're great mentors.

 

[billt4sf]

Bill, glad to hear you got an enjoyable dive!

Question about the leaking dry suits, particularly Emily's... Were they rental dry suits? If so, where did you rent them and what size was Emily's?

We rented from Diver Dan's, Emily's suit was Medium (which is a bit large for her but Small is too small). They were DUI suits, easy to get on and off and they had rings for the neck and wrist seals so the seals could be sized for us. Hers were too lose so we actually duct taped her neck!

Previously we had rented from Bamboo Reef, they rent White's Fusion which are much harder to get in and out of and the seals were one-size-fits-all which means they are tight as H.

 

[Wineaux]

Thanks, I had their women's large (similar size issue, medium is more my size but need the large for my height to be able to get the top over my head) out for a dive last Monday and also had a leak (water in the foot, but found a/the hole way up on the thigh). Had to cancel 2 of 3 dives for a class Definitely makes the case for buying my own.

 

[billt4sf]

Definitely makes the case for buying my own.

Yup! You bet!

 

[Peter_C]

A Great Day at Pt. Lobos!

Yes it was. You two should have gone for a hike! Brian and I hiked up on the bluff, but the wind was blowing by the afternoon. Lake Pacific was really nice scenery today.

All thanks to Peter and Brian, they really sacrificed their first dive to take care of us!

You are welcome We didn't sacrifice our first dive as that is what we were there to do. I probably wouldn't have driven down for the day otherwise, but the second dive was EPIC and made my trip for sure Maybe I am just happy to see past 10 ft and not be moving 5 ft back and forth in surge.

We had a few adjustments to make before we got in, and we know of a few things to do now, but overall it was good. The drysuits leaked in the feet, so we were cold and didn’t do a second dive. Saw some cool stuff in the water, hopefully next time we’ll get to check out more. The BP/W is working well for us, I think I dropped about 10 lbs as compared to the jacket BCD. Emily not so much (yet), but the good news is that she came away talking about buying a drysuit.

Emily's drysuit was way to big. She had an extra foot of material in the crotch area. No way is she a medium. Fortunately she is a stock size small, so all you need to do is find an affordable used one for her. Some nice 400g undies should keep her warm too. Anyone know of a small woman's drysuit and thick undergarments for sale?

We plan to do some more pool work on buoyancy, and then we'll try the BW ourselves again. (The first post in this thread was about our first crappy experience doing that.)

Yes benign conditions in the pool without kelp to get tangled in would be good.

One thing I have to say: getting your own equipment is a big help !!!

Yes, and once it is completely dialed in it will be far easier. Looks like we got everything taken care of once you get those bungees squared away. We struggled a little with equipment, but I think it is now resolved. Never have seen a brand new HP o-ring crack in two before. I would also say organization of the said equipment, either with bins or whatever your preferred method is will keep you from forgetting stuff in the vehicle, or at home. Not that I haven't done both more than a few times. Now my gear is either drying or in my bin period.

In total we spent 10 hours on the trip, including four hours driving, and barely 45 mins in the water, but who cares, we had a great day together!

Well if it makes you feel better I had 5 hours and 20 minutes in the car, traveling over 360 miles, spending almost 13 hours traveling around, for less than 2 hours in the water. BTW 45 minutes in 25 feet of water means you need more gas

 

[billt4sf]

Emily's drysuit was way to big. She had an extra foot of material in the crotch area. No way is she a medium. Fortunately she is a stock size small, so all you need to do is find an affordable used one for her. Some nice 400g undies should keep her warm too.

When we got back to Diver Dans she tried on a small and it was too small. She could not get it on. The medium is too big as you say. I guess she needs a "small-medium". She said she was warm enough; I on the other hand was cold the entire time -- need polypro undies.

- Bill

 

[TSandM]

Years ago, my husband took a class from a wonderful man named Joe Talavera. *dave* came up from Medford for the class, and he and I went diving together during the day, before the first evening lecture session. When we came into the classroom, Joe started talking about the pillars of diving, one of which was Community. He asked us how much time we'd spent underwater that day, and we told him about 45 minutes. Then he asked how much time we had spent TOGETHER, and we looked at each other and tallied up seven hours. This was my introduction to the idea that diving is a very social activity, even though diving itself isn't, really. It also seems like one of the most time-intensive things, in terms of preparation and cleanup, that you could ever hope to do. But a lot of us seem to think it is worth it!