Dry suit training !

[SOUTH DEVON]

Well I've just been told that my dry suit will arrive this Friday after waiting 4 1/2 weeks
Anyway I can't wait to get into the water this weekend but I'm not sure whether to do my first dry suit dive with the new club I have joined which will be a 20 m boat dive or practice on my own on a shallow shore dive! I've only done 12 m shore dives so far , so if I go with the club not only will I be a Newbe to boat diving/ the club but also a dry suit and don't want people having to wait around too much for the Newbe!
I know I should really take a dry suit course but I don't really want to have to go to the extra expense and I have read plenty about dry suits, squeeze/floaty feet/stuck inflator and feel that I could cope with the situations in the shallows.
As I don't have a current buddy my options are rather limited but I have done some solo diving with confidence !
So do I play around in the shallows or make an arse of myself with the new club ?
Opinions appreciated !

 

[Arnaud]

or just trolling?

 

[Soggy]

Either go find a buddy who is an experienced drysuit diver and is willing to mentor you or take the class. A 20m dive is waaaaaay too deep for a first drysuit dive. One mistake and you will be doing your best impression of a breaching whale with the added benefit of an air embolism and a trip to the chamber.

 

[docmartin]

if you do not want to spend the money for instruction you should definitely go to a pool first to get a feel for the suit and run some drills. diving in open water - from shore or boat - would not be very clever and could actually be quite deadly in case of an uncontrolled ascent.

 

[pdoege]

I you aren't going to shell out for the classes, you should practice your buns off in a pool.

20m is not the place to learn how to use a dry suit.

Best Publishing used to sell a really good dry suit book that had skills and drills in it.

Good luck,
Peter

 

[Arnaud]

How much did you spend for your drysuit?
How much is the instruction?
How come it was not offered by your LDS when you bought the suit?
How come you can afford a drysuit but not the instruction?
Do you understand that the increased task load resulting from the drysuit can have fatal consequences?
How can you possibly consider solo diving when, by your own account, you've never been deeper than 12 m?
Why do you care so much about the way people are judging you when your own safety, if not your life, is potentially at stake?

OR

Are you a troll?

 

[Soggy]

FYI, we had a member here who did his first drysuit dive solo...he almost died. Luckily there was a fisherman around to drag his unconscious body out of the water. You can read about it if you search for "snuggle."

 

[indiana*joe]

I am not an EXPERT diver, but I have had several challenging dives in Puget Sound and Monterey, CA. DrySuit training was the most challenging experience to date. It is NOT AS EASY AS IT SEEMS just reading books. There is nothing on the planet that compares to being upside-down with air in the legs of your drysuit and trying to get it out. This was in a pool, holding on to a box of weights and having all the time in the world. Being upside-down heading north (expanding all the while) and trying to tuck and dump is not something to be taken lightly. Too much air can even pop your fins off and then tucking is nearly impossible! Take EVERYONE's advice - pool minimum - preferably instructor-led training - but no way do a 20 m dive before a good bit of getting used to the difference. Try the 3m pool and get 50+lbs of lead with a rope, turn upside-down, and press the inflator. Then, send us a post!

Good luck

Dive Safe Kids!

 

[SOUTH DEVON]

Arnaud once bubbled...
How much did you spend for your drysuit?
How much is the instruction?
How come it was not offered by your LDS when you bought the suit?
How come you can afford a drysuit but not the instruction?
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I didn't say that I couldn't afford a drysuit course , I'm just reluctant to pay £120 on top of the £650 for the suit !

Anyway thanks very much guys for the tips, especially about 20 m being too deep for learning to use my drysuit, I will have to work out a more sensible solution :wacko:

 

[Compressor]

While some believe experience is the best teacher, the mistakes one makes while getting the experience can be life threatening. The additional funds paid for a course is an investment that will paid unlimited dividends for the rest of your life. Do the smart thing.

My 2 cents.