dv
Contributor
Heading out tomorrow to our local quarry to do my first drysuit dives. I'll be getting the PADI drysuit specialty with my instructor... Back to square one on buoyancy I guess. Any tips?
Drysuit training day tomorrow
- Thread starter dv
- Start date
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undrwater
Contributor
Don't pee in it. ;-)
I wouldn't go so far as to say back to square one. I actually find diving in a drysuit easier. For one example, if your gear isn't properly trimmed out and you find that it is pushing you into a vertical profile, with a drysuit, you can put a little air in your legs to counter it.
The only tips I can offer, is to listen to your instructor, he/she should have all the tips you need.
The only tips I can offer, is to listen to your instructor, he/she should have all the tips you need.
Don't get discouraged. I dove a wetsuit for maybe 45 dives before I bought a drysuit. After about 15 dives I thought my inability to regain the trim & bouyancy control I had had w/ a wetsuit was just RIDICULOUS. Luckily I went diving w/ a friend in the same situation and found out she was as exasperated as I was. That really made me feel a LOT better, if you gotta be a dunce at least it's nice not to be a lone dunce.
Thus encouraged & cheered I pressed on, and lo & behold just about 5 dives later things FINALLY started to come together.
So be patient! I'd say the norm for really getting used to diving a drysuit is something like 20-40 dives.
Don't give in to ankle weights, but heavy fins like JetFins might be helpful (love 'em). Gators are nice too, even now I notice a difference when I dive without them. Most important they look cool ;-)
Thus encouraged & cheered I pressed on, and lo & behold just about 5 dives later things FINALLY started to come together.
So be patient! I'd say the norm for really getting used to diving a drysuit is something like 20-40 dives.
Don't give in to ankle weights, but heavy fins like JetFins might be helpful (love 'em). Gators are nice too, even now I notice a difference when I dive without them. Most important they look cool ;-)
ianr33
Contributor
Don't use it for buoyancy.
If your instructor tells you to do that,tell him he's wrong.
If your instructor tells you to do that,tell him he's wrong.
Xaryo
Contributor
BC for buyoancy
Dry suit for the thermal insulation
period.
Dry suit for the thermal insulation
period.
Have fun, it won't be as hard as you think, if it is sized correctly. If your weighting is right it makes life much easier as well.
Sent from my DROID X2
Sent from my DROID X2
Look at where your dump valve sits when you have the suit on. That spot will need to be the highest point, for you to vent gas from the suit. Think about how you need to position your body and your arm to do that.
Anticipate -- dry suits vent slower than BCs, so you cannot get behind or you are headed for the surface. When I use both my suit and BC for buoyancy and squeeze, I like to vent the BC first on the way up, so that the suit expands to where it is very easy to vent when the BC is empty. Getting the very last bits of gas out of a dry suit can be challenging, which is why it's important not to underweight yourself. I'd rather see someone 2 pounds heavy than 1 pound light.
Pay attention to your feet. One of the difficult things to recover from in a dry suit is getting feet up and buoyant. You will be taught a couple of procedures for managing this, but in practice, it's very difficult to execute them before you are hopelessly behind on venting. When you start to feel your feet going up, correct it NOW, even if it means getting feet down for a bit. This will get much easier with time, but at the beginning, you need to overcorrect.
Hope those are helpful. A dry suit definitely adds a layer of complexity to buoyancy control, but they sure are nice for warmth!
Anticipate -- dry suits vent slower than BCs, so you cannot get behind or you are headed for the surface. When I use both my suit and BC for buoyancy and squeeze, I like to vent the BC first on the way up, so that the suit expands to where it is very easy to vent when the BC is empty. Getting the very last bits of gas out of a dry suit can be challenging, which is why it's important not to underweight yourself. I'd rather see someone 2 pounds heavy than 1 pound light.
Pay attention to your feet. One of the difficult things to recover from in a dry suit is getting feet up and buoyant. You will be taught a couple of procedures for managing this, but in practice, it's very difficult to execute them before you are hopelessly behind on venting. When you start to feel your feet going up, correct it NOW, even if it means getting feet down for a bit. This will get much easier with time, but at the beginning, you need to overcorrect.
Hope those are helpful. A dry suit definitely adds a layer of complexity to buoyancy control, but they sure are nice for warmth!
USCScubaboy
Contributor
Make sure you zip your zipper up all the way!
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