First time dry!!

[wolf eel]

simbrooks . I generally go with the advice given to use the BC for buoyancy and DS for warmth. I have come out of most dives with suit squeeze (nice streaks of red across my back and chest - gotta love it), so maybe i went a little far with the minimum air thing, but i am still very much on the steep part of the curve there. Hopefully even though you may have become frustrated with the initial operation of the DS that you found it more manageable towards the end of the dive(s) or will in the near future.

I am not being an *** here so please do not take it as if I am.

The suit squeeze and the ripples are not needed. The skin being pinched is causing damage and discomfort to you. To avoid this add air. Now how much air do you add and how much weight are you going to have on ? In your curve are you having trouble getting all the air out of the suit and BCD when you are rising to the surface ?

I know UP and so on have NO trouble but look at the experience level. I have never dove with anybody like UP before in my life he is incredible to say the least. Beyond the norm.

Heres a thought try this if you feel safe. Try just the suit and after you have it dialed then start adding air to the BCD you may find it much better and then you do not have the purple nurples and you remain dryer. Maybe just a thought. I need to add I never said to go in the water without your BCD just avoid using it. Thats all.

 

[wolf eel]

ctimms It seems like it might be a personel choice on the bouyancy option, that is what this shore dive is all about. I still have not figured out how I am going to adjust my weights once I am out there, I don't have a tube to float! I will just start out with the same amount i used with my 1 piece 7mil wetsuit. Thank you all for the advice I will post tonight on how I did. I love the picture of the dough boys!! :scubadive

I really do hope you tell how the day was not to start an argument but to say how your day was. Which I hope was dry and warm.

Heres a thought. You are asking about weight, now with what I was saying is this. You already know how much air you need in a wetsuit to achieve good bouyancy with the weight you have and the BCD. You are also dialed as how to dump the bcd and how to fill when needed. Now every bit of air you add makes you rise because you have your wet system dialed. So just a thought it is hard for you to get to know the suit and how much air you are going to need because every time you add air you rise. And the fear of rising to fast takes over. Thats why I said if you use just the suit for practice and after you are dialed again start to put air into the bcd and then you are dialed with useing both. At least thats what Ryan did and it seem to help him loads. Why because you do not want to go out to the bar after a dive with these big purple nurples going around your arms and back looks like you have some rare form of something that others may not want
Cheers and I hope you had afantastic day.

 

[Mako Mark]

(nice streaks of red across my back and chest - gotta love it)

Hmmmm.. gotta love it????

You worry me simon!

.

 

[simbrooks]

The suit squeeze and the ripples are not needed. The skin being pinched is causing damage and discomfort to you. To avoid this add air. Now how much air do you add and how much weight are you going to have on ? In your curve are you having trouble getting all the air out of the suit and BCD when you are rising to the surface ? ........
Heres a thought try this if you feel safe. Try just the suit and after you have it dialed then start adding air to the BCD you may find it much better and then you do not have the purple nurples and you remain dryer. Maybe just a thought. I need to add I never said to go in the water without your BCD just avoid using it. Thats all.

I tried that early on, i tried a bit more air than needed to take away a moderate squeeze too, it didnt feel comfortable. With a small amount of squeeze i can still frog kick along and reach my valves. The suit squeeze has only happened a couple of times of the couple dozen or so DS dives i have done so far this year, its only a minor capillary break, nothing worse. I am still trying to sort out the dumping thing as the valve is on the front of the bicep not the side of the arm (oh well, just got to get used to it - working on it and making progress). My instructor suggested an 80/20 split in buoyancy at most between BCD and DS, less DS is preferable - i dont mind a small amount of squeeze most of the time. Not sure how adding air might make me drier, i am sure if i wasnt diving in 72F water it might even make me warmer - i am diving the DS for bottom time in those temps, not just for temp reasons as many others so fluffing up my undies is hardly necessary

All i can say is that i generally am ok with what i am doing, i am glad you enjoy diving your DS as your main buoyancy, there are a few others who share your view, but its not a majority on this board.

 

[aquaoren]

There has been plenty of giving and taking in this thread from at least post #20, if not earlier - how about all of us (not just Wolf_eel and Aquaoren) take some deep breaths and try to talk this out without flaming if we have to beat this dead horse yet one more time

No need to beat dead horses.
As you've noted, the majority of the diver I know as well as the majority of the board member are using the dry suit to stay dry and the BC for buojancy control and they know why
A while ago there were no seat belts in cars, still NOT a reason not to use them today

 

[SeanQ]

If I could compress this thread into a 13cft cylinder I could give Argon a run for its money.

 

[peter_dorset]

Not sure if this will help and with very little experience of dry suit diving 8 dives in total I thought I would share our experiences since it may help as we were in the same boat as you, so to speak.

My wife and I purchased our dry suits did several practice dives at 6 meters and used the BC for buoyancy and suit for squeeze. It is not that hard! It feels safer to me especially when in a head down position.

At the weekend we did two dives at 17 meters and used the same techniques, it is not difficult to use both the suit and the BC in fact I tried using just the suit and did not enjoy the feeling so quickly switched back to BC for buoyancy.

We have not mastered the suits fully yet would not be confident to go beyond 18 meters for a while.

So from our limited experience, take your time, its great being dry at the end of the dive.

As far as buoyancy control goes PADI say use the suit, technical divers say use the Wing or BC. Does it really matter who is right? It’s more what is best for you try them both out. As I said I prefer the Wing feels safer and gives more control. Remember I have little experience on this.

I posted a similar topic a while back

http://www.scubaboard.com/t84067-.html

Also had some heated debating!

Enjoy it and good luck

Peter

 

[Daryl Morse]

Are you suggesting that all the air will exit a BCD even if the diver is oriented so the valve is lower than some or all of the bladder? I have found it necessary to roll a bit so the dump valve is highest to get the last of the air out. It may be easier to accomplish with a BCD than a drysuit but I'm sure the physics are the same, are they not?

No, I wasn't trying to imply that the physics weren't the same. I meant that since a BCD (or bp/w) usually has an inflator hose and a dump valve at opposite ends of the bladder, you can pretty much dump in any orientation. Obviously if the air isn't where the dump valve is, you will have to roll.

The point I was trying to make is that the air can't move nearly as far in a bladder as it can in a drysuit.

Thanks for pointing out what wasn't clear in my post.

 

[jbisjim]

If I could compress this thread into a 13cft cylinder I could give Argon a run for its money.

lol it'd be nice and warm too!

 

[Mako Mark]

Does it really matter who is right?

Yes.... It matters....

"I am never wrong....

Only once did I think I was wrong,




....but I was mistaken" (anon)