Rescue in a drysuit

[hypertech]

I'm taking the rescue course (PADI) this weekend. The instructor has suggested that we bring our drysuits for the long dives and change back and forth between it and wetsuits for some of the other activities as it might be hard on the suit.

I'm inclined to wear my drysuit for the whole thing but I don't know if he's got some trick up his sleeve that is going to have a high risk of damaging the suit.

Has anyone here done the course in a drysuit? Or, if you've done the course at all - do you have a recommendation for or against doing it in a drysuit?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm taking the rescue course (PADI) this weekend. The instructor has suggested that we bring our drysuits for the long dives and change back and forth between it and wetsuits for some of the other activities as it might be hard on the suit.

I'm inclined to wear my drysuit for the whole thing but I don't know if he's got some trick up his sleeve that is going to have a high risk of damaging the suit.

Has anyone here done the course in a drysuit? Or, if you've done the course at all - do you have a recommendation for or against doing it in a drysuit?

We commonly do Rescue classes in drysuits where I live and teach (Puget Sound). The biggest potential for damage will be when you are removing a "victim" from the water. Both the rescuers and the rescued diver will be subjected to abrasion from whatever surfaces you are dealing with at your location (rocks, sand, gravel, etc).

My recommendation if you anticipate being a "victim" for other students, or have to pull someone out of the water over rough surfaces would be to wear your wetsuit ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[hypertech]

He has a whole pile of DM candidates that need to intern/assist and certified assistants. I don't beleive any of the students will be victims.

Its a lake with a sand/mud entry.

I think I'll go with the drysuit on account of me turning soft and becomeing afraid of the cold now that I have another option.

 

[renegade17]

I went with a drysuit during my course. The other 3 students had wetsuits. I was the most "comfortable" temp-wise, but the repeated surface swims were a little tougher. I'm a firm believer in "train-as-you-will-dive" when doing any classes. I often wear gloves in pool sessions just to stay proficient with them, as I always wear them in open water. All in all it was a good workout! I was a victim also, but the rescuing diver carried me out and laid me down nice. Have fun with the course!

 

[bamamedic]

I did it in a wetsuit, and I am pretty happy I did so. Most of the scuba stuff was actually on the surface, and the dives were very short (just involved a few minutes worth of finding someone lying on the bottom, along with some search pattern work). I wore my wetsuit because it was in the middle of an Alabama summer, and I would have overheated something fierce.

If the water temp is cold, though, I would wear a drysuit. Just be careful of damage to the suit. It is far easier to learn when you are comfortable, then when you are shivering cold.

 

[hypertech]

I guess I'm taking both to the lake and I'll decide when I get there. We are supposed to have air temps of 75 today. The last time I was in the water at this lake a couple weeks ago, water temps were 50. I'll probably overheat in the drysuit on the surface.

 

[Tortuga68]

If you normally dive in a drysuit, then I'd wear it if you can do so without risking overheating

Practice the way you may have to do it IRL

 

[ameneon]

If you and your dive buddies normally use drysuits you and the victim should at least do the under water rescue training with drysuits as this would be the real life scenario...

 

[hypertech]

I did today in a wetsuit. I'm still undecided about tomorrow. I hate wetsuits. My gear is all adjusted to fit my drysuit so my harness is too loose and my weighting is off too.

I was concerned about overheating with all the surface work. The one student who was wearing a drysuit compounded the problem with a neck seal that was too tight and didn't make it through the day. I only have a very warm undergarment and need to buy a lighter one. I want to use the drysuit but I'm not sure. I may make the call based on how cold and clammy the wetsuit is tomorrow or if it dries out completely.

To top it off, I caught the stupid snorkel on a line we were following when I had to pull my "passive panicked" buddy out of the muck they sunk into and then caught it again on a reg hose in an "out of air" situation. On the surface I started trying to to get the thing reattached right and fumbled my mask. Its at the bottom of the lake now. Maybe tomorrow I can find it before class starts but my hopes aren't high. If I do find it, I may leave that stupid snorkel at the bottom. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes I guess.

 

[scoobydrew]

Hey there.

I did mine in a dry suit and it was pretty hard going but, as I was in the UK at the time and therefore always diving in a drysuit I would not have changed this as the whole thing should be realistic, i.e. no point in trining in a wet suit if the potential real life situation could occure when i'm wearing a dry suit.

What I do remember from mine was that as the guys on the course with me were quite enthusiastic all the pulling, dragging, panicking and dekitting meant that I ende up with quite a bit of water inside the suit, bearing in mind I did mine in a quarry in wales in February I ended the day struggling to maintain my sense of humour.

Keep it as realistic as possible, good luck