Some questions

[bubba105]

I'm a warm water, vacation type diver from NYC. With no kids around and the bride and I pulling in pretty good money, we've been able to do 4 weeks of diving a year, on average, in the tropics, which was working out well. Not bragging, just setting the table. Due to unforseen circumstances we've only done 1 trip this year and the rest of the year doesn't hold too much promise. I just need to dive but can't get away. A friend offered to lend me a dry suit and set of doubles (he's got 2 sets) to boat dive, with him, in the NY/NJ area. He's about my size, a few pounds heavier so the suit will fit. I've never touched a dry suit and the only time I've seen a set of doubles is in pictures on SB. I have just over 300 dives, all on 80's, aluminum or steel. I'm good with buoyancy and air. I'm a fireman so I have pretty good understanding of regs (SCBA). Do I need to take a dry suit course or could I just wing it? Doubles, are the tanks flow thru or individual, meaning they have seperate shut offs and/or regs? I was never going to entertain the idea of cold water diving. After 25 years of duct taping my butt back on after fires every winter, freezing and wet rated right up there with being in the hospital. Now, I just want to dive so I'll suffer thru the cold. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChainSaw0069]

Id suggest training on both. You wouldnt just put on a hazmat suit and go play with some bad stuff not knowing what you are doing. Does the fire dept you are with have a dive team or is there one near by that could offer you dry suit training? I was able to get my dry suit training that way. As for doubles, I know nothing of them so I wont throw any suggestions other than going blind with them could lead to negative results.

 

[The Chad]

Man I'd hit the pool for awhile first whatever you do and work on your skills. Dbls will change you weighting and trim alot. Plus it would be good to know how to isolate tanks and the lot. As far as the suit, take a class just make sure its not the one where they teach you to use the suit for bouyancy

 

[Puffer Fish]

I would vote for the class... good practice also....

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Dont pay for the class just get your friend and some access to a pool or small lake with good viz. Than try 1 item at a time, first get the drysuit and practice with that in your normal BCD and 1 tank. Than if possible switch to doubles and a wetsuit so you can figure out that system. When you feel comfortable with each than try both. Classes may help but not as much as a good buddy that doesn't want your money cause a class will pass you no matter what as long as you paid them and did some time in the water. just my $.02

 

[MBH]

By all means take a drysuit course and learn how to control that animal in the pool.

65' deep and headed towards the surface feet first in an uncontrolled ascent is the wrong time to find out that you don't know how to right yourself and dump air!!!

 

[Jon C]

The task loading going from wet suit to drysuit and from singles to doubles is significant. There are techniques involved with how you manage your buoyancy, weights, air consumption and fatigue with a drysuit. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFERENCES. I have my own drysuit and always am surprised at the differences when I switch out from warm water gear every year. It takes twice the effort to swim and once you get your feet above your head and start heading uncontrolled for the surface...well you are in for a bad day. Take the class, learn about the unique challenges of a drysuit. You owe it to your bride.

As for doubles...I have limited experience with those, but jeeze are they heavy, make you less streamlined and add more hoses to manage.

My 2 cents. Good luck.

 

[rawls]

Will ditto Jon C. Nothing really to add. I would suggest you make a few dives with doubles with an instructor....and DEFINITELY with the drysuit.

 

[bubba105]

Id suggest training on both. You wouldnt just put on a hazmat suit and go play with some bad stuff not knowing what you are doing. Does the fire dept you are with have a dive team or is there one near by that could offer you dry suit training? I was able to get my dry suit training that way. As for doubles, I know nothing of them so I wont throw any suggestions other than going blind with them could lead to negative results.

I'm with the FDNY. Most of what we do is "on the job training". They train us in the basics and then we drill a lot. Our rescue companies do all our diving and I know they would frown on me even asking. The guy who trained me instructs on dry suits so I can go there. It's funny, I neglected to mention the guy who's going to lend me the dry suit & doubles is one of my junior men in the FH. He's got 100 dives over 6 years and is a DM, with impecable buoyancy . That in itself was making me think twice but now with the overwhelming lack of confidence in my ability to wing it, I've just grounded myself until "the guru" stamps me as good to go. Someone gave me a thick wetsuit (5 or 7 mil) that he outgrew, which went directly into storage but now may make a comeback. Wetsuit and single 80 so I can come up when I get cold. Dutch Springs, here I come.:11:

I'd still like to hear a basic explanation of doubles just to quench my curiousity.

 

[Jon C]

Will ditto Jon C. Nothing really to add. I would suggest you make a few dives with doubles with an instructor....and DEFINITELY with the drysuit.

Well you could tell bubba about peeing in a drysuit....or should we "forget" to mention that...