What is covered in a PADI drysuit diver course?

[Edward3c]

This is a nice description, thanks! So when you do your bubble check at 6m, what your are doing is setting the valve so that at that specific pressure, you will maintain that buoyancy. If you lift your arm, it will not vent, but if you were to rise one meter, with your arm raised, it should then vent, correct?
effectively, you are maintaining your “neutral buoyancy” pressure by setting the valve, which just means you don’t have to worry as much about your arm position? Even if you lift your arm, it should only dump to your “neutral buoyancy” inflation level?

the theory is clear to me, it’s harder to explain I guess. Really helpful!

Sorry for the delay in replying, been out diving.

The shoulder valve's proper name is a constant volume valve.

I don’t lift my arm up, but like @Storker roll to the left so the valve is uppermost. One of the reasons I have buddies on my right, so when I roll to see what they’re doing I don’t inadvertently lose gas from the suit.

For the odd meter +/- I don't add or release gas but move to using the upper or lower lung capacity, something you can learn.

 

[tursiops]

I don’t lift my arm up, but like @Storker roll to the left so the valve is uppermost. One of the reasons I have buddies on my right, so when I roll to see what they’re doing I don’t inadvertently lose gas from the suit.

So, they are NOT in drysuits, or dive differently, or don't ever look at you?

 

[Storker]

Sorry for the delay in replying, need out diving.

Valid excuse.

Me, I've been dry since we went into lockdown in March. And when the restrictions were lifted, I managed to hurt my back seriously enough to hold me back still. Yes, it sucks. Majorly. Why do you ask?

 

[Edward3c]

So, they are NOT in drysuits, or dive differently, or don't ever look at you?

No, I’m just selfish.

 

[drk5036]

Finished my course today! Everything went well with the suit; I feel like maintaining buoyancy for me was easier in a drysuit than with 8 mm of neoprene. Also my weighting was pretty spot on...using only the suit for buoyancy worked perfectly. I wouldn’t have wanted less air in the suit and didn’t need to add any to the wing.

It also helped that the conditions were more or less perfect.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Finished my course today! Everything went well with the suit; I feel like maintaining buoyancy for me was easier in a drysuit than with 8 mm of neoprene. Also my weighting was pretty spot on...using only the suit for buoyancy worked perfectly. I wouldn’t have wanted less air in the suit and didn’t need to add any to the wing.

It also helped that the conditions were more or less perfect.

Looks like an interesting dive site. A bit like the Giants Causeway, just underwater and with good viz.

Well done on your course by the way.

 

[Subcooled]

It would be advisable to master both skills: to control buoyancy with a wing and with a suit only. Once you know them both, you can choose the appropriate method. It may be harder to learn to use a drysuit for buoyancy: more air in the suit means more trouble getting it out when needed and keeping balance becomes harder too. A bcd also responds faster than a suit (which can be good or bad depending on situation).

I learned to control buoyancy with the drysuit first and I'm happy I did. The valve may ideally be a constant volume valve but I've found more versatile uses for it. I tend to use a wing for coarse adjustments and my suit and lungs for fine tuning or very shallow dives. On some special types of dives I do not carry at wing at all, though.

The most important thing is to learn to control your suit. It is a skill. It only comes with practise. A good instructor will make this easier and safer.

 

[Subcooled]

Is there anything about using a drysuit the requires a feet-first descent?

A skilled drysuit diver can descend feet first, head first, horizontally or on ones right or left side... If you have too much air in your suit and you need to vent that, then you might prefer a position where your left arm (the exhaust valve) can be raised, i.e. feet first, right side first or horizontally. The problem you experienced with you semidry (was it neoprene?) was probably because it was neutral at 1.3 atm pressure (3m, compressed) but floaty at 0m, uncompressed.

 

[Dubious]

It also helped that the conditions were more or less perfect.

Wow that dive site is jaw-dropping.

 

[HKGuns]

I bought my first dry suit today as well and will be taking my first dive with it on Friday with my normal private instructor. Congrats, looks like an awesome dive site.