When to take a drysuit class?

[scubadale]

Having just purchased my first drysuit, I ask this in all seriousness. Just what is the big deal?

I am an accomplished diver with good skills, but all my diving has been in wetsuits. So the difference is the mechanics of adjusting the buoyancy characteristics and squeeze, getting my trim adjusted and going over safety protocols.

Do I really need a class or will just a couple of dives do the trick?

To quote a sig line "Lack of preparation on your part will most certainly lead to an emergency on my part"


Some drysuit questions for you:

Do you use your BC to control buoyancy, or your DS, or both?

Does your DS have a quick dump for stopping a rapid ascent?

What do you do when the air is trapped in your feet?

How do you adjust the dump valve?

Do you wear ankle weights or not?

Do you need more or less weight for the DS?

My personal opinion is that most "specialties" are a waste of the plastic they are printed on. I think DS and nitrox are the only two that are important.

Yes you can read and practice on your own but for 1 to 2 pool sessions and an ow why not do take the course? Especially if you can get the seller to throw it in.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

For newer and/or less experianced divers,YES they do need it,i,ve seem them do some very stupid things.A few years ago one of these new,don't need the class divers did die,due to a barotrauma aka exploded lungs).He made a polaris ascend, feet first from 30m/100+ft.holding his breath.

I can only imagine the horror you witnessed. I'm sure that is an image that will stick with you for the rest of your life.

 

[Teamcasa]

To quote a sig line "Lack of preparation on your part will most certainly lead to an emergency on my part"


Some drysuit questions for you:

Do you use your BC to control buoyancy, or your DS, or both?

Does your DS have a quick dump for stopping a rapid ascent?

What do you do when the air is trapped in your feet?

How do you adjust the dump valve?

Do you wear ankle weights or not?

Do you need more or less weight for the DS?

My personal opinion is that most "specialties" are a waste of the plastic they are printed on. I think DS and nitrox are the only two that are important.

Yes you can read and practice on your own but for 1 to 2 pool sessions and an ow why not do take the course? Especially if you can get the seller to throw it in.

Fair enough. But in my case, I can give you the pat answers to your quiz but it’s putting them into practice that makes it work. Finding the time to take a course is the biggest pain. My plan is to take a few dives in the Casino Dive Park and work out the kinks, get settled in on buoyancy, weight and trim. I'll let you know.

 

[300bar]

I can only imagine the horror you witnessed. I'm sure that is an image that will stick with you for the rest of your life.

In this case I was the "lucky"one,it was not my student and I was initialy a 100 ft.away.
Biggest problem was I was there with a group of OW students,they have not seen him close up as I did,but they had more problems with it than I did.
But NO it was not a pretty picture.

Think you've seen enough of it your self, seeing your nick.
Respect man,

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

Yeah, I've probably seen more than my fair share of gruesome scenes. There are a few images I will never get rid of that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I can't even look at a model of the human pelvis and back bone at my chiropractor without re-seeing an image from my first tour of duty in Iraq. I have to turn away and make myself not look at the plastic model just to keep my thoughts from wandering. Thankfully I haven't witnessed any dive accidents and I hope I never do.

 

[scubadale]

Fair enough. But in my case, I can give you the pat answers to your quiz but it’s putting them into practice that makes it work. Finding the time to take a course is the biggest pain. My plan is to take a few dives in the Casino Dive Park and work out the kinks, get settled in on buoyancy, weight and trim. I'll let you know.

I figured you could give me the pat answers. But there are those that believe you can just put it on, dive, and figure it out as you go without any other consideration. Same as some people learn to dive. I think there are some things to be gained by having a professional OR someone that is well aware of ALL of the risks work with you. I also don't believe that you will take diving with a DS, or any new gear for that matter, lightly and will take all necessary precautions. I don't know Casino Dive Park, I hope you will stay somewhat shallow and practice some emergency skills first. I trust that you dive buddy is a drysuit diver??

Although I am from Texas I dive dry almost anywhere I go and have even considered taking it to Cozumel. You will enjoy the heck out of diving dry.

If you have any specific questions you can PM me.

Dale

 

[300bar]

To quote a sig line "Lack of preparation on your part will most certainly lead to an emergency on my part"


Some drysuit questions for you:

Do you use your BC to control buoyancy, or your DS, or both?

Does your DS have a quick dump for stopping a rapid ascent?

What do you do when the air is trapped in your feet?

How do you adjust the dump valve?

Do you wear ankle weights or not?

Do you need more or less weight for the DS?

My personal opinion is that most "specialties" are a waste of the plastic they are printed on. I think DS and nitrox are the only two that are important.

Yes you can read and practice on your own but for 1 to 2 pool sessions and an ow why not do take the course? Especially if you can get the seller to throw it in.

I will answer this as a user/instructor,


Do you use your BC to control buoyancy, or your DS, or both? DS only

Does your DS have a quick dump for stopping a rapid ascent? Are there suits without a quickdump

What do you do when the air is trapped in your feet?Headroll

How do you adjust the dump valve?For me,open all the way

Do you wear ankle weights or not?Never done and never will

Do you need more or less weight for the DS?Hardly

For the diver NEEDING a DS class,well gonna stay with my opinion,this is diver depenping

As for the seller maybe throwing it in,totaly agree.If so take it,even as a experianced diver.Hay it's free

 

[300bar]

Yeah, I've probably seen more than my fair share of gruesome scenes. There are a few images I will never get rid of that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I can't even look at a model of the human pelvis and back bone at my chiropractor without re-seeing an image from my first tour of duty in Iraq. I have to turn away and make myself not look at the plastic model just to keep my thoughts from wandering. Thankfully I haven't witnessed any dive accidents and I hope I never do.

Well we're going WAAAAY off topic,but as long as the mods don't see it

Ok I'll take a diving accident way over what you must have seen.
Diving accidents are mostly very silly things.Broken fingers,arms and legs from falling :11:
some stabbings from stupid buddy's:11:
Seen some bloody feet and such.
But faital injurys are very rare,in diving,thank the Lord.


Stay safe.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

Ok, I'll get back on topic, good post about diving dry. I personally find it a little easier to manage my bouyancy with my BC and not totally with my DS. In my class I was taught it was acceptable either way but it is generally easier to manage one air bubble (bouyancy with DS only) vs. two air bubbles (DS and BC). I happen to leave my automatic dump valve on my DS 2 to 3 clicks towards closed vs. all the way open as I found I was dumping air just as quickly as I was adding it in the all the way open position.

 

[Gombessa]

Ok, I'll get back on topic, good post about diving dry. I personally find it a little easier to manage my bouyancy with my BC and not totally with my DS. In my class I was taught it was acceptable either way but it is generally easier to manage one air bubble (bouyancy with DS only) vs. two air bubbles (DS and BC). I happen to leave my automatic dump valve on my DS 2 to 3 clicks towards closed vs. all the way open as I found I was dumping air just as quickly as I was adding it in the all the way open position.

I usually dive with the valve completely open. That way, you can easily add just enough air to alleviate suit squeeze, but any air that goes past the valve immediately gets expelled. Seems like it's way more hassle getting air OUT of the suit than keeping air in. I only tighten up the valve at the surface.