Don't forget your other LP hoses...

[ScubaGremlin]

OK, here's a good one from a few years ago. I was diving with A.N.Other , coming up from 20m. All went well with a nice gentle ascent until around 12m when he started to get problems with buoyancy.

Now: he was in a drysuit; he did the appropriate things to deal with air in a drysuit - roll to get head up and open shoulder dump. At the same time, I was holding on dumping air and doing all I could to slow his ascent. We both hit the surface after a fairly rapid ascent.

At the surface it turned out that the problem had been the LP inflator on his BCD sticking open.

The moral of the story: remember you have TWO possible problems with stuck valves if you're diving a drysuit.

Also: He got bent. I didn't. We had the same ascent (maybe I'm a bit of a tit for risking my own safety here - make your own choice) - clearly different people at a particular point in time have different susceptibilty... I was the lucky one in this case. He had no symptoms immediately after the dive but felt pins'n'needles in his left arm around 12 hours later. He had the good sense to get to hospital rather than ignore it. One trip in the pot sorted the problem.

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by ScubaGremlin

At the surface it turned out that the problem had been the LP inflator on his BCD sticking open.

So...
Another argument against using the drysuit for buoyancy.
If you are used to managing both you manage both.

[Smiling Dragon]

Originally Posted by ScubaGremlin

Also: He got bent. I didn't. We had the same ascent (maybe I'm a bit of a tit for risking my own safety here - make your own choice)

You probably helped lessen the symptoms by slowing his ascent even a little - good on you for looking out for your buddy I say

[Daz217]

Originally Posted by nigelH

So...
Another argument against using the drysuit for buoyancy.
If you are used to managing both you manage both.

Don't see that myself as the same could be said if the situation were reversed (i.e the Drysuit Inflator got stuck)

[ScubaGremlin]

Originally Posted by Daz217

Don't see that myself as the same could be said if the situation were reversed (i.e the Drysuit Inflator got stuck)

If I understand Nigel correctly then the point is that having enough air in the drysuit for warmth plus air in the bc for buoyancy = you're aware of both air sources and therefore better prepared for dealing with problems in either one.

I'd say the bod in question had been "re-programmed" to think they were controlling buoyancy with the drysuit and was therefore only focussed on this when the problem occurred.

[Daz217]

Ok, but why would you use both??

[ScubaGremlin]

Originally Posted by Daz217

Ok, but why would you use both??

JUST enough air in the drysuit for warmth plus air in the bc for ANY ADDITIONAL buoyancy = you're aware of both air sources and therefore better prepared for dealing with problems in either one.

i.e. minimal air in the suit, to keep you toasty, and anything else in the bc.

[Daz217]

ummm not convinced why complicate matters. One source of buoyancy one issue to deal with? use the other as redundancy or in the case of the BCD for surface buoyancy. If you are correctly weighted why would you want an additional source of buoyancy? unless it packed up and then you would go to the other.
Just my 2p worth
Each to their own though more than one way to skin a cat.

[ScubaGremlin]

Originally Posted by Daz217

ummm not convinced why complicate matters.

Er, I'm not really trying to convince you of anything... I just put forward my interpretation of Nigel's comments.

I might, in any case, be wrong. It happened once, but I think I got away with it !

Originally Posted by Daz217

One source of buoyancy one issue to deal with? use the other as redundancy or in the case of the BCD for surface buoyancy. If you are correctly weighted why would you want an additional source of buoyancy? unless it packed up and then you would go to the other.
Just my 2p worth

My original point here was that if you ARE just using one source of buoyancy then it's important not to overlook the fact that you have an additional (unused by default) source that can cause you a problem.

I THINK the suggestion of using both, one for warmth, one for buoyancy, means you're using both as a matter of course and are less likely to make this mistake.

Originally Posted by Daz217

Each to their own though more than one way to skin a cat.

I 'ates cats. Cat skinning apparatuses at the ready!! (and now donning tin hat & wellies!!).