First dive in drysuit

[RobbieS]

Ok, had my first dive in a drysuit yesterday, my second dive in open water. I basically ended up knackered and a bit p#ssed off.

I've read a few threads on here, articles on other places, plus the BSAC material and I was intending to dump all the air out of my jacket, add a little at the bottom to compensate for full tanks and then add a tiny bit of air in the suit to avoid the squeeze.

So first question, is the above right?

Second question; My bouyancy control in a semi-dry on my first dive was spot on, but this time I think I was overweighted as when I dumped the air out of the BCD I was sinking pretty fast and felt like I was having to put far too much air in the jacket to stop descent. Consequently floated up a couple of times but not completely feet first. We were above 10m so I know changes at this depth are more drastic but I did feel overly heavy.

So does this sound right or is it just a beginner blaming something else other than poor control?

[thehappychappy]

At the start of my training I was told only use the jacket on the surface.

Basically you should be using a single source for buoyancy control, therefore in a dry sit that's all you should be using, some people find ankle weights to be good to stop floaty feet, others use heavy fins like jet fins.

Later when you get technical there is a school of thought that says use the wing for buoyancy and just take the squeeze off with the suit, I believe this debate rages on depending on who you talk to and that's not dependant on agency.

For simplicity id suggest you use a single source and that be the suit.

Hope that helps

Davie.

[RobbieS]

Thanks Davie. I'm going to try it tonight with less weight on and see how it goes. I felt like I was back at my first lesson in the pool constantly adjusting and tweeking stuff!

[DorsetDiver]

Well, it does sound like you're too heavy, a weight check in 2metres somewhere with a near empty tank sounds a good idea, I know 10m doesn't sound deep but I think it is for the first time in a drysuit. It can be difficult getting the no-squeeze/BCD buoyancy right, I would say its something like 10%/90% if you see what I mean. Good old fashioned fin retainers are great for keeping the air out of your boots. You should be looking at AT LEAST 10 dives in it before you feel comfortable, I would say. Someone will be along any minute to tell you I am talking nonsense.

[Dave Crampton]

Believe me it gets better/easier. I was taught to put no air in the BCD and all in the suit., You only have one bouyancy device to manage then. You have probably got more weight than you will eventually need but its just a case of taking a kg off at a time until you feel your comfortable. I used to dive with 8kg with a single 12 and 6 with a pony. I was overweighted looking back, but not overly and confident that if I ran low on air I would not have an uncontrolled assent.

There are ways you can do a weight check. One is to drain your cylinder to ~50bar, (easy as your probably quite new to diving - though I appologies if your not). Then get in the water where you can just stand up, with your head out of the water. Now remove air from your suit, by moving your arm with the dump to allow the air to escape, check its all out as this is sometimes a problem in divers new to dry suits. (Also check that nothing is obstructing your suit dump, like the under suit. Then adjust your weight so that you can just sink by exhaling, and just remain bouyant at the surface by inhaling.

Get someone who has more dives and experience in this, like your instructor, to help you with this and passing you weight until your weighting is just right.

Dave C

[RobbieS]

Originally Posted by DorsetDiver

Well, it does sound like you're too heavy, a weight check in 2metres somewhere with a near empty tank sounds a good idea, I know 10m doesn't sound deep but I think it is for the first time in a drysuit. It can be difficult getting the no-squeeze/BCD buoyancy right, I would say its something like 10%/90% if you see what I mean. Good old fashioned fin retainers are great for keeping the air out of your boots. You should be looking at AT LEAST 10 dives in it before you feel comfortable, I would say. Someone will be along any minute to tell you I am talking nonsense.

I'd heard the thing about fin retainers too so I'll try that.

I gues the thing is I'm comparing it to my last dive in a semi-dry where I hardly touched the BCD and used breathing control for pretty much the whole dive, I wasn't bouncing off the bottom or floating up. If I'm only adding air to compensate for compression of the air in the suit then surely if I was properly weighted I shouldn't have to be filling up or dumping from the BCD just to float around at 6m or so?

[thehappychappy]

Originally Posted by RobbieS

Thanks Davie. I'm going to try it tonight with less weight on and see how it goes. I felt like I was back at my first lesson in the pool constantly adjusting and tweeking stuff!

Hey nothing wrong with that feeling, we all feel like that now and again.
I went back out in a dry suit yesterday for the first time in a few months (with 90+ wetsuit dives in between) and boy did I feel like a first timer.. Sure Stevie Hick dive will be along at any moment to laugh at me but never mind he is a stroke too :P just glad he was around to make me look so good


Davie.

[BobK]

Robbie,

you have had lots of good advice from Dave and DorsetDiver.

I would also say, if its not already been said, keep your diving very shallow to begin with. Get yourself happy doing all the basic stuff again at 6m. Maybe 2 or 3 dives. Then build up slowly.

And if you want to scare yourself read this:-

So you think its a good idea to dive a drysuit without training ?

Safe diving

Bob

[RobbieS]

Originally Posted by Dave Crampton

Believe me it gets better/easier. I was taught to put no air in the BCD and all in the suit., You only have one bouyancy device to manage then. You have probably got more weight than you will eventually need but its just a case of taking a kg off at a time until you feel your comfortable. I used to dive with 8kg with a single 12 and 6 with a pony. I was overweighted looking back, but not overly and confident that if I ran low on air I would not have an uncontrolled assent.

There are ways you can do a weight check. One is to drain your cylinder to ~50bar, (easy as your probably quite new to diving - though I appologies if your not). Then get in the water where you can just stand up, with your head out of the water. Now remove air from your suit, by moving your arm with the dump to allow the air to escape, check its all out as this is sometimes a problem in divers new to dry suits. (Also check that nothing is obstructing your suit dump, like the under suit. Then adjust your weight so that you can just sink by exhaling, and just remain bouyant at the surface by inhaling.

Get someone who has more dives and experience in this, like your instructor, to help you with this and passing you weight until your weighting is just right.

Dave C

Hhmm I went in with 12kg for a 10l tank, membrane suit with no undersuit.

Yep! Only second dive and I only managed 45min to 70bar on a 15l on my first.

Cheers for the advice on the weight check. Looking at my BSAC training book it seems a bit odd that this is only supposed to be done on your final open water dive!

[RobbieS]

Originally Posted by BobK

Robbie,

you have had lots of good advice from Dave and DorsetDiver.

I would also say, if its not already been said, keep your diving very shallow to begin with. Get yourself happy doing all the basic stuff again at 6m. Maybe 2 or 3 dives. Then build up slowly.

And if you want to scare yourself read this:-

So you think its a good idea to dive a drysuit without training ?

Safe diving

Bob

Cheers Bob (I think!). I think that deepest I went last night was 7m or so. It was suggested that I go back to a semi-dry to get me through OD but I'm a stubborn b#stard and I will get the hang of it!