New Dry suit

[CotoChris]

<font color='#0000FF'>I never thought this time would come but yesterday got myself a dry suit. It's a Beauchat Batik (tri laminated) and gave it a try yesterday.
Unfortunately the pool (of a sports center) was foul, put it this way the viz was lesss than a metre and there were many bits n pieces floating - I didn't even want to think what it was. The worse was that it was bloody hot and I was soaked in sweat. Couldn't even tell it was a dry suit!
So... This evening or tommorrow morning I will jump in my pool where water is very green and bloody cold but that sounds like UK conditions for me. &nbsp;Have a couple of questions though:

1) When the air goes into the feet by turning to heads up I reckon I'll ascend a good 2m. Yesterday I couldn't do this easily with a 1.8m deep pool, Should I expect such a large ascent?

2) Getting into the suit is like a baby going through birth! The seal is tight around the neck but the assistant at the shop said to try it out as it will widen with time. Is is ok to expect such a tight seal? Yesterday in the pool I ok-ish in the water but uncomfortable out of water. How normal is this? The assistant said he can widen by cutting part of the neoprane lining but prefered not to, neither do I.

3) Are there any exercises I can practise in a 2m deep pool or should I just stay and pick up the leaves off the bottom for an hour &nbsp;

[aclivity]

<font color='#810541'>I'm no expert but I don't think you are supposed to go in through the neck

[Andy Phillips]

Chris,

A couple of bits for you,

1) Stuff a football in the neck seal (from the inside) this will help stretch it a bit. Do this for a while before you even contemplate cutting it down.

2) Get a nice tube of KY jelly, this will avoid a nice red rash on your neck when you start to use the suit in the sea.

As for exersises, just keep practising forward rolls, if ever you get stuck with a load of air in your feet, this is the only real way out before you do your impression of a balistic missile exiting the sea.

Andrew

[nickjb]

As andy says, stretch the neck seal a bit before you use it. A cylinder works well. &nbsp;If you use the suit regularly it tends to stat stretched. &nbsp;It'll be a lot more comfortable and still seal well.

[Dominic]

Bear in mind, in the shallowness of a pool, the pressure gradient is big - you can be neutrally buoyant whilst horizontal and then positive when you go upright. When you're just a few meters down, this becomes less of a problem, as the gradient reduces, and going upright leaves you neutrally buoyant.

[Diving doc]

<font color='#728FCE'>whatever you do, do not try to cut the seal down yourself....learnt that one from experience d'oh!!

[CotoChris]

<font color='#0000FF'>Thanks for the ideas. I'll fit the cylinder around the neck seal -that's a great idea.
I got the UKD8R torch and the buddy dsmb with cylinder this afternoon, I can't believe how heavy torch is and how much large the dmsb is with the cylinder. I will pass my airline weight linit by far when going to UK next month, it's with BA so hope to get away with it.
Unfortunately I won't try out these two toys on my next dive as it will be my frst dry suit dive.

[parahandy]

Chris
Its fine getting familiar with the suit in the pool.
Before you actually go and dive you really need to get in sheltered open water buddied up and do a Bouyancy check aiming for neutral bouyancy ie with ALL the usual open water kit on, ie also wearing an undersuit.  
Using a dry suit takes a bit of getting used to,at risk of stating the obvious you need to be competent at inflating and dumping air from the suit almost that it becomes second nature. Its particularly noticable in Membrane type suits that the air may rush around a little in them. Probably one of the commonest problems for an inexperieced diver dry suit diver is not dumping out sufficient air to allow the descent, take your time doing this if your fighting to stay down youre either underweighted or not dumped enough air out. In essence take your time, remember like using the BCD lbits of air in and out often to maintain your trim as it takes a few seconds to take effect.

Good luck

[CotoChris]

<font color='#0000FF'>Tried out the suit this morning with mixed success. no problem on descent and seemed OK when at bottom of 14m. Viz was bad and there was a swell which didn't help. After 5 minutes I thought I should release some of the squeeze. Well for the next 10 minutes by bouyancy went aywire! A bit of air up I went, released air down I went &amp; squeezed like a lemon. My Suunto Cobta had a field day. I didn't you you that much 3-4m max but still not my cup of tea.
Also notives that my fins were loose although I thought I had put them on well enough.
My air consumption went from a normal 14 SLM to 20.4SLM.
I know it is a case of practise.
Learnt a few things from using a dry suit:
1) I will need more weight, I had 10kg instead of usual 8kg but may need another two until I improve.
2) Once the bouyancy is fine the dry suit is great. I had much aprehension siving in a Tesco bag but doesn't affect the enjoyment whatsoever.
3) Have to tighten fin straps really well.

Now I have to go out and do more dives until all of this becomes second nature. Thanks for all the somments, they've been very helpful especially yours Parahandy.