Arfie does drysuit

[endoman]

Well the day dawned yesterday and Arfie finally ventured out in his first drysuit.



A little confusion with all the complicated extras, but finally he was kitted up.



Looks a happy bunny. Thanks to secondopsman for the perfect dive bus, even if I can't get it the right way up.



First dive was a practice around platforms doing inverts and general pootling. I'll let Arfie describe how it felt, but he was going back to wetsuit afterwards he said.

After second dive, things were a lot better, and he was a lot happier! We drained the tanks to about 40 bar and removed a bit of weight. I got rid of another kilo meaning I've only got my 2 kilo lump on a cam band, much easier to move around, and could hold at 3 metres with no problem





Here be the goldfish at Blue Lagoon,



Thanks for the dives boys, was really nice, tomorrow Arfie and I will have a leisurely arrival at the Cove, and go a little deeper where I think he will like it even more. I think he did very well, managing to perform a controlled headstand on a platform and spinning on it like a break dancer.
Pete also very controlled in his first go in his Seaskin, and we got lost less than usual, only 2 surfaces in 3 dives, we missed our targets by less than 5 metres.

[Buoyant Babe]

Well done Arfie! Look forward to your Cove report too.

Helen xxx

[Arfie]

Yep, after the first dive I was ready for burning it, though I did become proficient at forward rolls (that's the natural gymnast in me )

I was expecting it to be different to a wetsuit even expecting the floaty feet, but there was absolutely no way I could stay upright when stationary. I held onto the side of a boat and tried to force my feet back down, which resulted in me hanging on upside down! But some spring straps on the fins seems to have made all the difference.

Second dive was much better, the feet stayed where they should be and I was back to doing perfectly executed chinooks even managed to ditch a couple of KG with only 30bar in the tank and with a bit more practice I expect to ditch even more.

By the third dive I was more comfortable and had to play swimming on my side, headspins, but it all went nipples north when I tried backstroke at 3m I ended up going up a bit, feet filled with air and I broke the surface fins first I even took the camera in with me, but nothing worth seeing I'm afraid.

People say I am mad for diving in a wetsuit but I can tell you that I was no warmer during the dive, in fact I was possibly colder in the seaskin with arctics at 12C compared to the semidry in 7C. On the surface I had the opposite problem, in the wetsuit I either keep it on between dives and get chilly, or I take it off, get dry and then have to put it back on when it's cold and wet. Yesterday I was sweating my knackers off between dives.

The big advantage for me with the drysuit is that with the wetsuit I need all the lead to get down, but once the suit compresses I am vastly overweighted, but with the drysuit I am correctly weighted at the surface and at the bottom.

I still think that when the water (and air) temp improves I will go back to the wetsuit, it's easier, less bulky, more flexible and more comfortable and if I only use it in the warmer months when the over jacket is not required, I need less lead and am better trimmed.

Anyway, where's the video of me near the tank?

Arfie

[DIVE BUDDHA]

Great to see that uve got the new suit wet arfie !

i bet ya well pleased with it !

judging by the picture looks like all went well

whens the next outing mate

[Arfie]

Monday at Stoney.

Arfie

[DIVE BUDDHA]

have a good one mate and enjoy !

is bill down there with you mate

[Arfie]

Of course, we were planning on Capers to take Secondopsman for his first dive up there, but he's had his pass withdrawn by SWMBO and I can't be bothered to drive up there just for a kit fettle when Stoney's less than a 3rd of the time in the car.

Arfie

[DIVE BUDDHA]

its ok going to stoney arfie as long as u dont have to get up at silly oclock!

[Arfie]

Not gonna happen If we set off from Chesvegas at about 9am, we'll be there for 10, plenty of time to get two dives in maybe even three and it's much more "enjoyable" after a full nights sleep.

Arfie

[endoman]

You ask, I provide :-)