Diving Dry

Dsix36

I would really like to thank all of you for your input and advise.

I have just returned from my neighbors pool. Only 6' deep but at least it had water in it.

I had to try it without any additional weights (I just built an aluminum back plate to replace the broken plastic one and was hoping that was enough weight)needless to say, that didn't work well at all. I was feet up almost instantly. It was a very humbleing experience to say the least. Hanging upside down with the vent at the bottom could really freak a diver out without previous practice. I got flipped over pretty easily and began to install weights until I could sink. I put 2- 2lb weights on each ankle and 5lb in each pocket on the drysuit. This was enough to sink (very slowly) with an empty drysuit and minimum loop volumn. I was able to stay at depth with this weight but the suit was still squeezed just a little bit more than I like at this point. I think that at a deeper depth, I will be able to inflate a little more without any issues. Finally, I removed the ankle weights and tried it that way. It was not a problem with the exception of suit squeeze. If I inflated any, I became positive and began to ascend.

I will have to get used to keeping my left arm down. I thought I popped a hose or something a couple of times when I vented accidently. I can definitley tell my orientation by the way the suit changes the fit.

The only problem that I had was this. I think that my neck seal got flipped out at the back of my neck upon one of my ascents. Is this just from not venting fast enough?

14lb seems like a lot of extra weight to add for a drysuit. Is this normal? I was using a 3mm wetsuit and my drysuit is a DiveRite 905.

I will probably keep the ankle weights for a couple of ocean dives just to maintain my own sanity until I get more experienced with a drysuit. Even if they are "training wheels"

I will keep you posted with my progress. Again, I wish to express my thanks for all the help!

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THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!

Sutty

Can you give more details of your suit? ie is it membrane or neoprene, is the neck seal latex or neoprene? A neoprene neck seal should be turned "inside out" against your neck, a latex seal shouldn't. If you have the seal too high up your neck it can give problems as you move around. If a latex seal is loose and you don't vent enough you can burp air from it sometimes. I recently changed from a latex seal on a membrane suit to a neoprene one, and am much happier with the neoprene.

14lb doesn't seem an excessive weight addition over a 3mm wetsuit (6.4Kg), could well need more, depending on undersuit etc. If you think of the volume of air trapped in your undersuit (especially with a membrane suit and a thick undersuit) then think that you will need over 1Kg of lead for each litre of gas.

Neil

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Dsix36

It is a DiveRite 905 front zip. It is a trilaminate design with latex wrist and neck seals. I was told by a DUI drysuit diver that the neck seal should be flipped inside. This is how I was diving it. The water that entered the suit was very minimal, but I was only 6' deep. I really don't want to get wet at 130' and freeze with a drysuit

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THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!

Sutty

Flipped inside is for a neoprene seal, for a latex seal just make sure its flat against your neck and low enough down that it doesn't pull away from your neck as you move your head through the full range of movement you will use. You may get the latex seal neck-chafing which is common and when I got it bad gave me a scab all the way around my neck! Looked like my head had been cut off and re-attached! Apollo bioseals cure this (they are a squidgy collar which the neck seal then lies against), but they may reduce the life of the seal. (not everyone has a problem though!)

Neil

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Dsix36

I will give that a try.
Thanks for the help.

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THE MORE THAT I LEARN, THE MORE THAT I STILL NEED TO LEARN!!!!!!

Sutty

No problem.
Don't forget you can also change to shoulder dump instead of cuff-dump (sounds like you have a cuff dump at present), the shoulder dump is different as you set a differential pressure at which gas escapes, a cuff dump will dump whenever you raise your arm. Again each has its advocates!

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Never forget that life is a finite resource.

ScubaDadMiami

Now you see half of the reason why I say that real men dive the Optima with the steel 27 tanks and dry. Gives you a whole new kind of respect, eh?

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Howard Packer
IANTD CCR Instructor
Miami Beach, Florida
CCRDiveTraining.com

jhaaja

I would lose the ankle weights. They lead to wrong technique diving the drysuit. You just have to get used to keeping the suit fairly tight with only a minimum amount of gas in it. That we way it feels more like a wetsuit, no gas slushing around the suit if you change your position in the water.

JH

PaulTG2

Hello,

14lbs additional weight is about what I add for the dry suit and my Fourth Element under garments. To avoid a tight weight belt, and the attending bubble issues, I'm trying a DUI belt with suspenders.

Under garments make a huge difference in how much weight you need. If you have a high loft under garment you need more air, and hence weight, in order to get the rated insulation. Lower loft suits, such as Fourth Element, keep the amount of air needed down. It's also a good idea to have under garments that will keep you warm if a leak gets them wet -- otherwise it will likely get mighty cold during deco.

Maintenance is important, so make certain you get a set of instructions and wax the zipper properly. Be careful how you fold, pack, and store it to protect the zipper (the most expensive things on the suite).

-p

dlh

Don't get started with the Pro/Con Ankle weight debate. Everyone is different in how they prefer to distribute their weights and there are too many variables to list. New dry divers should start with them, and experiment once they are comfortable. Personally, I've done around 250 dry dives and like to use a set of elastic 1lb ankle weights.

As for the amount of "Extra" weight you need diving dry: With my OC setup I use about 10lbs in Tropical with 3mm wet suit. Diving dry in cold water I use 24lbs. I have not take my Sport Kiss on a tropical / wet suit dive yet, but imagine the difference will be similar.

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