Simon,

Stop using your drysuit to try and control your buoyancy.  This is a
difficult task... use your wings.  Put air in your drysuit when you need it;
as in when you get cold or to avoid getting squeezed.

~Allyson


-----Original Message-----
From: Richards, Simon [mailto:richardss@nm*.co*]
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 2:08 PM
To: 'techdiver@aquanaut.com'
Subject: Drysuits



Hi.  I've been reading this site for a while, and I have found some very
useful advice here (someone said "A wise man does not learn from his
mistakes", and this must be true for technical diving as you often don't
survive your mistakes).

For background, I have about 4 years open water experience and am a keen
(and OK) photographer.  This year I started cave diving (intro to cave in
Mexico, in a wetsuit), which was an eye-opener.  I am sorting out my gear in
a local quarry for a return trip to Mexico and hopefully full cave, and then
I hope to try Florida (do the whole course again in a drysuit?).  My kit is
basically configured DIR style, but this is because it seems to make sense
to me and I can't see any obvious fatal flaws, not because of "religion"
(but I do rather like the idea that I have the WKPP team testing "my" gear
configuration "for me" at 300 feet at no risk or cost to myself - thanks
guys!).

I would appreciate views on two questions:

(1)  I have a DUI CF200 drysuit, and I think I was originally taught not to
use the wings underwater for buoyancy control, just the suit.  I have seen
the occasional reference here to using the wings underwater, but I have done
a search and couldn't see any definitive advice.  A couple of times (but not
always) I have felt that I couldn't get enough buoyancy on the drysuit
alone, and have got through a lot of air inflating the suit and then having
it blow out of the neck seal (I've never had any water come in).  Was this
the wrong body position, overweighting, neck seal cut too loose, or just bad
diving?  Should I have put some air into my wings?  Basically, I think I'm
asking "how do I dive (properly, in the real world with big buoyancy changes
during a dive as air is used) in a drysuit?"

(2)  My buddy wants a drysuit and her funds are limited.  She is looking at
something called an "Otter", which is a laminate I believe.  I think George
Irvine has recommended DUI TLS on this site, but she cannot afford one.
Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with Otters?

You can see that we are a long way off doing any serious dives yet, but we
would like to get there slowly over the next year or two and to buy the
right equipment now.

Thanks in advance.

Simon Richards


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