Jim,

As for the drysuit mods, www.drysuitrepair.com  can do what you want, but 
it won't be under warranty. They will get it back much sooner than 3 
months, though.

Jack



At 09:35 AM 5/8/02 -0400, James Cobb wrote:
>As I mentioned in a previous post, I had developed workarounds for various
>shortcomings. One is reaching my valves. Even though I got a custom drysuit
>fitted to my dimensions I cannot reach my valves. I don't know if I have
>short arms or what but I have a problem with this. My solution was to adjust
>my shoulder straps very loose. This way I would pop my belt strap and pull
>the tanks up to where I could reach the valves.
>
>I tried this once while on my knees on the bottom during a dive and
>eventually I reached my valves. This was one of those "I hope to hell I
>don't ever have to actually do this in a clusterfuck as I will surely die",
>but I did reach my valves.
>
>Of course the excessively loose straps caused other problems. The tanks were
>too low on my back so I could not reach the crotch strap dring. The tanks
>were free to flop all over the place which would cause me to turn turtle
>without warning in certain situations. I knew all this stuff but, hell, I
>had the "reach valves" checkbox mentally checked off in my mind. But that
>was self-deluding BS of course.
>
>During the class it occurred to me that there is no way in hell I could do
>the pop the buckle drill while maintaining neutral buoyancy or anywhere
>other than with my knees in the sand. Andrew adjusted my straps correctly,
>so that you can touch the top of your backplate with either hand while
>standing up. Underwater the change was like black and white, my balance
>problems disappeared. But now there was no way at all to reach my valves.
>
>The real solution to that particular problem was that I need a new drysuit
>or I would have to get mine modified. I got the DUI 450 which which has a
>very stiff cordura top half, and I think this is the root of the problem.
>George warned me about the 450 after I bought it. As usual, goddamn George
>was right.
>
>I suppose I could send the suit back to DUI to see if they can alter it to
>fix the problem (I have to send it back for warranty work anyway, both feet
>leaked during the training, I froze my ass off) but, as anybody knows who
>has dealt with DUI, this means no drysuit for 2 or 3 months and I don't have
>a backup drysuit.
>
>On a side note I can see now that having 2 (or more) drysuits is more of a
>"must" than a luxury in technical diving. You spend hundreds of dollars to
>do what could be the dive of a lifetime and your DS starts leaking or a
>wrist or neck seal tears. Your trip is now one expensive-ass boat ride with
>no dives. Of course I knew this but choose to toss the dice that I simply
>would not have DS problems if I bought the best DS on the market, money be
>damned. More self-deluding bullshit, I'm afraid.
>
>(I think I will start a list of all the self-deluding bullshit I've been
>doing over the years for tech diving. Then you guys can see if you are doing
>the same crap. Naaa, that would be pointless as all you bone-headed MF's
>would just rationalize the self-delusions away. I know how most of you guys
>think.)
>
>    Jim
>
>On 5/8/02 04:58 AM, "Chris Stenton" <jacs@gn*.co*.uk*> wrote:
>
> >> George, I think this list is part of the problem. You can read all the 
> posts
> >> you want, look at all the videos, web pages you want and nothing comes 
> close
> >> to you standing there in your rig with Andrew telling you that you are a
> >> walking CF as he rips crap off your harness and cranks the straps down
> >> tight.
> >
> > <SNIP>
> >
> > Jim,
> >
> > What was the reason given for cranking the straps down tight on your 
> harness?
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
> >
>
>--
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Universal Bearing Co.
8521 Lyndon
Detroit, MI 48238
313 933 1100
313 933 8888 fax
800-521-2418
jack@un*.co*
www.universalbearing.com

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