Mukilteo Yesterday

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:11 pm

Did my first open water dives yesterday in my dry suit. This is going to take some practice buy it was cool.

I found that instead of 43lbs I needed 51 which sucked but I'm sure that as I get comfortable I can drop some.

I also found that my zipper leaks a bit, I was stillwarm and comfy though even post dive.

Can anyone give me suggestions on donning fins. I had a tough time after entering the water bending my knees enough to get them on. That was my only real negative thing. After the dive I was able to bend my knees enough to remove them.

Oh. the commercial crabbers are out and we checked out their pots, all juviniles and we didn't see a single mature crab.

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:30 pm

You're diving with 51 pounds? Wow. Seems like a lot, I wonder if you'll be able to trim some weight as you get more experience?

As for the fins- it gets easier the more you do it, like everything else, but one thing that helps a lot is spring straps- if you don't have any, they're money well spent.

Penopolypants · Post by **Penopolypants** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:53 pm

I agree with the spring straps, they help tremendously. I found that if I put my reg in my mouth, squat down beneath the surface a bit, and then try to cross a leg over my bent knee that I can put my fins on a bit easier.

Or, when I was having problems with my back and couldn't bend over at all, I would just lay on my back and get my buddy to put them on and take them off. I only felt silly for a while, then it was kinda fun.

51 lbs is a lot, but that number will come down substantially. I was trying every trick I could to take weight off, but what was really setting me back was constantly fiddling and worrying about it.

Off topic: Nailer, a salon near my office had the DB Cooper sketch on the right carved into a pumpkin for Halloween. It was pretty cool.

Post by **H20doctor** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:22 pm

i fill my BC all the way up... then fill my drysuit up good... walk out to the water and put on my fins one at a time as I float on the surface... Or you can lean up against yr dive partner and do the figure 4.. Which I learned in dive class 5 years ago...

Joshua Smith · Post by **Joshua Smith** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:30 pm

Penopolypants wrote:

Off topic: Nailer, a salon near my office had the DB Cooper sketch on the right carved into a pumpkin for Halloween. It was pretty cool.

That's awesome. Wish I could have seen that!

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 5:13 pm

Definitely put your reg in your mouth! (My air consumption was so bad I didn't want to use air at the surface in my BC or by breathing before I dropped. Silly, I know, but that was my thought process. I'd orally inflate instead of filling my BC. "Hey, the BC DOES NOT need nitrox!!")

Don't be afraid to "reef" on your suit as you bend... I think I was hesitant to put "force" into my gear to get my fins on. I think I subconsciously thought I would "hurt" it somehow. You can't. You will need to put force into bending enough to get the fins on.

Spring straps are a MUST! Go out and get some. Worth every penny.

It feels very different at first. You WILL get used to it, and get more comfortable all the time, and you will drop weight, but it will take some diving. Very worth it.... don't give up.

For the longest time putting my fins on was my buddy's job... quite frankly embarassing. Honestly, I had to fight through my ego to continue diving. I can do it now, but it is work, especially for my right leg.

**Also - check on that zipper leak. Was it operator error or is something wrong with the zipper? It won't get better if something's wrong.

Congrats on the dry suit, and good luck!

-Tom Nic

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 6:06 am

Yeh, I felt like a retard having to ask my buddy for help putting on my fins. I'll keep working on it and I'm sure that it will get easier.

As for weight, I sure hope that I can trim some weight, I have a 20# belt and usually use 20# in my BC. After purging air I was no where close to submerging without the added lbs.

I looked at a heavier belt and the price.... There goes the camera I was hoping to get from Mrs. Clause.

Nwbrewer · Post by **Nwbrewer** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:10 am

TCWestby wrote:Yeh, I felt like a retard having to ask my buddy for help putting on my fins. I'll keep working on it and I'm sure that it will get easier.

As for weight, I sure hope that I can trim some weight, I have a 20# belt and usually use 20# in my BC. After purging air I was no where close to submerging without the added lbs.

I looked at a heavier belt and the price.... There goes the camera I was hoping to get from Mrs. Clause.

My guess is as you get more comfortable some of that wight will come off. Why not try using some more modular weighting for now rather than upgradign to a bigger belt? Weights on the cam bands and such. That way you can take it off later if you don't need it. Also save you some $$$.

Nwbrewer · Post by **Nwbrewer** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:10 am

Stupid double post

Seth T. · Post by **Seth T.** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:52 am

Nailer99 wrote:You're diving with 51 pounds? Wow. Seems like a lot, I wonder if you'll be able to trim some weight as you get more experience?

Exactly what I was thinking. I've met 400lb divers that didn't dive that much weight. Did you perform a proper buoyancy check?

(i.e. Completely empty BCD at the surface and hold a full breath. You should float at eye level; exhale and you sink.)

At 51 lbs., you should sink like a millstone!

gcbryan · Post by **gcbryan** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:25 am

TCWestby wrote:Yeh, I felt like a retard having to ask my buddy for help putting on my fins. I'll keep working on it and I'm sure that it will get easier.

As for weight, I sure hope that I can trim some weight, I have a 20# belt and usually use 20# in my BC. After purging air I was no where close to submerging without the added lbs.

I looked at a heavier belt and the price.... There goes the camera I was hoping to get from Mrs. Clause.

After purging your suit on land try getting in the water up to your neck and raise your exhaust valve again letting the water pressure do the final purge. This should help take some weight off.

If you are in water to your neck you should be able to cross one leg at a time to get your fins on since the water will be taking all the weight off your body. You probably just need a little more practice.

Drysuits are worth the added effort for sure!

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:31 am

New drysuit, things very unfamiliar, feeling strange, hard to relax, not hard for me to beleive.

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:27 pm

I did purge air in the water, and I do sink pretty good with the 51lbs. I didn't have time to tewak, this Friday I will tweak it better. I guess I just need a bungie to wrap around my tank to hold the extra weight more securely.

Jabberjaw · Post by **Jabberjaw** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:42 pm

The undergarment can make a big difference. I dove a brand new right out of the box DUI 400 Thinsulate undergarment yesterday at 3 Tree. Knowing I would need more weight I added 6lbs to my belt. My old undergarment is a well used DUI 400 Thinsulate. The 6lbs was I added left me at least 4 to 5lbs light. Luckily I had a scooter to compensate for being light. Sometimes it boils down to do I want to nice and warm and carry extra weight or use a thinner undergarment and be a little cold. Just more things to think about while gearing up. I use a weight harness that makes swapping weights out pretty easy. There is no turning back to wet once you start diving dry.

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:04 pm

I don't know, Come summer I'll probabally go wet. I like being cooler but Friday was pretty sewwt. I never really noticed the cold even around my face, then again I had my mind on something else.

I did notice the warmth when I shot air into the suit though.

jeff98208 · Post by **jeff98208** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:07 pm

but why the 51lbs???? i use 34lbs i might get away with dropping 10 of those pounds now.

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:17 pm

I know I'm a little overweighted but in my wet suit I need 40lbs

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:24 pm

jeff98208 wrote:but why the 51lbs???? i use 34lbs i might get away with dropping 10 of those pounds now.

OK, let me spell it out for you! Big people need more weight to get them down! No delicate way to put it. I wore 51 lbs in my open water classes in a wet suit ](*,) I dive with about 36 now in a dry suit after 200+ dives. I'm a bit overweighted and I keep dropping weight, but everytime I switch undergarments it messes with my buoyancy.

TCWestby · Post by **TCWestby** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:52 pm

And I am 325, I'm sure that as I loose weight, and fat, I'll be able to shed some lead as well.

Friday I was way overweighted, I didn't float without air in my BC. This friday I'll zero it in.

Any suggestions on the minor leakage? the zipper looks like it hasn't been lubed in a while. Would that cause some leaking? I got some stuff at the dive shop that they reccomend and cleaned and lubed them.