The Dry Suit Course
If we want to dive near home, then we must know how to dive in a dry suit. Its far too cold to go into the North Sea or the Irish Sea without lots of protection from exposure. Perhaps you can get away with going into the Irish Sea in August or September in a 5mm long suit if its a short dive. I'm sure there are hardy folks who will tell tales of daring do about how they dived in Oban with just their underwear, but I'm not one of those. I am, for the most part, a warm water diver who is very interested in finding out what is out there in our own coast line.
I signed up for a dry suit course that started on Sunday the 5th of February. I had my knowledge review (test) and pool session where the skills were reviewed.
Did you ever stick a plastic bag over your hand and then put your hand in the dishwater? Wearing a dry suit is like that on a larger scale. You get all this crushed neoprene and vulcanised rubber squished against you. Until you get a little air put in there, it can get a bit uncomfortable. Wearing a dry suit has different bouyancy charecteristics than wearing a wet suit and BCD (bouyancy control device or air filled vest).
One of the skills that had to be mastered in the pool was a bit where they fill your legs with air and you have to get the air to the exhaust vent in your shoulder. This involves lots of tipping and squirming. I didn't get it right the first couple of times. I asked for a break so that I could practice. After a few minutes of practicing how to maneuver, I started to figure things out. In the end, I managed just fine. Its just a matter of chasing the air around your dry suit to a place where you have a vent and it can go out and on its merry way.
After the first leg of the course I was perfectly placed for some of the best fish and chips in the UK. There is a chippy right across the road from the dive centre. Good thing because I was hungry! I defy anyone who has just finished diving or swimming for that matter to resist them. Nowt like fish and chips covered in salt and vinegar when you're really hungry.
Next week we are doing the open water dives that are a requirement of the course. There are two places we can go. If the weather is calm, we'll be going to St Abbs in Southeastern Scotland along the North Sea coast. If it's a bit too choppy for the open sea, we'll be going to Capernwray in Lancashire. Capernwray is an old disused quarry that has been converted into a dive centre. Pray for calm seas!
I signed up for a dry suit course that started on Sunday the 5th of February. I had my knowledge review (test) and pool session where the skills were reviewed.
Did you ever stick a plastic bag over your hand and then put your hand in the dishwater? Wearing a dry suit is like that on a larger scale. You get all this crushed neoprene and vulcanised rubber squished against you. Until you get a little air put in there, it can get a bit uncomfortable. Wearing a dry suit has different bouyancy charecteristics than wearing a wet suit and BCD (bouyancy control device or air filled vest).
One of the skills that had to be mastered in the pool was a bit where they fill your legs with air and you have to get the air to the exhaust vent in your shoulder. This involves lots of tipping and squirming. I didn't get it right the first couple of times. I asked for a break so that I could practice. After a few minutes of practicing how to maneuver, I started to figure things out. In the end, I managed just fine. Its just a matter of chasing the air around your dry suit to a place where you have a vent and it can go out and on its merry way.
After the first leg of the course I was perfectly placed for some of the best fish and chips in the UK. There is a chippy right across the road from the dive centre. Good thing because I was hungry! I defy anyone who has just finished diving or swimming for that matter to resist them. Nowt like fish and chips covered in salt and vinegar when you're really hungry.
Next week we are doing the open water dives that are a requirement of the course. There are two places we can go. If the weather is calm, we'll be going to St Abbs in Southeastern Scotland along the North Sea coast. If it's a bit too choppy for the open sea, we'll be going to Capernwray in Lancashire. Capernwray is an old disused quarry that has been converted into a dive centre. Pray for calm seas!
posted by Peggy @ 11:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home