Flooding a drysuit

[cummings66]

Did anybody have to actually flood a drysuit during the drysuit course? I mean flood as in water up past the knees type flood, crotch level type flood.


My drysuit cert didn't require that much, yet a tech instructor I'm working with says we're going to do that in the water during the deco stop, in the Winter. He claims it is a skill that should have been done.


Is it?

[Jason]

I cannot see why an instructor would require to do such a thing. The only purpose of flooding a drysuit during a training would to be how to demonstrate emergency buoyancy control ie. valve stuck or inflater stuck, or out of control rising fast to surface.

I would be curious as to why.

[Wolfie2012]

Hm, flooding a drysuit on purpose in winter temperatures seems like a gamble thats not worth the risk in a training-type situation.

[Jeff]

When I teach Dry Suit, I have the students simulate a Feet First Out of Control Ascent, the recovery of which results in a flooded dry suit.

This is done in a pool. I load an old milk crate with a ton of weight, have the student invert by holding on to the crate, and then add air to their suit to make them positively bouyant.

The skill is to recover by flipping themselves to a proper vertical position, then breaking the neck seal to release the air. This indeed floods the suit. The goal would be to do this and recover from the bouyant situation without breaking the surface of the water.

When I take them to open water to complete the course, I have them practice the roll and fake breaking the neck seal, but do not have them actually flood it in open water. IMO the cold lake temperatures are not a risk worth taking, that's what the pool is for...

Just my 2 psi's worth...

[jdarnall2001]

When I took the course we didn't have to flood our suits... but where we were diving, we NEEDED the dry suits. It was around 42 degrees, so flooding the suits would have meant going to the surface soon.

[cummings66]

Well, the temps here at that time of year would be cool, 42 might be on the warmer side.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have never had to flood a drysuit more than the amount you get when you burp a seal to stop the ascent and thought maybe I had been neglected a bit. I don't disagree with him though in that it might be beneficial to flood it to experience the cold and see your reaction to it.It's done under a dive that even though you're doing a deco stop it's not really required so you could ascend if you needed to get out. I am sure I wouldn't freak out, but I'm equally certain that I would get very cold. I'm not sure how I could do it without risking hypothermia however, in fact it seems almost certain I'd experience it and that's not safe nor something to be encouraged.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I just thought it odd that he seemed to think a large amount of water in the suit was normal for a drysuit course because nobody I've dove with has done that and so far it seems the followups here feel the same, odd and a bit dangerous to boot.</DIV>

[bobbin-along]

While I have flooded my drysuit by choice in 48F water, it was not a happy experience for the initial shock. The merino wool lining did warm up quickly however and I finished the dive absolutely soaked with water pouring out of the suit and pretty warm.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Looking back, I do recall that we did practice the flooded suit when we teach the class but only in a pool setting, not in Puget Sound waters.</DIV>

[Dive-aholic]

I don't see the point in practicing that "skill". Reach up, pull the neck seal out, water enters. The initial shock of cold water will get you, but at least you'll be alive (which is the reason you should be flooding the suit in the first place - to stay alive).
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I've almost accidently flooded my dry suit because I wanted to readjust my neck seal... </DIV>

[cummings66]

I don't think it's practice so much as to see how I would handle it. I know I'd be fine because I've dove flooded DUI suits at least 5 different times at the rallys in cold water. My Viking Thinsulate undergarment did seem to warm up again, so much so I forgot the suit was flooded. That was in 50 degree water but this of course would be much colder with the initial shock.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have flooded the dryhood in 36 degree water and it was not fun at all, worst dive I've done to date but I did not head to the surface either, I fixed the problem (part of the liner didnt get tucked and I missed it as did my buddy) under water.</DIV>

[CompuDude]

I suppose it makes sense to try it as a skills practice during tech training, but it seems overkill for any recreational diving purposes, and I certainly wasn't asked to do that (either in the warm pool or the 50 degree ocean) during my drysuit cert class.