Question from Andrew McClish: Hey Mark. The family is taking a 7 day trip to a tropic location(humid). We are using 3mm wetsuits and will be diving 5 days. What are your suggestions so we are not having to put on a wet wetsuit every morning? Thanks for the help.
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Alternatively, maybe a (thin membrane) dry suit? It would probably be uncomfortable on the surface but it guarantees that you’ll be dry for the entire trip.
Pointless trying to dry stuff outside in a humid environment; more effective in an air conditioned environment. If diving in the tropics why not just use a rash vest and board shorts or tec shorts? A lot less bulk to carry around and an easier drying solution.
Many people get cold even in the tropics when doing multiple dives a day in shorts and a rash vest. I personally get cold even in a 3mm so I wear either a 5mm or a drysuit. Depends very much on the person. As I become older I get cold more quickly. I’m also a much better diver now than 10 years ago so I move far less in the water which means I generate less heat.
If my cabin/room has aircon, hang them inside out, in front of an air-con condenser outside the cabin, the warm air from it will dry it quick. Alternatively I hang them under the aircon unit in the room, the cool dry air from it can dry wet clothing pretty quick.
you can also roll it up in a towel to get the excess water out first before hanging it up. most resorts have towels you can use for beach chairs
In Sharm el Sheikh where diving is usual from day boats and the rented equipment is handled by dive centers, nobody bothers to take suits out of crates and dry them. So I was dragging my equipment with me back to the hotel where I washed it and hanged to dry. The climate is arid so it is dry and a 3mm suits dries overnight completely even in March when it is not the hottest. If you’re flying you won’t be diving the last day (if you want to avoid funny stuff with dissolved gases in your blood) so there is enough time to wash and dry the equipment for travel.
#askmark why are you not still an instructor?
For me, it came down to a limited progression ladder, repetitive schedule, the chance of something going wrong and of course money…
Where I was teaching there wasn’t a huge amount of variety of diving unless you travel far and there was no benefit to just climbing up through the ranks. While most weeks were different, it was the same schedule of teaching courses and selling gear and I didn’t see an end to that and a career that I could retire comfortably from.
Then there comes a point where no matter how careful and diligent you are something might happen to a student and you have to justify everything that you did and didn’t do.
That being said, if I hadn’t got the job at Simply Scuba and had moved to another country I’d probably be teaching today.
That makes perfect sense. Thank you for the explanation
#askmark diving with a twin bladder wing, should both inflators be attached? Diving in a semi dry.
Thanks
Yes, if you’re diving a redundant bladder wing you’ll have two inflators that should, _in a perfect world_ , be connected to two different 1st stages.
The whole reason is so that _in the unlikely event_ that your main inflator or 1st stage fails, you still have a 2nd to control your buoyancy. If the 2nd inflator is disconnected then you can only orally inflate. So I’d run a 2nd LPI hose to the 2nd inflator that you can use in an emergency.
#askmark Why are you no longer an active dive instructor at a dive center? what were your reasons? What do you miss the most?
I do miss teaching. I miss the interaction with students and helping them learn new skills and problem solving. I still find myself teaching in a non-official capacity when I’m on dive sites, it’s a hard trait to turn off.
For me, it came down to a limited progression ladder, repetitive schedule, the chance of something going wrong and of course money…
Where I was teaching there wasn’t a huge amount of variety of diving unless you travel far and there was no benefit to just climbing up through the ranks. While most weeks were different, it was the same schedule of teaching courses and selling gear and I didn’t see and end to that and a career that I could retire comfortably from.
Then there comes a point where no matter how careful and diligent you are something might happen to a student and you have to justify everything that you did and didn’t do.
That being said, if I hadn’t got the job at Simply Scuba and had moved to another country I’d probably be teaching today.
Thank you. Very interesting. Good thoughts.
#askmark
Similar questions along these lines. Going on a liveaboard trip to Indonesia. On my last liveaboard trip it was miserable to put on a wet wetsuit every few hours as it never seemed to get dry (was hanging inside out).
When it comes to tropical locations do you find merit in considering taking a drysuit or multiple wetsuits? Or do you think using multiple dive skins (so there is always a dry one) and 1 wetsuit to make getting ready less miserable?
I tend to only bring a drysuit when I expect to be cold in the water. It’s not a huge amount of extra equipment and you do have a 2nd buoyancy option. But personally I just get into the soggy wetsuit.
Climbing in for dive two is just one of those things we just have to do as divers and it only lasts a few seconds really.
An extra rash vest will help a bit. I prefer the thicker Nylon/Spandex rash vests like the Scubapro T-Flex
I left a comment above that I have taken two suits with me on occasions. I have one good quality suit and one el cheapo one. Id rather get into a dry cheap suit, than a wet good one😂.
#ASKMARK I’m considering buying new fins in (say) yellow for visibility. What are your thoughts on the buoyancy and manoeuvrability aspects of the ‘Seawing Nova’ fin from Scubapro or can you suggest another brand with colour options?
The SeaWing Nova Fins are a great pair of fins. For colour choices you also have the Mares Avanti Quattro, Apeks RK3, TUSA fins are also very colourful.
The SeaWing Nova are a popular choice and do have great power with minimal effort and you still have fine control in the water. Just remember to double check which generation you’re purchasing. Some 2nd hand fins might be older design hinges.
@Scuba Diver Magazine thanks Mark for the feedback on the seawing nova fins and other brand to check out. Your recommendation regarding checking out the model/generation is meaningful an pricekess😎🇦🇺🤿👍
I’ve been known to take two wetsuits with me😂. Putting a wet wetsuit on is not my idea of a good time.
#AskMark Hey! I have a problem with my drysuit wrist seals. They were pretty worn, so I got new ones and cut the old ones off, but when I wanted to glue the new ones on, I realized that my suit’s wrist circumference is much bigger than the seal. I streched it over the suit and glued it on, but it looks ugly and I’m not sure how long its gonna last as the seal is so strched out and the suit so compressed, it looks like the seal is gonna jump down any second. Also, I can’t put on my drygloves now as the suit is so crumpled it wont’t fit. Is there any solution for this? Are there any seals with bigger diameters on the suit side, or should I glue in a middle piece somehow?