immersions suits?
Is it a poor assumption that most offshore bods would be using at least the tri-laminate immersion suits for their crew?
Basically a dry-suit, a bubble per se, so one could float without being concerned of keeping one's head above the waves/drowning, in light to moderate seas, even without the assistance of a life (buoyancy) vest.
these dry-suits, which when donned, the majority of the air can be expelled, but it's not until you are actually in the water that you will realise just how much air is still left in the suit, so whilst you get the ankle squeeze inherent with such dry suits, you also get the michellin-man upper torso as all the air bubbles to the uppermost area.
depending which way you look at it this can make it easier or more difficult to swim
easier in that you wont drown, you'll at least float, but more difficult to actuall propell yourself through the water, my personal least pleasant activity in a dry suit when diving was the surface swim to the descent point, you are a flailing mess within a bubble, not so bad with fins, but with just your arms & legs to work with, you'll get very exhausted, very quickly.
having been on the surface of very rough seas in a dry suit trying to get to a boat, whilst dragging nothing but my sorry self, but on occassion the odd disillusioned dive-student, I personally would be more concerned with including a decent set of fins in my ditch kit (this is understandably probably not a luxury afforded to aircrew, but)
I've never seen a para-resuce diver enter the drink without them, & they are not too disimilar once they hit the water; in that they have exited an aircraft into the drink & are attempting to reach persons or equipment (life-raft) in the water, when battling wind, current, wave & fatigue, you have a very short life expectancy without hindering yourself further with limited physical capability.
Last edited by gadgetguru; 19th Sep 2005 at 05:33.