Dry Suit SCUBA

HailColumbia · Post by **HailColumbia** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:59 am

Did anyone ever actually use that dry suit they show in all the promotional materials for the UAT?

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:39 am

I have never seen an official "SCUBA dry suit" used in promotions, but I have used the SCUBA equipment with the 'bubble helmet'. It is really quite amazing. (It is also super heavy and uncomfortable to wear on the surface, but it is well worth it.) There is a headset in the helmet so you can have a conversation with the people on the surface. They have an 'astronaut' air pack too, which looks awesome - I didn't use it but a guy on my team did. It replaces the usual metal SCUBA air tank.

A lot of people have used the helmet and air pack - I think they use it for an EVA during the ASA 6-hour mission.

Any-who... I'd suit up again in an instant!

spacegeekgirl · Post by **spacegeekgirl** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:16 am

hey spacecanada...I have not yet attended ASA yet...is the scuba suit dive available for this program?...I'm really interested in being a mission specialist and doing the underwater EVA. So.. did you have any problems in the suit? Was it difficult to breathe or anything? Was it fun?! Please describe your experience and what you did.

MAYTAG · Post by **MAYTAG** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:52 am

i never did it so i cant say 1st hand but everyone that i know who has ever done it has absolutely loved it

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:28 am

spacegeekgirl wrote:I'm really interested in being a mission specialist and doing the underwater EVA. So.. did you have any problems in the suit? Was it difficult to breathe or anything? Was it fun?! Please describe your experience and what you did.

Right-o... All Mission Specialists (provided they don't have diabetes, severe hypoglycemia, athsma, or a variety of other medical conditions) get to learn how to SCUBA dive in the UAT. This experience is incredible, even for certified SCUBA divers. I think the atmosphere and the activities in the tank make it so much fun.

Anyway, if the dive masters think someone is comfortable enough with the SCUBA diving, and maybe other requirements too, I don't really know, they will choose ONE MS to do a SCUBA dive during the EDM. Thus, there may or may not be a 'bubble head' SCUBA EVA while you are there. If there is, and if they choose you - hurrah - be prepared for the best underwater experience of your life!

The bubble head SCUBA is incredible! My experience wasn't the best due to a freak accident (but it was still amazing while it lasted), but everyone else who did it had a great time. I can say, from my experience, that being able to go underwater without SCUBA gear in your mouth, and being able to talk on a headset while down there is surreal. Oh, and you can wear glasses in the bubble helmet too so you can actually see - that is, if you need glasses.

Popping your ears is another fun story - you cannot pinch your nose with your fingers... so you either have to use another method or find a way to plug your nose when you need to pop your ears... funny stuff!

As for my freak accident - it was just that. It won't happen again. Everyone else on my team had a really great time with the bubble helmet. They even have an air pack that looks like an astronaut life support pack. It goes on your back instead of the usual cylindrical SCUBA tank. Very cool!

My former Space Camp counsellor said he used the bubble helmet SCUBA when he was there in high school. He said it was surreal as well.

Basically, if you get chosen to do it - you will love it, just like Maytag said. If I had the chance to do it again, I'd suit up in a heartbeat and jump in that tank so fast... Such a great time!

tennisrox014 · Post by **tennisrox014** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 5:47 pm

SCUBA was the funnest thing ever! I really wish I could have been an MS so I could've done the cool helmet thing...

It must've been so funny for my dive instructor to watch me equalize my ears, I ended up having to tug them to get them to do it, but hey it worked.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:09 pm

LOL! Whatever works.

zewnog · Post by **zewnog** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:34 am

Yeah it's definitely not a drysuit, just another of the suits used in any other EVA on the floor. The helmet is heavy but anybody who uses it has a blast. It's a very unique experience and sadly I worked so many hours I never had the time to try out the helmet. There's always a hope for this summer.

cheshire · Post by **cheshire** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:05 pm

tennisrox014 wrote:SCUBA was the funnest thing ever! I really wish I could have been an MS so I could've done the cool helmet thing...

It must've been so funny for my dive instructor to watch me equalize my ears, I ended up having to tug them to get them to do it, but hey it worked.

I one-upped you there... I ruptured my eardrum the last time I dove at camp. Needless to say, I'm not allowed to scuba dive anymore.

zewnog · Post by **zewnog** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:07 pm

Holy crap are you kidding me?

tennisrox014 · Post by **tennisrox014** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:46 pm

i would cry if that happened to me! my brother has ruptured eardrums before and it brought him to tears, I dont think I could deal with that.

I was one of only 2 in my group who made it all the way down the ladder, all the others were in a school group and they were ALWAYS in sickbay... one broke a toe, another 3 had fevers and the flu, some would go to sickbay for hangnails, i think one was on crutches for something also. they were an injured group.

ACluvR · Post by **ACluvR** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:58 pm

Awe, that scares me now. I want to sign up for the SCUBA adult one that they had... But I have already had enough injuries from camp (I tore the crap outta my ankle and had to have surgery from AC). I thought SCUBA and Space Academy would be safer. AAAH!

Space Nerd · Post by **Space Nerd** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:19 pm

If it makes you feel better thats the only incident of injury during SCUBA i've ever heard of...

cheshire · Post by **cheshire** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:28 pm

i would cry if that happened to me! my brother has ruptured eardrums before and it brought him to tears, I dont think I could deal with that.

Oh, it hurt all right! I had to go to sick bay every four hours for pain killers. I'm one of those exetremely accident prone people. My friends like to joke that it is quicker for me to list the things that I haven't broken or am not allergic to than the other way around. So of course I would be the one to rupture an eardrum at 8 ft.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:02 am

In summary: Unless you have a huge phobia of water or small spaces, you will absolutely love the SCUBA at Advanced Space Academy! The chances of something going wrong are so incredibly small. Do it; enjoy it; and be sure to post your UAT/SCUBA stories here when you return!

spacy chick · Post by **spacy chick** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:55 am

Ha I bruised mine, didn't quite get to rupturing it! I had to go to the doc after camp for it...still major pain. Jennifer, you and I had to stay in the tank the longest b/c we couldn't equalize...it was funny in a painful way.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:14 am

spacy chick wrote:Jennifer, you and I had to stay in the tank the longest b/c we couldn't equalize...

Who, me? I had one of the shortest bubble helmet dives on record, and it wasn't because of my ears. Although, I did have a fun time popping my ears in that bubble helmet. I still dream of having a long bubble helmet dive, one where I get to actually do fun stuff at the bottom of the tank...

I have a hole in my eardrum from a bad ear infection way back. It hasn't fully healed yet; apparently it can take years to heal. I still went SCUBA diving at Space Camp though. I normally have to wear an ear plug in the water, but I didn't for the SCUBA dive and I was fine.

spacy chick · Post by **spacy chick** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:10 pm

sorry...Jennifer (cheshire)...we've gone to camp together a few times. And i'be torn mine too. Only mine was at the pool practicing lifeguard saves. That was sooo painful.

cheshire · Post by **cheshire** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:16 pm

I guess we all have crappy ears!
I think I'm going to try to go diving again this summer, except not at camp. It's so sad; this is the first summer in five years that I won't be attending space camp.