When should you inflate your dry suit during a dive?

Inflating your dry suit as you descend is a crucial practice to prevent suit squeeze, which can occur when ambient pressure increases with depth. A properly inflated suit allows the diver to maintain an appropriate volume inside the suit, ensuring that it conforms to the diver’s body without compressing excessively. This adjustment helps to provide comfort and maintain buoyancy throughout the descent.

If a diver does not inflate the suit as they descend, the increase in water pressure can compress the air inside the suit, leading to discomfort, restricted movement, and in some cases, injury. By actively managing the suit's inflation during the descent, divers can enjoy a more controlled and comfortable experience, making it essential to practice this skill during dives.

Other scenarios, such as inflating the suit only at the surface or during the safety stop, do not address the need to balance the external water pressure as the diver descends. Careful management of buoyancy and body mechanics throughout the dive, beginning with the descent, is critical for safe and enjoyable diving.