Has anyone tried wearing one of the new light weight breathable tropical drysuits? Are they really light weight? Are they really breathable? Are they more or less comfortable than wetsuits during that last few minutes of unbearably hot gear up just before getting wet?
While it is still rare, I have recently run into several DMs/instructors wearing the DUI 30/30 in water where I would normally wear a 3 mil wetsuit. Garrobo's post on "Diving Nude" quoted on the bottom of this page gives a very interesting perspective on why some professionals are going dry in warm water... I am looking for a recreational diver's perspective... Is a tropical drysuit worth the extra cost for a 30-50 dpy (dive per year :cool2 warm water recreational diver?
If the answer is yes, how/where can I try one without having to shell out over a grand hoping I'll like it? The only demo/rental drysuits I have found are cold water...
P
Here is Garrobo's interesting "Nude Diving" post.
Drysuit in Summer in South Florida? I thought it was a joke when I first saw it for real. At my favorite dive shop in the Upper Keys several of the instuctor/DMs wear dry or semi-dry suits. When going out four times a day, every day of the week there seems to be a problem with maintaining one's core temperature. If you live down there and the temp goes below about 75 you are getting cold. Hard to believe if you are coming down from the North. I was diving with a lady DM in February who actually was wearing 15 mm of neoprene. Looked like the Michelin Lady. The year before in January I was on a boat with a DM who was wearing a snowmobile suit to stay warm. Last month there was a couple from Orlando who were freezing their a**es off in 85 degree temp because of the wind. I mean they were shivering and their lips were blue.
While it is still rare, I have recently run into several DMs/instructors wearing the DUI 30/30 in water where I would normally wear a 3 mil wetsuit. Garrobo's post on "Diving Nude" quoted on the bottom of this page gives a very interesting perspective on why some professionals are going dry in warm water... I am looking for a recreational diver's perspective... Is a tropical drysuit worth the extra cost for a 30-50 dpy (dive per year :cool2 warm water recreational diver?
If the answer is yes, how/where can I try one without having to shell out over a grand hoping I'll like it? The only demo/rental drysuits I have found are cold water...
P
Here is Garrobo's interesting "Nude Diving" post.
Drysuit in Summer in South Florida? I thought it was a joke when I first saw it for real. At my favorite dive shop in the Upper Keys several of the instuctor/DMs wear dry or semi-dry suits. When going out four times a day, every day of the week there seems to be a problem with maintaining one's core temperature. If you live down there and the temp goes below about 75 you are getting cold. Hard to believe if you are coming down from the North. I was diving with a lady DM in February who actually was wearing 15 mm of neoprene. Looked like the Michelin Lady. The year before in January I was on a boat with a DM who was wearing a snowmobile suit to stay warm. Last month there was a couple from Orlando who were freezing their a**es off in 85 degree temp because of the wind. I mean they were shivering and their lips were blue.