Drysuit or NOT

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Kyaquaman

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I have only 15 dives and I want to dive more but in kentucky the water is pretty cold after first October to mid may or so. So I go ahead and invest in a drysuit? If so is there one for a beginner that anyone would recommed. Thank you and Merry Christmas to all.

Kyaquaman
 
Short answer: Yes

Long answer: A properly fitting dry suit with the appropriate under garments and the right training will make you much more comfortable in cold water and keep you diving through the winter. Dry suits are warmer and more versatile than a wet or semi-dry because you can change your under garments to the conditions. If you have a long surface interval or dive on consecutive days you won't have to climb into a wet wet suit. A well fitting dry suit is less restrictive than a wetsuit. In fact, contrary to popular belief (and there is good quality evidence for this) drysuits require less energy to propel than an equivalently warmth wet suit.

As for which one to go for the answer is the one that a) you can afford, b) fits you well, c) is made from membrane or compressed/crushed neoprene, d) you like (if you don't like it you won't wear it). Beyond that there are no sets and the best thing to do is ask the divers around you what features you need for the diving in your area. At least one hip pocket and knee/elbow/bum reinforcements are a good start.

Rupert
 
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For the waters around this region, I would certainly recommend it, especially if you want to dive year round. Except for a 3mm wetsuit, I have no other wetsuits; if it is too cold for that, then I will wear my drysuit. Mine is a Tri- laminate (membrane) style. There is no inherent insulation in it, so I wear a variety of undergarments underneath, from just some thicker Under Armor, to some 150 gm undies I dive in cool waters & the FL caves, to 650 gm undies for the coldest waters. As was mentioned above, fit is very important. I've had 3 drysuits so far (I'm a bit short & "well insulated"). The first one was a stock size & was very long, but barely fit me width- wise. I was not able use it for very long because of that & had to sell it. The second suit was a custom & fit perfectly! I love it. I still have it & use it as a back- up suit. The only minus is the sleeves, though cut for me didn't leave me much room to be able to reach back to manipulate my doubles valves, making that difficult. I had the new suit (in my avatar), cut just a tiny bit larger in the arms & it works beautifully! I use the DUI TLS 350's. There are many other brands, also. Try to get with some dive shops who deal in drysuits & see if you can at least try them on (even better if you can try them in the water). If you're not in a hurry to get a suit, you might even consider making a manufacturer's Demo. I know that DUI & White's have "rolling demos' that travel all over letting people try their products. If you do decide to get a drysuit, I would certainly recommend that you take a drysuit course for safety because it is another air space to have to deal with & manage. It takes some getting used to. If not a course, then at a minimum get with someone with some decent experience in a drysuit to mentor you a bit. Here's some of the pro's & con's I found with different drysuits:

Tri- laminate: Pro's- lightweight, less expensive, dries quickly, generally neutrally buoyant (buoyancy is more dependant on undergarments worn).
Cons- No inherent insulation of its own, not quite a durable as other types of drysuits.
Crushed neoprene: Pro's- some more insulation than the tri- laminate (thus less to wear underneath), somewhat more flexible, The most durable durable .
Cons- The most expensive type of drysuit, some positive buoyancy (more weight), Slower to dry out.
Neoprene: Pro's- More durable than tri- laminate, Less expensive than the crushed neoprene, The most inherent insulation (even less undergarments to wear), If flooded, basically just becomes a wetsuit, the most flexible.
Cons- The most buoyant of all the drysuit types (lots more weight), can take a long time to dry out, more expensive than a tri- laminate, but less than a crushed neoprene, rather heavy weight.

It's a big investment, so weigh your options carefully. For a new suit, you can expect to pay roughly $1000 on up to more than $3000,...... slightly less for a used one (depending on type, manufacturer & condition). Hope this helps.
 
good post, tammy!
 
I just started diving dry this year, and it's the best thing I've added to my dive bag. If your water is anything like it is here, Warm water = mid 60's and cold down to low 30's, diving dry is the ONLY way to go.
 
I'm curious what makes crushed neoprene suits "more durable" than trilaminate suits.

Are they more resistant to puncture? More resistant to seams pulling apart? More resistant to damage from abrasion?

Thanks!
 
I agree with you that dry is nice. Here comes the "but", My son recently started diving as a jr. open wtr, and my buddy. Since he's dove hawaii in winter, alaska and upcoming in monterey this december, we experience varying temperatures. He's only 4'8" and about 100 lbs. I have been able to find a great instructor to give him his drysuit class in Whittier or seward, Ak. All he needs is to find a drysuit that (a) will fit properly
(b) is rentable

We have spent some time looking around our local shops with no luck. In the mean time were planning pt lobos in late december with 7mm's boots,gloves and hood.
We can use the wetsuits around alaska for sit on top kayak fishing in summer. Also have an 8 year old who can use it while he grows into his first drysuit. It doesn't seem ethical for me, the dad, to dive dry; and make Austin (10) tough out the 50 degree conditions. At least i'll know that if i'm cold, it's way past time to end the dive. Austin is a very strong kid and strong ocean swimmer. When the kids are all large enough I'm looking forward to logging some drysuit dives with them. I'm not brave enough to challenge 35 deg. Prince William Sound in any config of wetsuits right now for any scuba. Recently meet some older divers in Juneau who said the preferred to layer a 7mm full suit and a shorty. sounds like a weighty adventure. Right now were both looking forward to some "warm" California water and a seasonally diminishing kelp forest to explore!
 
why must one have / do for a Drysuit an education?
We here in or by Lake of Constance, dive a 3 mms Chrash neoprene with 100-200 gr. undies! with approx. 5°C water temperature (41°F).this so 65 - 70 min.
Why a Speial education? let show a few times it, from one it can with it to dive!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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