Dry Suit Thoughts and Experiences?
- Thread starter edhjr
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Leaks can happen though but if you get wet on every dive you may want to see what up. I’ve seen and heard of more issues with people who don’t add enough to air to the suit which creates a low pressure in the suit. I use this as a leak test on my suit repairs (in the summer) I put on light gray under garments, weights and exhaust att of the air from the suit, drop and wait a few minutes, the light gray will show exactly where you have a leak.
Rose Robinson
Contributor
Edward,
I dive dry suit full time.
I dive with a DUI CF 200, Signature Series, custom made.
In my opinion, the biggest problem(s) with dry suit systems have to do with ''proper fit''. too small is no good and neither is too big.
Your dry suit should fit you with no wrinkles or over-bulk.
If you normally wear large as an example, an XL dry suit will be too big. large may be manufactured to accommodate 180/200 pounds, XL may be manufactured to accommodate 230/250 pounds.
If you're large and tall, requiring additional inseam, then you need a large/tall dry suit. If the shop is encouraging you to buy an XL for the additional inseam, they are doing little more than ensuring the till is being fed, and you are buying a big problem.
Further, from experience, a proper fitting dry suit system, should be no more positively buoyant than a proper fitting 7mm wet suit.
I dive with small doubles, HP steel 80's, I have two sets, I use no additional (lead) ballast. In fact, I don't own any.
I shudder, when I'm on a dive boat, and see a dry suit diver, diving monster doubles, plus wearing 40 pounds of lead, the suit full of wrinkles and over-bulk, totally unnecessary, not to mention, very dangerous, because, if, during the dive, the trapped air in the suit, finally exhausts, the diver will sink like a stone. Not so bad if you can see the bottom, but if you're on a wall dive at 150 ft. and the bottom is 16,000 feet below, you're in real trouble, real fast.
Diving with a dry suit, is an acquired skill, I know of no one who could not master it, take it slow, practice peak performance buoyancy in the shallows, preferably with support, less lead, rather than more is key.
You will master it!
The attached is an illustration from DUI as to how well a properly fitting dry suit should fit.
All the very best,
Rose.
Mike1967
Contributor
I'm not talking about leaks although they do happen, I'm talking about getting damp even with no leaks!
On a hot summer day my dry suit is always damp due to sweat while suiting up. I suit up as quickly as possible and get in without delay, but still.
If there is a delay, like last week when one of the group had an equipment issue discovered pre-dive, my suit can be quite wet! Afterwards adding Downy Fresh protect to the undergarment laundry is a must.
If there is a delay, like last week when one of the group had an equipment issue discovered pre-dive, my suit can be quite wet! Afterwards adding Downy Fresh protect to the undergarment laundry is a must.
Diving dry will give you a lot more time to your local diving season so it's worth the extra cost in my opinion. It is definitely not overwhelming more complicated or risky though it does come with a few more skills to master before you can get the hang of it.
Don't listen to people online that tell you to only dive a dry suit one way, only use it for squeeze prevention or only use it for your primary bouyency control. When you actually get into a suit and take the class with an instructor they will teach you their way to dive. Then you can evaluate what works for you and what doesn't and tweak to your liking.
Focus on what your (upcoming?) OW class and the knowledge, skills, and abilities you will be learning during the class.
Don't listen to people online that tell you to only dive a dry suit one way, only use it for squeeze prevention or only use it for your primary bouyency control. When you actually get into a suit and take the class with an instructor they will teach you their way to dive. Then you can evaluate what works for you and what doesn't and tweak to your liking.
Focus on what your (upcoming?) OW class and the knowledge, skills, and abilities you will be learning during the class.
Ulfhedinn
-Skill Collector-
I dive both.. prefer dry suit. Once you have your weight dialed in... something you should have by the end of class you will be fine.
I will say this.. one time I was diving the wrecks in San Diego and got an itch on my neck... Not really thinking I went to scratch that itch and breached the neck seal. Yep my dive buddies though it was funny but It made me from then on out think before I reacted. "I had only had a few dives on my drysuit then"
I will say this.. one time I was diving the wrecks in San Diego and got an itch on my neck... Not really thinking I went to scratch that itch and breached the neck seal. Yep my dive buddies though it was funny but It made me from then on out think before I reacted. "I had only had a few dives on my drysuit then"
One aspect is far safer than using a thick wetsuit diving -- it's a redundant source of buoyancy. A wetsuit loses buoyancy at depth with the potential that you cannot swim up in the event of a bladder/wing failure. There are certainly options to still make it back, but I don't view any of them as being as easy/safe as merely hitting the suit inflator.
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