gjm:
I’m looking for some advice on getting a Dry suit. All of my diving experience so far has been in tropical or pretty warm waters. That being said I dive a 3mm farmer john and tend to get very cold after about 45 minutes. Most of my diving is either deep decompression, or long shallow dives.
I’m looking at getting a shell suit and I’m wondering what brands and models are good (price range is probably 1500 – 2000)
Is a custom/cave cut suit worth it (build is 5’11” 170 lbs)
Is the dry suit training worth it or is it best to DIY.
I’m going to be in San Diego in mid spring and I was wondering if any one could recommend a good shop for both purchase and training.(not many stores carry dry suits in hawaii)
Thanks for the help.
john
The usual suspects all make trilam suits. So do companies like Bare, Otter, Typhoon, Northern diver, DUI and a raft of others. Basically I'd say that there are no "bad" suits on teh market. They just have different features. The most important thing is to get one that fits well. Fit is very important in a trilam suit because they don't give or stretch at all.
Bare suits are quite common here and are good value for money. They have a lot of off the shelf sizes so you stand a good chance of finding one that fits you. Their ring system makes changing a blown wrist seal a 5 minute operation and they're ideal for attaching drygloves
DUI suits are about 4 times more expensive than everyone elses (at least where I live) but people that have them seem to like them, especially for the fit. In Holland A DUI undergarment is almost as expensive as an entry level Bare drysuit. Their shoes are an interesting feature. Their dryglove system doesn't use rings and look semi-permanently attached. If you want drygloves you'll have to take a good look at the inner wrist seal. It could be a b8tch to get on/off if you're not lucky.
Typhoon got a bad name when they made a vulcanized rubber suit that got the nick-name the "teabag" but they make good suits even if the bad reputation haunts them. Their tek suit has a nice self-donning system.
I think Otter is a British company too. Their technical suits are good and fitted with huge cargo pockets. They have a sort of "means business" look to them. I like them.
The Ndiver trilam suits also have a good reputation around here. I think they're good suits for the rec diver but they've gone for the fashion-look and the off-the-rack ones I've seen lack decent pockets.
There are literally dozens of companies that make drysuits. Maybe this list will help you get started gathering info.
One last point. Training, in some form, is necessary. You don't need a specialty but you need to get someone experienced in drysuit diving to show you the ropes.
R..
