AZ Drysuit ??????

[Charles R]

Ok Question for the Arizona Dry divers where would you recommend for me to buy a dry suit?

 

[AzAtty]

How much do you want to spend?

 

[divebri]

I bought mine from an LDS locally and found out later it's a PIA to get seals done for it. The final manufacturer (USIA) doesn't install seals for customers- you have to go through an LDS, and put up with their lack of speed in sending it there, plus the inherent mark-up just so USIA can help out the dealers. What a load of cr*p, I'lm regretting it every time i see that suit. They make a bunch under different names, and I wouldn't buy another one just because of their policy. I'm not happy with my LDS in the first place not following up and paying attention, then I got absolutely FORCED by USIA to use them. I'm learning how to replace seals and where to get them as I type this.

DUI seems to be the rig of choice in CA, and it works well, not to mention the zipper seals which (trust me, I lost some dives to a blown seal) make a blown seal a minor inconvenience.

Go to a DUI demo days - grind them on the price - you should get a good deal.

And forget about worrying about a drysuit class. Find someone with one and they can show you all about it. It's not that big a deal - use the suit for bouyancy under the surface, and the BC ON the surface. Other than that, basic maintenance and care is most important.

PM me if you need help. I don't want you stuck paying an LDS markup for the rest of your life just to get new seals.

 

[AZTEK DIVER]

Lots of great drysuits out there, look for one that's made to do the type of diving you're going to use it for, one that fits you well, and one that's in your price range. In the case of the USIA from the above poster, don't worry about having to go through an LDS if you don't want to, you can send any suit to Superior Drysuit Repair, or Gambles in Fl and they will do a great job of seal replacement or alterations.

 

[shark.byte.usa]

And forget about worrying about a drysuit class. Find someone with one and they can show you all about it. It's not that big a deal - use the suit for bouyancy under the surface, and the BC ON the surface. Other than that, basic maintenance and care is most important.

I agree a good mentor maybe be better than a class, but something to keep in mind is that if you need/want to rent a drysuit, sometime in the future, they may require the specialty card, for instance sports chalet in SoCal requires it.

If you want to look online check out divetank.com, they have a good rep and great prices (DUI & BARE), they also have a form you can send all your measurements and they'll recommend what size and have a fit guarantee (they pay shipping if you need a different size).

-Garrett

 

[DiveTankCS]

Ok Question for the Arizona Dry divers where would you recommend for me to buy a dry suit?

Hi Charles R, give us a call at 1 877 89 SCUBA when you are ready. Divetank.com will take care of your needs!
p.s. Thanks for the kind words, Garrett!

 

[Dive-aholic]

Or you can look here in the classifieds and on ebay. My wife and I have 2 dry suits each, all bought through ebay or Internet board classifieds. They're great suits. You just need to be patient and keep looking. It took us about 4 months of watching ebay before we bought our first suit. The last suit I bought was just lucky timing. I replace my own seals, so I don't worry about the turn around. In fact, I just replaced all the seals on my latest acquisition last night.