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billt4sf
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How many dives did folks do in COLD water with a DRYSUIT before it typically felt like fun?
Cold water diving is a PITA
- Thread starter billt4sf
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Others stated similar reactions.
How many dives did folks do in COLD water with a DRYSUIT before it typically felt like fun?
Jak Crow
Contributor
When I did my drysuit training, the rental drysuit was too tight and the undergarment wasn't warm enough. A rental drysuit isn't going to provide the best experience, just like the occasional rental wetsuit. It would probably be best to look into getting your own and sized to your liking. If you don't want to invest in such an expensive suit, you would probably be served best by a good cold water wetsuit, many of which can easily be found for under $4-500, and often less. I have a Mares semi-dry that is great for this area, even when the water is 48f. I picked it up for $250 at the time. Even a Mares 8mm suit served me well here.
3D diver
Contributor
You got training?!?!?! Back in '89 I negotiated a pool session that consisted of 'go to the deep end, get inverted, and figure out what to do about it'.
A diver I knew with the same Viking kinda took me under wing. Getting the bouyancy under control took a while & my original undies were never as warm as I expected. I was surprised how warm my new undergarments were when I got them last year. (and by the extra 4-5lbs that warmth required on my weight belt!)
A diver I knew with the same Viking kinda took me under wing. Getting the bouyancy under control took a while & my original undies were never as warm as I expected. I was surprised how warm my new undergarments were when I got them last year. (and by the extra 4-5lbs that warmth required on my weight belt!)
bperc
Contributor
My first dive trip in a dry suit was at Pt Lobos and it was A LOT of fun. My second dive trip was on the Peace Boat to Anacapa. We made 4 good dives that day. My third dive trip was at Pt Lobos. The first dive of the day was great. The second dive was good, but the exit was very difficult. The tide was out and there were some bigger swells coming in. It took me a long time to get my fins off and crawl up the ramp and stand up. The rest of my trips have all been on boats to the Channel Islands and a lot of fun.
All of my first 100 dives or so were a PITA, because I got very bad initial training and had no talent at all. Buoyancy was an abstract concept, and especially after I met NW Grateful Diver, I knew how much better I COULD be, if I could only be it 
But I could tell that diving was wonderful . . . I loved the things I saw, and the moments where it all came together and I knew what it was to be relaxed and stable in the water.
Thank GOODNESS most people don't have a learning curve as flat as mine was -- Between being horrible at diving, and being little and fairly weak and finding all the gear and weight nearly unmanageable, I think a lot of folks would have quit. I'm so glad I didn't. I stuck with it, and several years later, I got the chance to go dive Monterey and have my mind blown. I go back every chance I get.
But I could tell that diving was wonderful . . . I loved the things I saw, and the moments where it all came together and I knew what it was to be relaxed and stable in the water. Thank GOODNESS most people don't have a learning curve as flat as mine was -- Between being horrible at diving, and being little and fairly weak and finding all the gear and weight nearly unmanageable, I think a lot of folks would have quit. I'm so glad I didn't. I stuck with it, and several years later, I got the chance to go dive Monterey and have my mind blown. I go back every chance I get.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I may not have been clear. I had ~350 wetsuit dives (80% cold water) before I bought my dry suit. The dry suit is what I had a tough time with (compared to some), not cold water diving. I had already fallen madly in love with all forms of diving before I tackled the dry suit. Now I love all forms of diving again
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altaskier
Contributor
Hey billt4sf - you're getting lots of advice and encouragement. I'll take a dive in Palau over Monterey, but I still like Monterey a lot especially in the kelp and with sea lions.
I find boat dives in Monterey to be a bit easier logistically, though when I was still diving wet it was pretty cold in between dives and during the second dive... However, I still prefer shore dives at Pt. Lobos f I can find a partner (I live in Chicago but find myself in the Bay Area every two months or so).
Regarding dry suits, here in Chicagoland we have quarries which are great places for skills practice so for me a couple of Saturday morning trips got me dialed in with the drysuit. Having said that, my third dive in a drysuit (the first two were in a quarry as part of my drysuit certification class) was to a 100 foot deep wreck far from shore in Lake Michigan... In hindsight that was perhaps pushing my luck a bit, though it happened to work out fine.
I find boat dives in Monterey to be a bit easier logistically, though when I was still diving wet it was pretty cold in between dives and during the second dive... However, I still prefer shore dives at Pt. Lobos f I can find a partner (I live in Chicago but find myself in the Bay Area every two months or so).
Regarding dry suits, here in Chicagoland we have quarries which are great places for skills practice so for me a couple of Saturday morning trips got me dialed in with the drysuit. Having said that, my third dive in a drysuit (the first two were in a quarry as part of my drysuit certification class) was to a 100 foot deep wreck far from shore in Lake Michigan... In hindsight that was perhaps pushing my luck a bit, though it happened to work out fine.
tac747
Contributor
First off let me say I am sorry you had such a bad time.
Which day were you there? I was there both the 2nd & 3rd, did 3 dives on Saturday including a night dive and had a blast even though vis was 6-7 feet and water temp was a comfortable 50 degrees (according to my computer) but , I dont deal with dry suits. Most of the people I go with dive dry and I have seen the hassles they go thru. I dont see the need yet as Luckily I have yet to get cold in monterey in my 7mm 1 piece.
All I can say is get together with some people who have experience with cold water and monterey. There are tricks and tips they can pass on that would take a long time to learn on your own. I was surprised to read you had trouble with the surf as I don't remember anything more than a foot or 2 surf. I hope you continue to give it a try. We will be back down on the 16th & 17th. Hope to see you there...
Did you see the otters playing on the float tubes?
Which day were you there? I was there both the 2nd & 3rd, did 3 dives on Saturday including a night dive and had a blast even though vis was 6-7 feet and water temp was a comfortable 50 degrees (according to my computer) but , I dont deal with dry suits. Most of the people I go with dive dry and I have seen the hassles they go thru. I dont see the need yet as Luckily I have yet to get cold in monterey in my 7mm 1 piece.
All I can say is get together with some people who have experience with cold water and monterey. There are tricks and tips they can pass on that would take a long time to learn on your own. I was surprised to read you had trouble with the surf as I don't remember anything more than a foot or 2 surf. I hope you continue to give it a try. We will be back down on the 16th & 17th. Hope to see you there...
Did you see the otters playing on the float tubes?
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Hi Bill:
Honestly, I don't know some have a poor experience when they begin using their dry-suits. We all know that dry-suits require active management and there are certain positions that must never be performed (head down - feet first. Too bad cause I could hover for days without moving an inch in that position). I did take a dry-suit course to familiarize myself with the operations of a drysuit. I found it an invaluable tool. However, it never made me proficient with its use.
On each subsequent dives, I practiced certain skills and honed its use. I was fully aware that this would take some time and it would not be as easy as using a wetsuit. It's not to say that I haven't had any issues with my drysuit, but it certainly has not diminished the enjoyment of diving. On the contrary, it has allowed me to extend my bottom time and has allowed me to perform multiple dives on the same day. This was something I simply could not do with a wetsuit, since I was so cold.
As with everything in life, there's a learning curve. Certainly don't beat yourself over it. Examine the situation, implement changes to fix the issue and continue enjoying the dive.
I respectfully differ . . . there is no position you cannot assume in a dry suit, if you think through the buoyancy issues it poses. When we are diving in caves, we have to assume the positions the cave enforces upon us, and sometimes that's straight head down. In addition, I have a diving friend who just enjoys "unusual attitudes", and when I was struggling with my buoyancy, we spent an entire dive at Edmonds standing on our heads, with me trying to learn how to go from horizontal to vertical and swim that way, without losing buoyancy control.
Here's Uncle Pug, inspecting an anemone:
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