Diving dry in the tropics

[Scott L]

That was the picture I was requesting. Way cool!

 

[scubafanatic]

OMG ! I hate it when I actually contact real H2O, thank goodness there's a solution:

 

[Darnold9999]

I know someone that does 5 dives a day, almost every day, in a dry suit in the Bahamas. He is the owner of a dive business and in the water for hours each and every day. Makes perfect sense to me.

I like to be in the water with as little gear as possible so have not yet taken my dry suit on a trip, but I can see the attraction and have seriously considered it. It would weigh less and take up less room than the wetsuits I currently take. At the moment the wear as little gear as possible and actually be in the water arguments are pursuasive, but there are times on the 5th dive of the day on the 5th day of a 5 dive a day liveboard when I really wish I had packed the Fusion.

Why does anyone care??? I don't care what the temperature is, if you are cold in the water, wear whatever keeps you warm. A dry suit is without question warmer than a wetsuit and with the Fusion at least, way easier to get in and out of and just as comfortable in the water.

 

[Diver0001]

I know the A group and their B group wannabees show up to stomp those who disagree into submission, you will forgive me I tell you to . I ain't running for class president here since you point it out. It is ridiculous to dive a dry suit in warm water. My opinion.

I'd bet you've never done it. That's far too often the way it is with people. The biggest opinions often come from people who don't have the experience to back it up.

When I go diving in Egypt in November or December, I take my drysuit. The water can be about 25-26C and if you're spending 5-6 hours a day diving, it's impossible to keep warm after a few days.

My old solution was to try a 7/5 wetsuit, but I found that barely adequate by the end of the week. Granted I get cold very easily, partly, I suppose, because I hardly move a muscle while I'm just bimbling around. The last 2 or 3 times I went to Egypt I took my drysuit, which with the light jogging suit on as an undersuit, actually feels less cumbersome and requires less amount of total weight as the wetsuit did..... and I never got cold in it.

One draw back to using a drysuit in the tropics is that if something does happen to it, like you gibble a seal or something, then you're up a creek and you'll end up diving in a a rented wetsuit, which is even worse than diving in one that fits you.

YYMV, but you'd be surprised if you hang around in some of the camps in places like Egypt, especially at the end of the year, how many divers have discovered that diving dry is more comfortable.

Who will look more ridiculous in 87 degree water and 98 degree air temps?

Your second mistake is to assume that the "tropics" are alwasy this warm. Like I said, if you dive in the Red sea at the end of the year, then you're likely to encounter water temperatures around 77F and air temperatures in the mid to high 70's during the day and in the high 50's or low 60's after about 9PM, after the last night dive.

I would agree with you about one thing, however, which is that *IF* the water gets to 87F and the air temps are near 100F *then* a drysuit is certainly overkill and present a danger of keeping the diver *too* warm, especially on the surface.

The impression I'm getting here is that you didn't know that water and air temperatures can fluctuate by quite a bit in the tropics with the seasons, just like everywhere else.... again, a big opinion without experience to back it up, perhaps?

R..

 

[Rick Murchison]

I've used a dry suit in warm water.
Don't like it at all.
But I will dive one when it's cold on the bottom and suffer the discomfort close to the surface as an acceptable trade-off for bottom comfort.
Everybody to their own kick, but if it's warm enough I dive a bathing suit, thank you.
Rick

 

[phillybob]

I can't even imagine that. I'll just consider myself lucky to be an overly warm-blooded mammal.

 

[Belmont]

Yup. And remember, the water doesn't need to be COLD in order for YOU to get cold!

I've worn my DUI 30/30 Tropical Drysuit while diving Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Bonaire, Curacao (x2), Truk, Florida (x2), Hawaii(x3), the Red Sea and elsewhere. I typically do 4-5 dives a day for a week or two when traveling. I've never ended a single one thinking "Would have been better if I was cold."

Do you get laughed at? Plenty of good-natured ribbing is thrown your way, for sure. When my buddy and I did the Town Pier in Bonaire we spent 60min in the water... while everyone else was done after 30min. On the Cayman Aggressor we exited the water after night dives, unzipped, and walked up to the bar for a beer, while everyone else huddled under blankets slurping hot cocoa - earning us both the coveted "Sissy Diver" award at the end of the week.

Did 57 dives in 17 days in Truk. Sure, the water was 83F. But on 90min wreck penetration dives - where you need full-body exposure protection down to 180' or so - 3mm is not enough, 5mm sufficient, drysuit...perfect.



Also, it is far more comfortable on the surface than a wetsuit. It's been literally years since I've experienced the "thrill" of donning a cold, clammy, wetsuit. And the Gore-tex like material that DUI uses on the 30/30 is far cooler on the surface than a wetsuit of any thickness on a hot day, even in the midday sun at the Hilma Hooker...

Thank you RJP, you answered the questions I put on a recent thread. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/exposure-suits/327815-warm-water-drysuit-dui-30-30-a.html

I might add that I was in Mexico this March and water in the caves was 77 degrees.

I used my 3mm wet suit the first day and put my dry on the following 18 dives.

I noticed a lot of cave divers using 5mm wet suits but they mostly did one dive a day only.

I did two dives a day, some with more than 120 minutes immersion.

 

[c5diver]

as a disabled diver i have trouble staying warm i was in coz the last week in march and dove dry (trilam)the entire time i was there water temp was 79 i used a long sleve rash guard and 100 gram undergarment air temp was 70 i was very comfortable. i just cant stay warm in a wetsuit. i got some funny looks not sure if it was the wheelchair or the drysuit!

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Who cares what others want to wear??? All year, I wear a drysuit at home in waters that rarely break 50F... But when I go down south, if not a shorty2mm, it is just a pair of shorts. This winter i was down south and did 23 dives in 6 days.. it was between 3 and 5 dives a day. Didn't get cold once. The water was 80-81F the entire time, top to bottom. It is a treat to be able to loose all the gear that i normally wear and get into the lazy diving! However, if you want to wear a drysuit in warm water, that is nobody's business but your own!