I'm planning to do a dive at Silfra at some point in the future but they require a dry suit certification. I know you can learn in Iceland itself but it's expensive. I also forsee myself using a dry suit only 6 times in my life so purchasing one is not worth the maintenance costs. Any recomendations on dive centers that teach it AND also provide/rent full equipment including the dry suit? Would prefer Europe, Asia, Australia due to flight distance. North and South America is a bit too far.
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Sebs
Contributor
Can you be more specific with location? In central Europe you'll be hard pressed to NOT find a place where you can rent a suit and do the course.
I'm doing the course right now in Switzerland. Everything rented.
I'm doing the course right now in Switzerland. Everything rented.
Sebs
Contributor
True, but OP might be more inclined to go to one place over another (cost, family etc). I think Europe will be the best bet though. Although there is drysuit diving in Australia, it's not as easy to rent a drysuit from what I remember.
For my next trips I have cairns, port douglas, melbourne, sydney coming up. I am now planning one to paris and thinking of adding on Belgium or Luxembourg or Switzerland to it.
However, I'm not in any hurry to do this so generally any country in europe, asia, australia is fine but nearer to the main tourist cities or not too far off for travel convenience. I'm asking for future trips as well so I'm not restricted to the places I mentioned above.
The important points are that the dive center that teaches the course also rents/provides the equipment in the same place. Again for convenience so I don't have to transport equipment from the rental place to the dive center.
Also another reason why I do not want to do it in iceland a day before silfra is because it may not be a good idea for me to do 2 consecutive days of ice cold diving if I've never done it before. That will be a backup option should I not find another way.
drakcheslav
Contributor
As far as I know, you don't do the certificate in ice water. You do it in a pool or a confined water.
If you're going to Belgium, I think you can do you cert at Nemo33 pool. But I don't know the price. Also, I think Switzerland would be much more expensive than Iceland.
You can check in Paris if there are any dive clubs, since you're going to do it in a pool, it's possible.
If you're going to Belgium, I think you can do you cert at Nemo33 pool. But I don't know the price. Also, I think Switzerland would be much more expensive than Iceland.
You can check in Paris if there are any dive clubs, since you're going to do it in a pool, it's possible.
It's not a requirement for the dives to be in open water?
Never underestimate how expensive anything can be on Iceland, I would say, having been there for work... That said, yeah, traveling for just a dry suit course seems excessive.
I'm not sure if the course, as required by the syllabus, would include open water dives, but I think it would be a good idea to do a couple of those under controlled circumstances anyway before heading to Silfra. There will certainly be pool work for the techniques specific to dry suits, but a pool is generally warm and you'll have minimal clothes under the dry suit. This is somewhat different from how it feels when you have a thick undersuit. The undersuit holds more air and restricts your movement, making you feel more like a Michelin Man than you will be used to from wetsuits. Excepting the Nemo33 suggestion, a pool is also quite shallow and will give you limited exercise in inflating and venting the suit when changing depth. If the course doesn't include any open water dives, maybe plan an extra day of fun dives with the dive shop after the course.
Anyway, probably most European dive centers north of the Mediterranean will have dry suits and provide the course. I would look for dive centers close to your intended destinations and ping them with a question.
One possible thing to look out for is neoprene dry suits. Around here they are common as rental suits because they're more durable than membrane suits, but actual diving in cold water is usually in membrane suits. You might want to make sure you train on the same suit you would get at Silfra, whichever kind that is.
I'm not sure if the course, as required by the syllabus, would include open water dives, but I think it would be a good idea to do a couple of those under controlled circumstances anyway before heading to Silfra. There will certainly be pool work for the techniques specific to dry suits, but a pool is generally warm and you'll have minimal clothes under the dry suit. This is somewhat different from how it feels when you have a thick undersuit. The undersuit holds more air and restricts your movement, making you feel more like a Michelin Man than you will be used to from wetsuits. Excepting the Nemo33 suggestion, a pool is also quite shallow and will give you limited exercise in inflating and venting the suit when changing depth. If the course doesn't include any open water dives, maybe plan an extra day of fun dives with the dive shop after the course.
Anyway, probably most European dive centers north of the Mediterranean will have dry suits and provide the course. I would look for dive centers close to your intended destinations and ping them with a question.
One possible thing to look out for is neoprene dry suits. Around here they are common as rental suits because they're more durable than membrane suits, but actual diving in cold water is usually in membrane suits. You might want to make sure you train on the same suit you would get at Silfra, whichever kind that is.
drakcheslav
Contributor
The dive in Silfra is 224eur, the course with the dive is 630eur. which means 400 for the rental and the course.
Now, considering that this is hyper tourist and european prices it depends, I paid my dry suit certificate 60eur, but I had my own dry suit and for me this is way too pricey. The dive itself is also way too pricey, considering what I've heard form people (long queue, waiting in line, and a short 15-20min dive) and lot less "magical".
It's still on my bucket list, but I hope that what I've heard is wrong.
You have to call Nemo33 or something similar, but I think that prices for Dry suit coursed in europe are much more pricier, especially with rental.
Also there is the fact, that you will learn to dive on one type of suit, and with 0 experience go and dive another. The silfra dive is not complicated by any means, but still.
Now, considering that this is hyper tourist and european prices it depends, I paid my dry suit certificate 60eur, but I had my own dry suit and for me this is way too pricey. The dive itself is also way too pricey, considering what I've heard form people (long queue, waiting in line, and a short 15-20min dive) and lot less "magical".
It's still on my bucket list, but I hope that what I've heard is wrong.
You have to call Nemo33 or something similar, but I think that prices for Dry suit coursed in europe are much more pricier, especially with rental.
Also there is the fact, that you will learn to dive on one type of suit, and with 0 experience go and dive another. The silfra dive is not complicated by any means, but still.
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