Dry Suit Certification

[FreqFlier]

but to really enjoy the Lakes, finding community to help get you out on charters is key.

You're absolutely right. Especially in Lake Michigan, where you are not allowed to shore dive in most of Chicagoland beaches during summertime.

 

[Barryattle]

Many OW West Coast classes are taught in a DS... Great Lakes should do it too. Too many are turned off by how miserably cold the diving is up here....

I did my OW cert. with drysuit here in Seattle. I think I would not have continued diving if I had started in a wetsuit. I certified in a borrowed neoprene drysuit, then bought a used bilam. suit. When I got the membrane suit, I realized that with the neoprene, I was mostly using my BC for buoyancy and not putting much air in the suit. That totally reversed with the membrane suit (I think because I needed more air in the suit for insulation). But still not a huge learning curve. If you're cold, get a drysuit (and dry gloves) so you can be comfortable and enjoy your diving. I'd suggest planning your first dives after the drysuit cert. to be shallower to make sure you have good buoyancy control and are at lower risk if you mess up and cork.

 

[Boarderguy]

Dry is the answer in cold water. Made to measure is the correct choice if you're not built like the model suits were designed from.

Start reading here.

Review - Seaskin Nova drysuit

I ordered a new Seaskin Nova (trilam) drysuit at the beginning of June. It arrived last week. I took it up to the Saint Lawrence River and did 7 wreck dives from Fri to Mon (yesterday), as part of an Advanced Wreck Penetration class with @Trace Malinowski. I am VERY pleased with how it worked...

scubaboard.com

A fully custom, made to measure, dry suit will run you about $1500 and be ready for you before the spring thaw.

Or you can buy a used one that doesn't fit right and then get the correct one (^^^^)

Or buy one from your lds that costs $3k+ and does the same thing the Seaskin does at half the cost.

 

[Nosmosis]

Thank you! I want to dive Lake Michigan regularly (and potentially the other Great Lakes), there are so many cool wrecks and I don't want to have to fly all the time or be limited to Haigh Quarry just to dive. I'm open to any suggestions for an instructor and what are the most important things to consider when choosing one.

DM me to chat on a plan for drysuit instruction. Happy to chat and give you some recommendations.

 

[Litefoot]

Dry is the answer in cold water. Made to measure is the correct choice if you're not built like the model suits were designed from.

Start reading here….

So you can finish reading it by the end of 2024. That is such a comprehensive thread. But someone needs to create an index by topic.

 

[Boarderguy]

So you can finish reading it by the end of 2024. That is such a comprehensive thread. But someone needs to create an index by topic.

I took a couple weeks and read every page before ordering mine last year. Lots of opinions and rehashed ideas throughout.