DRY SUIT COURSE

[northernone]

Our drysuit course involved 6 - 10 hours of classroom time, 3 hours pool and 4 openwater dives (more if required).

I'm baffled, as a fellow drysuit speciality instructor. What could possibly take 6-10hrs of classroom regarding a drysuit on a recreational usage level.

Perhaps let's get a thread for this in the pros forum if you'd rather discuss this less publicly.

Regarding the OP. Sounds like you got a pretty standard introduction, but today more money needs made selling classes.

 

[dberry]

As I recall, my drysuit class included maybe 2 h in the classroom, with about half the time spent discussing the pros and cons of the different types of drysuit design, materials, zippers, undergarments, etc. The rest was about bubble management and reminders to keep your left shoulder elevated when dumping. Then 1 pool session and a couple of OW dives in a morning at Dutch Springs.

 

[rhwestfall]

A local shop let me in their pool with my suit (purchased elsewhere) while he had two other divers with him doing some form of early stages of instruction. He basically let me play with it, and then, during breaks with his students, took me through some skills. Prior to that, I had purchased, and read (numerous times) the book Dick Long (DUI founder) had written. It never was for a card, and I think it was around $50 for his "time and knowledge". I think I have about 16 years with my dry suit now....

 

[FinnMom]

I saw a drysuit course video once (I think it was PADI's). In addition to what you might have expected about actually using a drysuit, the video spent a lot of time discussing various types of drysuits (neophrene vs. membrane), different materials used (neophrene, crushed neophrene, kevlar, cordura, polyurethane) different syyles (adjustable size, back zip, front zip etc), vent near wrist, vent near shoulder, and plusses and minuses for all options. I think it also discussed undersuits fairly throughly. The video had a fair bit about how to fit, dry, store and maintain a drysuit.

If I presented all that material (note: IF, I never have), then allowed a student/few students try on a few types (and or sizes) of suits and undersuits (perhaps also a few types and sizes), then maybe spend 30-60 mins in an on-site pool getting the feel of a suit and I could use up a full 4 hrs. And I'd still want to take the student on an open water dive; briefing, sizing & fitting, weight checks, dive and debrief would bring total hrs to about 6.

In the past CMAS had no drysuit class, and still many do not take it. Usually a new diver reads and discusses with others to learn the options, plusses, minuses, etc. the spends 30-120 mins in a pool with an experienced drysuit diver, then makes 1 or 2 drysuit dives with an experienced drysuit diver, taking the time to practice, esp. how to roll and recover from being head-down and legs well inflated. After than the real practice phase begins! Real practice may take 5-50 dives depending on how often you go, how much you take the time to practise skills and maybe a bit of just being gifted (or not).

Waters are pretty cold here year-round and drysuits are no longer significantly more expensive than very hight quality (i.e. very cold water) wetsuits. As a result, most of our students dive dry from day 1. They seem to have a significantly easier time learning it than wetsuit divers learning as a new skill. That's odd, but it really seems to be true. Maybe they are just so 110% in learning mode that they buckle down, pay attention, practise and never waste time and energy thinking about how this or that was easier in a wetsuit. Or maybe the new divers are just all younger and more clever than we were.

 

[Patoux01]

I'm baffled, as a fellow drysuit speciality instructor. What could possibly take 6-10hrs of classroom regarding a drysuit on a recreational usage level.

While I don't think it'd take 10 hours, I'd say that when one covers:
- type of suits
- fit of a suit
- hoods
- undergarment
- boots & fins
- seals
- zippers
- pockets, p-valves, gaiters, ankle weights etc
- use of bcd vs drysuit
- trim
- "danger situations"
- valves, use, assembly, maintenance
- overall suit maintenance, repair
- ...
There starts to be something that could take a fair amount of time, more than 30 minutes at least.

I would note that should I give a drysuit course, I'm not selling a drysuit, I'm selling a course and the information required to safely dive a drysuit and do an informed choice so that the student can get what he feels fits him most.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The GUE Drysuit course that I took included some GUE-ish and general diving skills stuff along with the drysuit-specific stuff. There is no prerequisite of previous GUE experience--any diver can take it. Wanna little sip of the Kool-Aid?

@lv2dive's is the best drysuit course report I have seen: GUE Drysuit Diver class report (Doug Mudry March 2011)

 

[KevinNM]

My PADI course was view the CD, meet at the pool and do some diving. Which included flooding the suit to recover from buoyancy disasters. I think we did some real dives too a few days alter, but I can't remember.

The GUE drysuit course (which I got right after I got my 2nd dry suit) we were expected to have read the material before we met up at 7am for the ferry to Catalina, then we talked about stuff during the trip out there, then we sat there for a a while and talked some more, then we went diving (and I found that I forgot that you need more weight in salt water than fresh water...) and did a bunch of stuff (which did not include a suit flood - thank god) we got out, talked some about what we did and when we needed to do than dove again. (there is a list of things we are required to accomplish on both dives - but I don't remember what that was.) I hate to admit it but the single most useful thing I got from the GUE class was the absolute need to visually as well as tactility verify the suit zipper was fully closed. Since I started doing that I get wet a lot less.

I would have gotten more out of it if I hadn't had something like 50-75 dry suit dives already, but it was still good to have done.

 

[Saboteur]

Me and my 2 buddies bought our dry suits after we'd had about 15-20 dives under our belt at the time back around 1980. We just bought them and used them. No course. Same as night diving. We just did it. No course. Everything is a course now.

 

[TheFife]

I have done both ways. When I was originally certified about 20 years ago, I bought a drysuit from a local shop. They took me in the pool and explained drysuit basics. I think the whole process took around 1 hour. I took a break from diving and have recently returned. I decided to get recertified. With my recent recertification, I went the PADI route and also got the drysuit certification. It consisted of some course work (took me about 2 hours) and involved 1 pool session and 2 open water dives. Truth be told, I think the course is ridiculous overkill. If you have good buoyancy control, then a dry suit is not at all difficult to control or understand. A single shallow water dive to get a feel for the squeeze and air characteristics is really all it takes. As long as a person understands the basics, and takes it slow on their first dive, I don't think a course is necessary.

 

[northernone]

Me and my 2 buddies bought our dry suits after we'd had about 15-20 dives under our belt at the time back around 1980. We just bought them and used them. No course. Same as night diving. We just did it. No course. Everything is a course now.

Amen.

I'm waiting for the BCD specialty class next. Maybe start with the 1 fin class followed by introducing the two fin specialty distinctive for divers tired of swimming in circles?

I've taught DSD students in a dry suit. It isn't rocket science people.

Controversially,
Cameron