DRY SUIT COURSE

[KentB]

My drysuit course was $150 added to the cost of my open water fee. It included a few hours in the class room going over the types of suits and seals ect. A pool dive practicing buoyancy and recovering from going inverted, and the rental of a drysuit for all the open water dives and the additional 1 or 2 ocean dives for the drysuit certification.

 

[Lorenzoid]

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

Anyone can get zipped up in a bag and swim underwater. That doesn't make them drysuit divers.

I get it that it sometimes feels like they have made a specialty "course" out of every bit of knowledge. The other side of the argument is along the lines of "why reinvent the wheel?" If someone has made all the mistakes before, why not get the benefit of what they learned without you having to make the mistakes yourself or spend hours looking up answers to which you might not even be sure of the questions? If there's a course available to spoon-feed it all to me, I'll take it over self-study.

 

[northernone]

Anyone can get zipped up in a bag and swim underwater. That doesn't make them drysuit divers.

I get it that it sometimes feels like they have made a specialty "course" out of every bit of knowledge. The other side of the argument is along the lines of "why reinvent the wheel?" If someone has made all the mistakes before, why not get the benefit of what they learned without you having to make the mistakes yourself or spend hours looking up answers to which you might not even be sure of the questions? If there's a course available to spoon-feed it all to me, I'll take it over self-study.

We're coming from different learning styles I think. I hate being spoon fed and as my thousands of hours of lurking shows I love looking for answers and learning the right questions to ask. Talking with the GUI, DIR guys a little when visiting cave country I can appreciate the desire for excellence in dive technique. Perhaps that's where specific classes focused on individual tools for a dive is most valuable. I know I'd benefit.

Somewhat hypocritically I do teach the drysuit specialty. Absolutely, the information, tips, feedback and experience I can provide helps the students become comfortable and safer a drysuit. I agree.

I do find a drysuit nearly related to a BCD. Rightly or wrongly how to use a BCD is just introduced as another part of standard equipment as the right tool for the job. I feel a drysuit should be treated the same.

Around here there's nothing elite, special, complicated or technical about a drysuit. It's just another part of normal gear for even the most inexperienced diver on the easiest dive.

Regards,
Cameron


At risk of being contentious here's a p.s.

More I think about the definition of a drysuit diver more I think zipping someone into a bag and them having the skills to swim around underwater is exactly it. (Safely) Same goes for a cave, rebreather or ice diver in my thinking.

 

[Patoux01]

More I think about the definition of a drysuit diver more I think zipping someone into a bag and them having the skills to swim around underwater is exactly it. (Safely) Same goes for a cave, rebreather or ice diver in my thinking.

So for instance being able to properly choose a suit afterwards does not matter?

 

[northernone]

So for instance being able to properly choose a suit afterwards does not matter?

"Properly choose" is incredibly personal. I won't even suggest how to buy a pair of fins no less have someone pay me to recommend a dry suit. I didn't take a rebreather class to know how to properly choose a rebreather afterwards.

There's as many options of what a good fit, material or style there is as there are divers. Next time you're with a group of divers from various background notice how different they all choose.

 

[Patoux01]

Well, no. How a suit should fit is not personal. The benefits and drawbacks of neoprene seals are not personal, same for boots.

Most drysuit divers have no idea what rockboots are and why they can be a lot better than the huge boots they put on drysuits...

 

[northernone]

Well, no. How a suit should fit is not personal. The benefits and drawbacks of neoprene seals are not personal, same for boots.

Most drysuit divers have no idea what rockboots are and why they can be a lot better than the huge boots they put on drysuits...

Rockboots vs attached is a whole other thread where we could debate which works better for different divers and different dives. I have both. Rockboots are horrible in the gravel filled clay shore entries in some sites I dive. My attached boots are horrible when I don't need the insulation sized to fit they are enormous. With limited flexibility tying on rock boots are a pain in cramped areas and having just ONE drysuit instead of 3 pieces to assemble is better too.

Same goes for neoprene neck seals. I dive both without one being superior.

We'll need to disagree on this one.

I do agree learning about the advantages of the various designs is important.

 

[Patoux01]

The mere fact you say "rockboots vs attached is a whole other thread where we could debate" shows that it should be discussed in the class...

 

[northernone]

The mere fact you say "rockboots vs attached is a whole other thread where we could debate" shows that it should be discussed in the class...

I agree.

 

[BoltSnap]

I am amazed with people who are surprised to learn that teaching a drysuit course can take 6 - 10 hours in class (theory part). I am surprised with people who say it can/should only be 1 or 2 hours. Studying the Dick Long book or even the DUI manual would take longer if you want to understand the material well. I can't accept or believe that somebody would take money from people and even issue them certification cards for "specialty" courses (emphasize "specialty" where you are supposed to become a "specialist" in the subject matter) where they only spend an hour or two or even four hours in the classroom in the presumed "specialty" course, this is horrible.

Part of our course was to have the students participate in replacing a damaged neck and wrist seal under the supervision of our experienced technician in addition to finding and sealing a puncture in the suit (we had a very busy drysuit repair workshop then).