Dry Suit training / class

[dberry]

I just acted on impulse and snapped up a used dry suit at an excellent price. One of those "can't afford not to buy it" moments. I'm hoping to use it for a couple of days when I'll be in San Diego for business this March. My only previous experience with a drysuit was an hour-long demo in a pool last summer. I think I should get some instruction and experience before diving in SoCal, so:

(1) Is a "class" really necessary, or is spending a day or two with a instructor / mentor good enough? (I don't care if I get an official card, but I do want to be safe.)

and

(2) I can get a mid-week non-stop flight to miami or ft. lauderdale for ~$170, so a 3-4 day jaunt "for educational purposes" will be possible. I know some folks to contact in Key Largo, but other places might be interesting (BHB comes to mind...) Any suggestions for locations and instructors would be appreciated. Just remember the main is to get comfortable (and competent) in my first drysuit. (FWIW, this trip will be in the first week of January.)

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Necessary? Perhaps not. If your buoyancy and trim are already rock solid, you have a pool that you can practice in on a regular basis, and you can do all the safety drills instinctively and without panicking under the tutelage of a mentor or instructor. Frankly given the possible consequences of screwing up, as an instructor, I would not just go for a few fun dives with you. Too much liability.

When I do a drysuit class there are several hours of classroom followed by one or two pool sessions. Then open water dives. The pool sessions are variable as some people are more comfortable in the water than others and get the gist of diving dry sooner.

Weighting is critical. You will not be using the same undergarments for Florida as you would for California. That is going to have an effect on your weighting. It can get warm in the pool but I try to have my students in their light undergarments first. Get the weighting for those and then add the BC and do skills. Then they put on the ones they think are the heaviest they will use and we repeat the session.

Recovering from feet first ascents, managing a sticky inflator or dump valve, using the BC and suit in combination, and dealing with two or more of those at the same time is not rocket science. An experienced diver should be able to with patience and practice. A newer diver could get themselves in some "interesting" situations quite quickly.

I wrote the SDI drysuit course. I teach it in PA. Pittsburgh area actually where drysuit diving is mandatory for some who want to dive more than a couple months a year. Why not look for a Philly area instructor and just do the class?

For about the same as you'd pay for your flight they could go over all of it. Right now the water temps would be closer to what you'll experience in the Pacific in March. The only snag may be scheduling. I have a pool pretty much any time I need it and the lake is 2 miles from the shop where we train. Others may not have that luxury and have to go with the pool times they can get. But someone out there should be able to take care of you.

 

[uncfnp]

I agree. If I wanted a top notch drysuit course for cold water diving, I would head north from here not south. Not that SoFl instructors couldn't do it but take the course in the conditions you will be diving and even in Janurary south Florida water temps are easily doable wet.

Now, if you just want a fun winter get away...

 

[dberry]

Jim, Thanks for the advice. Staying local did occur to me, but scheduling may be a problem. I'd like to get the course and as much experience as possible before mid-March. One LDS indicated a (NAUI) course would be 1 evening classroom, 1 pool session, and 1 at Dutch Springs, but they don't run them over the winter. I'll contact a few more local places (and individual instructors) and find out what's possible.

 

[Phil_C]

I must confess that I tend to sit on the fence a little bit in respect of dry suits, though not rocket science there are a few things that I would consider it is essential that you know, have practised, and know how to deal with.

But do you need to do a formal course to get this knowledge? In my opinion no, however guaranteeing that an experienced mentor will cover all the necessary points and skills is not guaranteed, and it is a bit like the age-old adage you don't know what it is that you don't know.

Personally I never had a dry suit class, when I first dived as part of the search and rescue team dry suits were the norm, but in those days the dry suits were not like the ones we use now. When I returned to diving after a long break, for a couple of years it was just wetsuits and warm water, now I have three dry suits, all different types, and I'm comfortable in all three in different conditions. But crucially there was a lot of trial and error involved in getting comfortable and confident. In my case I dived with more experienced dry suit drivers who acted as mentors. But it was probably some time before I fully understood the differences in behaviour between the types of dry suit, and everything that was going on.

So I would say if you are someone who can thoroughly research a topic, and learn well on your own then you could gain the theoretical knowledge quite easily without a course or instructor, and the in water skills can be practised under the support of an experienced mentor. If on the other hand you are not confident that you can thoroughly learn and understand dry suits and everything that could go wrong, then a good course is the safest way to make sure you get the essential knowledge to be safe.

The other benefit of doing a course is that the knowledge and practical skills are all covered in a comprehensive package and you can be certain that you have not missed anything essential .

Safe diving - Phil.

 

[Steve_C]

When I did my AOW I did two of the dives in a dry suit. No real problems.

Then a couple years later I decided that since I would be up in the NW a few times I would take a dry suit course and get a card so that I could rent a dry suit and do some cold water diving. Took the dry suit course with a rental suit. That went fine except for wieigting on dive one. Did all the drills. Decided that there was no way I was going to step off a boat with a strange dry suit into strange waters. Decent chance my weighting would be off and in an emergency my skills would not be automatic.

Did the dives but wet. A 10/14 was cozy north of Vancouver.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I would say that a class is unnecessary if you have a very experienced and patient mentor. Mentors can answer all your questions, and there will be many! Underwear selection/layering, weighting, donning/doffing, wrist/neck seal comfort, urination solutions, and harness adjustments are just some of the topics for topside discussion. They can dive with you and help you "pilot" the damn thing, and debrief about buoyancy management and troubleshooting (feet-first ascent, anyone?!). My husband is a very experienced drysuit diver and recreational instructor, so I was very fortunate in my mentor. But if he wasn't at hand, I definitely would have taken a class.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Is a class necessary--not really. A good mentor/instructor is really all you need, but everyone is different.

When I started diving mine I did one hour long dive at 25ft with platforms. Practiced burping the suit, disconnecting inflator, added and dumping air, just to feel it out. Next dive I was at 75 ft and I haven't looked back since.

If money really isn't a problem and the learning experience it really what you are looking for you might consider reading this:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/di...ver-class-report-doug-mudry-march-2011-a.html

 

[Storker]

The pain of the transition will depend a bit on your DS. A trilam suit with good room for a thick undersuit is a bit of a PITA to become comfortable in due to air travel and the amount of weight you need to sink all the air in your undergarments. A snug, body-fitting neoprene suit like the Scubapro Everdry, or a Fusion, is almost (but not quite) as easy to dive as a wetsuit, IMO. Little air that will wander and good stretch makes the experience more wetsuit-like. Not quite, but noticeably closer.

 

[olphart]

A snug, body-fitting neoprene suit like the Fusion or a Scubapro Everdry

--
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Typos are a feature, not a bug

neoprene Fusion???? First I've heard of one. Typo?