Dry suits for all occasions

[Braunbehrens]

Rick, I don't know what your problem is, but no one is forcing you to do anything. I'm debating the use of a drysuit based on the merits, and you keep saying "but so and so was wearing a wetsuit". That's not an argument. No one said you CAN"T dive a wetsuit. All I'm saying is that a drysuit is safer and easier. I have also said WHY it's safer and easier. If you don't want to believe me, then let's discuss the specifics. If you don't want to discuss the specifics, then don't. No one is forcing you.

If you want to discuss it, and I'd be happy to do so, then please do it in a new thread.

Rick, I don't want to be confused with ANYBODY! I'm me, not some generic person, and I'd thank you to remember that. It's only a matter of common curtesy.

As for anecdotes, remember the guy in Florida a few years ago who couldn't get off the bottom and died? To prove that something doesn't work, you really only need one example.

 

[Epinephelus]

Genesis once bubbled...
you have an SMB in your kit

Close... lift bag with dump... with which it is far easier to maintain precise buoyancy control than with a dry suit - for me, anyway - I've tried both.
E. itajara

 

[Rick Murchison]

Braunbehrens once bubbled...
you keep saying "but so and so was wearing a wetsuit".

Wrong - others have said it, I have not. In one post I said I was wearing a shorty.

That's not an argument.

True - it's a fact.

All I'm saying is that a drysuit is safer and easier.

Sometimes it is safer and easier for me, too. Sometimes it isn't. If it's "safer and easier" for you under all circumstances, have at it! I really would like to see you come down here in August, though, and dive dry all day when it's 95/95 and the water's 85, and still tell us why it's "safer and easier." If you don't expire from heat stroke.

If you don't want to believe me, then let's discuss the specifics.

Which specific would you like to discuss? Thermal protection? got plenty. Redundant lift? I carry a lift bag. Pain in the butt? Dang sure don't need the aggravation of a dry suit on top of the heat and humidity.

I don't want to be confused with ANYBODY!

I'm not sure what you're getting at here - you're the one who said DIR Tec Diver had a good point re:dry suits.

As for anecdotes, remember the guy in Florida a few years ago who couldn't get off the bottom and died?

Yeah, he should have had a lift bag with him, shouldn't he?
Rick

 

[Braunbehrens]

Genesis, it is true that some steel tanks behave more like AL tanks. Wearing a wetsuit with these is less of a problem. However, in my experience these tanks are hard to trim out. Also, don't believe that tank specs you read on the web, as I'm sure you know. Test the system and make sure it is balanced.

The problems with wetsuits and technical diving are:

1) Tek dives use a lot of gas. Wetsuits compress at depth. As a result, it is very difficult to balance the rig with this combination

2) Wet suits don't have the same exposure protection. If you plan a 1 hour tech dive, but your deco gasses fail and you end up doing a 2 hour exposure, you could run into problems with hypothermia.

3) Tek dives are often deep, and the water gets colder as you get deeper. This again favors a drysuit.

4) If you do a lot of technical diving, you probably will need to wear a drysuit for many of these dives. It makes sense to me to dive the same rig on all dives (if possible) because you get used to the rig and dive it better.

Yes, it is possible to do tech dives with a wetsuit, but most of the time a drysuit makes more sense. It also depends on your definition of "technical". If you call any dive that has overhead or nitrox "technical", then for some of those a wetsuit is probably fine. However, I don't see doing "big" dives with a wetsuit. Long deco, deep dives, lots of gas, etc. all are better done dry than wet.