Dry Suits

[BPACH]

Its time to get some new equipment for my wife and I. I was wondering how difficult it is to learn to dive with a dry suit. Would you recommend a drysuit for a new diver? Does the air in the suit try to float you in a vertical position? What are the drawbacks of a drysuit? And what is a semi-dry suit? All opinions are welcome.
Thanks

 

[Mrs Mares]

Hi BPACH
I've just done my dry suit orientation in the pool, and i found it hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed deliberately inverting myself, and then filling the suit with air, and having to right myself on the surface with my feet dangling out of the water. At no time did i feel threatened or in any danger, and i am a new diver having just passed my open water at the beginning of May 2004. I say go for it and have fun.

:yelclap: :yelclap:

 

[Tractor Tom]

Its time to get some new equipment for my wife and I. I was wondering how difficult it is to learn to dive with a dry suit. Would you recommend a drysuit for a new diver? Does the air in the suit try to float you in a vertical position? What are the drawbacks of a drysuit? And what is a semi-dry suit? All opinions are welcome.
Thanks

...to be handled when you dive. Regardless of how tight you wear the suit, it traps a bubble of air in it, and maintains that bubble at the highest portion of the suit (in relation to the surface) no matter what orientation the diver is in. This air bubble expands and contracts as pressure is applied to the outside of the suit, so as you get nearer the surface, the air bubble expands and increases your bouyancy. As Mrs Mares noted, if your feet are closest to the surface, they tend to collect the bubble and get loose and big.

All that having been said, once you experience it a few times, it becomes kind of 'second nature' to vent the suit as you ascend, and add air to the suit as you dive deeper. I recommend a Drysuit training class at a local dive shop to help you learn the skills to allow you to dive in a drysuit, then go out to the water and make a few mistakes in shallow water and learn how to dive dry. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never step foot in cold water in a wet suit again.

Oh, a semi-dry, is a WET Suit with a bit of engineering that minimises the amout of water exchange to keep you a bit warmer. You are still diving WET in a semi-dry suit.

I have been diving dry for the last two years (60+ dives) in the last year and a half and will only dive wet in the tropics. I LOVE to dive, but hate to get cold and the drysuit takes care of that. While you are looking anyway, I really LOVE my dryhood and drygloves. My Viking Xtreme drysuit came with an attached dryhood and my head and hair stays warm and dry in even the coldest water. After a year of diving with heavy wetsuit gloves, I have gone to the Viking dryglove system and will NEVER go back to wet gloves. Diving the wrecks in the cold water would make my hands ache, but NO MORE. Now I put on a pair of wool glove liners, and then some drygloves attached to the sleeves of the drysuit and have nice warm fingers.

Drop a line if you have specific questions and I'll try my best to answer them....

Good luck!

 

[cstreu1026]

My wife and I just finished a drysuit class and it was kind of like learning to dive all over again....or at least I thought so. I wouldn't say its all that dificult to do, it just takes practice. I had several problems on my first check out dive, such as a sticking inflator and some weighting issues. Things went much smoother on the second dive but I definitely feel like i need a lot more practice especially with weighting. I think it is something worth investigating because it sure makes diving locally much more fun. Now if only I could get a suit of my own.

 

[Paul Evans]

As the other half has pointed out it can be great fun and as Tom points out you won't dive wet again.

There is no reason why you should'nt do this, you could do it as a speciality or part of AOW or do a oreintation dive. Please don't go into open water without somebody who knows how to dive dry, A good DM or instructor will help and advise.

As long as you feel comfortable with the idea, that is what really counts!

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[gtxl1200]

Its time to get some new equipment for my wife and I. I was wondering how difficult it is to learn to dive with a dry suit. Would you recommend a drysuit for a new diver? Does the air in the suit try to float you in a vertical position? What are the drawbacks of a drysuit? And what is a semi-dry suit? All opinions are welcome.
Thanks

Being a past wetsuit only diver I got a dry suit this year and havent looked back. I dove a lot sooner this year then expected. and was able to hit Lake Huron on May 9th with temps at 41 degrees at depth. Im still working on a few issues with it. But the weighting has seem to come around I bought the shell type suit and since it doesnt have the compression factor at depth like the neoprene ones do I'm actually wearing less weight now with the dry suit then I did with the full 7mm farmer john wet suit. If you can afford it get one it will pay for itself by extending your dive season greatly. There is a few more tasks involved in diving one such as now you have to clear your ears and put some air in the suit all at the same time and do the chicken wing dance on the way up to get the air out. But nothing like doing your SI all toasty and dry while your dive Buddy in his Semi wet suit is shiviring a bit on the boat. After a few dives though it all becomes habit. I will be warm water diving next week and I know the first couple of dives I will be automatically hitting my chest trying to inflate my wet suit and be wondering where the button is.
FWIW: I did take the class some of the info was useable and for the most part it wasnt I thought the class was more for the dive shop to sell you one of there dry suits. That is just my opinion. You probably should take the class maybe you might get something out of it.

 

[nawtical]

Its time to get some new equipment for my wife and I. I was wondering how difficult it is to learn to dive with a dry suit. Would you recommend a drysuit for a new diver? Does the air in the suit try to float you in a vertical position? What are the drawbacks of a drysuit? And what is a semi-dry suit? All opinions are welcome.
Thanks

A Dry suit does exactly that, Keep you dry except for your head and hands unless you have the dry glove attachment/option. A Semi-Dry suit can also be refered to as a semi- Wet suit as you will be wet when you are done. It just has less openings for water entry. Mine is a Gold Core Henderson 7/5mm and it is quite nice. I have a Whites Dry Suit and it is the ultimate but when the water is warmer, 75 or os, I will use the Semi-Dry. Just get too warm in the Dry-Suit.
Hope this answers your qustions.
James A. Cormier PADI Instructor

 

[hantzu701]

If you can afford a dry suit and ur diving regularly in cold water, then it is worth the expense. I have friends who still prefer to dive wet when it's warm, but I prefer to dive dry. I have 60+ dives on my drysuit and it's really tough to go back to diving wet.

The dry suit does have a unique set of problems. There is a bit more drag and maintaining buoyancy can be tough at first, but the additional trouble is well worth it. Especially for me as my diving season is so short.

I did not take a dry suit cert class. I did spend two hours in the pool just fumbling with everything. It took me about 20 dives before I started to feel comfortable.

Charles

 

[twosheets]

BPACH, Go dry and you won't go back to diving wet unless the water is very warm. I use mine in most of these Great Lakes and also when I am in the Keys or other warmer water. For the lakes its just the only way to dive. For the warmer oceans, all dives really, the second and later dives are where the benefits of diving dry really show up. What you wear under the suit determines the comfort level - my poly propolene (sp?) is wonderful in the thermoclines of the lakes. I sometimes use a skin under the dry suit in Fla when the water is below 75. Again, looking at that second and later dives for comfort and air consumption. By working with an instructor and with use of the training material you will obtain skills necessary for safe and confident diving in very little time (hours). Try one of the vendors "demo days". They furnish the suit, pair you with a competent instructor and you get to dive the latest suits available. DUI is one, Whites is another and there are likely many other vendors that do these. If your LDS does not know when one of these offers is scheduled then go on-line directly to the vendors. Its like learning to eat the sloppy mess old people eat called ice cream. Once you try it you will wonder what took you so damn long.

Stay Wet, twosheets!

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Check around for dive shops offering dry suit courses. Many have special rental programs (typically through DUI) so that you can find out for yourself if this is the right move for you.

DUI also has special days (check their web site) where they allow divers to try their suits at events that they plan.