Drysuit 101...

[jscott099]

Someone mentioned training...good. I think other dry suiters here will agree. It takes at least 10 (I think more really) dives in a dry suit to start to get good at the buoyancy. But once you do, it's hard to ever want to go back to anything else. Reef diving will be easier. But if you are caving or doing wreck penetration, it will take many more. Suggest as soon as you get one to dive the heck out of it. Good rule of thumb: when you do have to put on a wet suit for a change and jump in and feel that water on your back...your first thought is 'oh heck, my dry suit is leaking!!'.

Speaking of which, if you dive it heavily, prepare for wrist and neck seal replacements about once every 12 to 16 months.

One more: if you do long dives and drink coffee a lot (like me)...a pee valve will become priceless. You can go to any home medical supply store for the catherer condoms. Another trick...look online for someone who sells pool table supplies. You can buy big bottles of pure talc for much cheaper that way.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I'd consider 100-130 or so dives per year as diving fairly heavily, and I average 3-5 years on seals, so seal replacement is not that big of an expense. If you keep them rinsed and talced between dives, they last longer. Also, wrist seals are easy to replace yourself. Neck seals can be a bit more complicated.

I agree a pee valve is nice. If you do any decompression diving at all, or repetetive diving near the NDL's I'd suggest a pee valve is essential as you need to stay well hydrated to reduce the risk of DCS.

If you go the pee valve route, I'd also suggest getting the Rochester sample pack (free), then ordering a box of the size that fits on-line. Many home health stores sell freedom caths and they are not nearly as well suited to the demands of dry suit diving as the Rochester wide bands.

 

[JDostal]

P-valve's rock.

As far as the wrist seals go don't sweat it. I put about 100 dives a year on my suit and I don't take care of them at all and I can easily get 2 to 3 years out of them.

The training has the potential to be beneficial. I honestly don't know anyone that has ever taken it. If you don't do training just stick to a few easy dives the first couple of times and stay on top of buoyancy. You always want to stay ahead of your buoyancy with a drysuit. Make sure you can get air out of your feet and you are good to go.

 

[gxsr_sarge]

I'm in Miami and recently got a DUI TLS 350 for our "winter" dives and GUE tech and cave training. I've been doing a lot in the recent month with water temp in the high 60's w/ a 150g undergarment. AND WOW!!!! I LOVE IT and will be hard pressed to dive wet again. Its sort of a haze "donning" the DS (especially in you use a P-valve) but it kicks ass.

As far as training, when I got it in mid-December, I asked high and low for a "drysuit instructor" and was told something like "Hey, you're in Miami, why the hell would you dive dry?" or all of the instructors I knew had never even put one on! My GUE instructor was not available so I read a few books, articles and the actual DS intructions and then took a dip in a confined 4-5' environment, with my doubles, etc. It took me about 3 or 4 dives to get my trim and balance. I had to lower some weight (I was using a set of AL80's and had "light feet") and focused on arching my back and keeping my head pinned against the isolation manifold. After about 10 dives, I did my GUE Fundamentals Tech checkout dive - and passed.

So if you're already a master of your own buoyancy, the transition shouldn't be that tough and a class shouldn't be THAT mandatory, but if you could, why not. If your buoyancy is marginal - TAKE A CLASS!

 

[boulderjohn]

Many I have never felt like my feet were being squeezed with integrated socks under some variant of a "rock boot" like Whites EVO3 or Alterra boots (which by the way hold up much better in real world use than the original DUI Rockboots).

Here is an update from a recent demonstration by a White's rep.

The Alteras are being discontinued. IMO, a good idea. The bungy laces on mine broke, and they cannot be repaired. (It is amazing to me that anyone would design a boot with laces that cannot be replaced!) I sent mine back and, in theory at least, I am supposed to get Evos in their stead.

Whites will be introducing an integrated boot for the Fusion at Dema next fall.

I have never dived with an integrated boot, but in examining a friend's DUI soles, it looks to me as if it is little more than a really basic wet boot glued to the outside of the shell. He loves it and says that he won't get a Fusion (which he otherwise loves) until they do it, but I don't understand it.

 

[D_B]

I would like to say that good buoyancy control is not the primary purpose of getting drysuit training, at least it wasn't with my training.
mine was .... mastering a stuck inflator valve, and what to do with a way over filled drysuit, all before you go shooting to the surface
better buoyancy control and proper trim were also covered but they not the primary focus of my class

 

[SCUBAPIRATE]

I have a Zeagle Trilam and love it. My only advice is get a self donning one.

 

[jscott099]

Self dons are useful (although sometimes more expensive than the back). Cavers have come up with some neat tricks to be able to zip a back zip solo.

I am hear to tell you that once on a drift in Rainbow River in a rental dry I really, really, really had to pee. Given that kind of motivation (and a little limberness), you really can actually unzip a back zip suit by yourself. And, zip it back.