Drysuit Confusion

[Scubant]

I just bought a used Bare Drysuit(Trilam HD) with Hi-Loft Polarwear Extreme underwear and now decided to go diving in the Keys come February. Question is should I purchase new underwear for warm water diving or puchase 3MM suit for the dive? Is it right to take this bulky gear with me on a plane or rent something down there? Please help me...

 

[Crush]

I always fly with my gear - in fact, I can manage to take it carry-on, except for: air tanks and weights (rent at destination), knife and dive tools (pack in checked luggage), and fins (too large for carry-on - pack in checked luggage).

I was diving West Palm and found that a 7mm shorty top with gloves and no hood was plenty warm. I am pretty cold-tolerant, though.

I think that a drysuit would be overkill - a full 3mm suit should be just fine, and you will have fewer buoyancy issues. Pack a hood in case you find it cold. Plus, neoprene is more forgiving than a drysuit when it comes to failure - you can dive in a torn wetsuit, but not in a torn drysuit (the latter might ruin your trip).

 

[616fun]

Get a wetsuit. With a 3mm and a drysuit in your closet you'll be able to dive nearly any condition.

 

[GeneV]

I'd leave the dry suit at home, drysuits are recommended for water temps below 16C/60F. Whenever I dove the keys I used a 3mm full suit and was never cold. If memory serves, the water temp was in the upper 70F.

Gene V

 

[Scubant]

Thanks, Thats my thinking also, is a 3mm suit would be nice to have in the closet.

 

[oly5050user]

if you have a tendency to get cold,or are taking phots,get a 5mm. It will be fine in the keys for Feb. ,water temp will be around 75/76 ..You can also use the 5,mm for diving in LI Sound(I see you are from CT) in the summer.Leave the dry suit home.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

It might be better to ask what kind of water temp to expect in that region for that time of the year.

I prefer diving my drysuit in water temps colder than about 70°F.
7mm wetsuit for 65°F - 75°F.
3mm wetsuit + hooded vest for 75°F - 80°F.
3mm wetsuit +/- hood for anything warmer than 80°F.

My cold tolerance is directly related to water temp, how long I stay in the water (#/duration of dives), and my activity level. I tend to hover motionless for a significant percentage of my dives when I'm taking photos, so that's probably the reason I require more thermal protection than the average diver who zips around under water. Taking a thicker wetsuit than you think you need might be a good idea if you plan on doing repetitive, multi-day diving.

If you end up traveling with your drysuit, I'd recommend protecting the drysuit zipper from having anything heavy thrown/placed on it. This can damage the teeth, which is not good -- dry zipper replacement is pricey. You might want to consider hand-carrying the drysuit for this reason. Just my 2 psi.

Have a great time...

 

[AbyssalPlains]

Diving the keys in a drysuit? You're funny

 

[redstrom]

Didn't think I would ever do this, but I dove my drysuit (no hood) in 79 degree water (top-to-bottom) a couple of months back. I didn't sweat to death nor was I uncomfortable under water.

 

[RJP]

Diving the keys in a drysuit? You're funny

Nothing funny about being comfortable, especially on multiple, repetitive dives over multiple days...

:shocked2: