Drysuit Diving What do you need...

[formernuke]

Forgot to add bring a spare set of socks and underwear in case of flood.

And absolutely no cotton at all under the suit. You will get sweat and condensation.

 

[phoque]

"Mine is 12"

Yup. That makes perfect sense. I've always thought Marie was the biggest in the room. Its all that lake and quarry diving. Hardcore.

I don't think that's accurate though. I noticed @Danny D is on the forum. I believe his hose may be longer than 12".

 

[runsongas]

if you have never dived a drysuit before, you may want to borrow some gaiters till you get used to controlling the bubble. also depending on what fins you have currrently, may want to borrow some hollis f1s/jetfins/turtles (if you have wide feet) to test out negative fin options.

 

[Akimbo]

What else do I need?

In Tampa Bay, Florida? I would guess a wetsuit.

Seriously, the increased gear volume is a change to get used to in terms of transport. You will want to keep the wet drysuit and underwear separate on the trip home. The bags that come with the underwear are rarely that great. IMO, a small pair of bandage scissors is the most important part of any condom catheter kit.

 

[Wibble]

If you only dive no-stop, there's a fair chance that you won't need the condom caths. I've dived dry since '12 (single tank) and have never considered starting to glue a condom to my junk. Don't even have a P-valve on my suit.

It's alright for you Mr Big Bladder. Alas, I am Mr Slack Bladder. I never dive without plumbing in and delight at being able to properly hydrate prior to a dive and very happily pee for England. Gives me something to look forwards to on hours of deco!

Struth, when I first bought my first ever drysuit and tried it on, something in my bladder screamed I NEED TO GO, NOW -- literally having just put the suit on. Psyco logical I know, but in many hundreds of dives, I rarely never use it.

Hmm, need to plumb in some tubing in the car for long journeys; just dump it overboard as it were. Must be great at rock festivals too: have a massive keg of beer in a rucksack with a "hydration tube", and a tube running from a catheter down the outside of one's Wellington boots.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Are you going to take a drysuit course or have someone show you the ropes? If so, they will probably go through all of what others have said. Incidentally, I'm pretty surprised you have been diving wet all this time in the FL caves. I'm not cold tolerant at all.

I don't know if it's standard procedure, but I always do a p-valve check after suiting up. That is, walk off to the side of the parking lot, put your hands on your hips as though in deep thought, and let 'er rip. Everyone will know what you're doing, of course. And then as part of our pre-dive check, we include "p-valve hooked up/tested."

Also, plan how you're going to clean/flush the p-valve and what you're going to flush it with. If you're using a quick-disconnect, plan for how to connect the squeeze bottle or whatever you're using. Some people use vinegar-water solution, some do Steramine or other sanitizer, some give it just a quick flush from a squeeze bottle, some flush from a garden hose for a full minute, etc. From reading others' experiences, assuming they are honest about their success in preventing UTIs, my conclusion was that the type of solution and amount of time make less difference than simply making a habit of doing it after each dive day.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
Hmm, need to plumb in some tubing in the car for long journeys; just dump it overboard as it were. Must be great at rock festivals too: have a massive keg of beer in a rucksack with a "hydration tube", and a tube running from a catheter down the outside of one's Wellington boots.

Or Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Consider a set of lightweight thermals for when then the water warms up. Even in cold water New Zealand the heavy duty thermals are too much in the summer. Even with skimpy thermals I sometimes have to switch to a wetsuit when the water warms up.

Oh, and a drysuit patch kit can be very usefull, especially for the neckseal which is prone to fingernail damage.

 

[Manatee Diver]

A decent sized hanger. I use a "HangAir" which has a fan built into it. Hang it up and run it for an hour or so to dry the inside of the suit out.

Buy a mat to stand on whilst changing.

If you've removable silicone/latex wrist and neck seals, get some spare ones.

If you've got Kubi gloves, get several pairs of spare gloves. G17K is the normal one.

No dry gloves yet, probably not for long while. I have a HangAir for my wetsuit, I love it. Will need to get the mat.

If your suit doesn’t come with a bag, or even if it does, the big blue IKEA shopping bags are great suit bags. You don’t have to smush suit small like you do to get it into some of the mfg supplied bags.

Remove adhesive remover to help get the condom cath off. I use it with my She-P. The wipes are handier than the liquid.

I think I have an Ikea bag somewhere, might have to dig it up. And I added a set of wipes to my Amazon cart.

If you only dive no-stop, there's a fair chance that you won't need the condom caths. I've dived dry since '12 (single tank) and have never considered starting to glue a condom to my junk. Don't even have a P-valve on my suit.

Pretty much all my diving is tech these days. If I am diving recreationally, that is mostly in rashguard weather.

It may seem obvious, but don't forget an appropriate length drysuit inflator hose if one does not come with your suit.

It comes with a hose, but it will be the wrong length as it is for BM not be SM.

Since you dive SM, I’d bet probably 12” for your suit inflator hose, but it depends on your hose routing. Mine is 12”.

That is what I am thinking about starting with. I have a whole collection of inflator hoses from attempting to get just the right length for SM.

Merino wool or under armor cold gear base layer (user preference) and merino wool socks.

Plus all listed above.

I have the Fourth Element J2 Baselayer set, but I might pick up a merino set, as I am sure it will be cheaper than a second set of the J2.

In Tampa Bay, Florida? I would guess a wetsuit.

Seriously, the increased gear volume is a change to get used to in terms of transport. You will want to keep the wet drysuit and underwear separate on the trip home. The bags that come with the underwear are rarely that great. IMO, a small pair of bandage scissors is the most important part of any condom catheter kit.

View attachment 645755​

The Gulf actually can get quite cold, I've personally seen 58 degrees. Even in the Keys when the topside is cold and the water temp is in the low 70s a drysuit can be a live saver. Speaking as someone that has spent the trip back freezing.

But good idea about the bandage scissors, better to have them and not need them. Than try to find a set desperately while trying to remove the hat off the Lower Brain.

Are you going to take a drysuit course or have someone show you the ropes? If so, they will probably go through all of what others have said. Incidentally, I'm pretty surprised you have been diving wet all this time in the FL caves. I'm not cold tolerant at all.

I don't know if it's standard procedure, but I always do a p-valve check after suiting up. That is, walk off to the side of the parking lot, put your hands on your hips as though in deep thought, and let 'er rip. Everyone will know what you're doing, of course. And then as part of our pre-dive check, we include "p-valve hooked up/tested."

Also, plan how you're going to clean/flush the p-valve and what you're going to flush it with. If you're using a quick-disconnect, plan for how to connect the squeeze bottle or whatever you're using. Some people use vinegar-water solution, some do Steramine or other sanitizer, some give it just a quick flush from a squeeze bottle, some flush from a garden hose for a full minute, etc. From reading others' experiences, assuming they are honest about their success in preventing UTIs, my conclusion was that the type of solution and amount of time make less difference than simply making a habit of doing it after each dive day.

I talked with my cave instructor he said we just need to go diving. There enough that requires a dedicated course, though if I want he can get me the card after. Having a pre-dive pee check seems like a good idea. I am told that many do it as part of the post-drysuit donning cooling off dip.

Consider a set of lightweight thermals for when then the water warms up. Even in cold water New Zealand the heavy duty thermals are too much in the summer. Even with skimpy thermals I sometimes have to switch to a wetsuit when the water warms up.

I think my set of thermals would be considered lightweight to you. LOL

 

[Marie13]

The SmartWool 250 gram is what I have. Nice and soft. I don’t know if the 150 gram would be better for your needs. I order from REI. Wait for the sales. I think they have a 30% off one in April or May.