Drysuit Diving

[johnelrick0897]

Gloves. Again really your choice, either neoprene or dry.

In summer (??? this is Scotland) I wear 3mm, in winter 5mm.

Also in Scotland was looking at the Waterproof G1 gloves in either 5mm or 7mm, last thing I want when I am underwater is freezing hands

 

[Edward3c]

Also in Scotland was looking at the Waterproof G1 gloves in either 5mm or 7mm, last thing I want when I am underwater is freezing hands

Water proof = dry.

If their quoting mm thickness then there not true dry gloves. With dry gloves you wear woollen (or synthetic) gloves underneath.

 

[johnelrick0897]

Water proof = dry.

If their quoting mm thickness then there not true dry gloves. With dry gloves you wear woollen (or synthetic) gloves underneath.

No they are not dry gloves they are similar to wearing a wetsuit but for your hands

 

[ScubaSteve858]

Henderson thermaxx fire fleece 5mm

 

[Centrals]

Ferry from Aberdeen to Orkney(Kirkwall) to dive the remain of Kaiser's Fleet in Scapa Flow. There is one PADI operator(Scapa Scuba) in Stromness. You can also drive to Scrabster and catch the ferry to Stromness.
5mm wet glove was quite useless for me after 30mins in 8C.

 

[SecT]

Water proof = dry.

If their quoting mm thickness then there not true dry gloves. With dry gloves you wear woollen (or synthetic) gloves underneath.

he is talking about the brand Waterproof.

G1 glove 5mm is really nice. Stays warm for summer dives in sweden and winter, but I prefer drygloves for longer and winter dives.

 

[Redshift]

Dry suits should be dry.
As for gloves, I was diving wet gloves in the UK, but now that I have tried dry gloves, they are much better. If you are getting a new suit, take a look at what's available.

 

[chorse]

I'm from northeastern USA, Dry Suit thoughts. I got an custom fit Otter Britannic dry suit just a few month ago, made to measure. I don't like it much. It is heavy and requires 20lbs additional weight to descend. Why is that a problem you ask? For one thing you have to walk to and from the waters edge and its heavy. After diving you are even heavier since the dry suit is now saturated on the outer skin if its neoprene or membrane. If you have to traverse over slippery rocks and inclines suited up you may and probably will occasionally fall over and the strength it takes to get up right is herculean. Also It takes much longer to suit up, base layer, insulating layer, insulating socks. Neck and wrist seals are a real pain in the buttocks. The flexibility and maneuverability with a dry suit is greatly reduced as well. Plus if you dive dry on a boat you need three times as much area on the boat for your suit and accessories. Everybody loves that! IMHO I would not have purchased one if I knew then what I know now. And you do perspire in a dry suit so you do get wet to a degree. You should rent a dry suit for 10 dives or more and really see how you like it. Some divers will swear by the dry suit. My dive group wears them only when the water is tooo cold for extended dives, but when the water warms up they all dive wet suit without exception. Easier and a more enjoyable dive experience hands down is wet suit diving. Having said all that Otter Dry Suits in the UK is the best company and their customer service and product quality is excellent. They bend over backward to satisfy their customer. It's not their fault I'm a miserable SOB. But I'm venting, catharsis, to a fault. Also deal with Otter directly do not use a third party it's a complete aggravation. Good Luck. Thank you John and JJ for all your assistance those guys are the Mutt's Nuts!

 

[rjgiddings]

Having been through some dry and wet/ leaky drysuits - remember the drysuit wont keep you warm. It will keep you dry. The undergarment will do the warm part. I think you and your girlfriends comfort level in the water will be higher/ better if you are warm and dry.

I've been diving a DUI Crushed Neoprene CF 200X suit for a few years. As I type this it's on its way back from San Diego getting - yep - you guessed it - a couple of leaks sealed.

 

[Froggle]

We popped in to Vobster Quay for a couple of dives yesterday to wash the salt off the gear after a weekend diving in Plymouth (UK). One of our group had split the neck seal on his dry suit so used a semi-dry in the quarry. We ended the first dive after 30 minutes as he was freezing and we had to keep the second dive short and shallow (above the thermocline) so that he could join us.
Air temp was 24 deg C but the water was 10 deg in places.
In Plymouth the water was 16 degrees and when you're diving for an hour at a time and doing a couple of dives a day you really need to be using a dry suit even in those conditions. I did not see a single diver on any of the 3 boats that went out over the weekend using a wetsuit or semi-dry.