Drysuit for my daughter

[jwalko]

Hey all:

Not sure if I should post this here or under gear. I was hoping to get a couple of more responses here.

I am thinking of buying a dry suit for my daughter. She would like to extend her diving season, but it simply is too cold in the spring for her to dive in a wet suit. I was thinking of holding off for a little while, but I came across a good deal on a couple of dry suits (kind of the "too good to pass up" deal).

Anyway, the two suits I am considering are both from Mares. One is the Dry Fit and the other is the Ice fit. Both are crushed neoprene.

I dive a shell suit. How different is crushed neoprene than a shell...other than the buoyancy of a neoprene suit (3.5mm crushed and 4mm crushed for each suit)?

Is it easier to control/maintain the "air bubble" in a neoprene suit than a shell suit, or doesn't that make a difference? Maybe a different way of asking, does it require less air, making buoyancy easier to maintain?

May sound like a dumb question, but do you still wear the same type of undergarments with a neoprene suit (I assume just not as much/heavy an undergarment)?

Any one have any experience with Mares dry-suits and would you recommend them?

She won't be diving any wrecks or enclosed environments. This is simply for her to get more diving into her year. Oh...she is 16 and almost done growing (at least I hope...buying new gear every couple of years gets expensive...lol). So if I get her one, she should be able to use it for a couple of years.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks;

John Walko

 

[elan]

IMHO go with a shell suit. Bare NexGen is a good inexpensive option, neoprene ones still change buoyancy characteristics and the thicker they are the more "dead weight" you will have on the bottom dry suit for dry - undergarment for warmth

 

[SteveAD]

You didn't mention her age. If she is still growing definitely look at the whites fusion. I would not recomend either of the ones you mentioned.

 

[spectrum]

jwalko

The Crushed neoprene suits you are considering will be stable in terms of material buoyancy... the foam is crushed and pretty stable after that. It will have a little more inherent warmth and a shell but not enough to dive without an undergarment. It will dive nice but will be a little heavy topside and will be slow to dry. If the price and fit are right then she may enjoy it for a few years.

Since you still rely mainly on the undergarment for warmth the need for injected air will be similar.

If you have the $$ to spend odds are she can get into a Fusion with room to grow.

Nothing wrong with a shell suit but sweetheart deals are harder to find.

A full neoprene is a whole different beast. That can be used with considerably less garment but it has of of the neoprene dynamics of a heavy wetsuit. That's what I have... for now.

Pete

 

[MDJ1016]

Not an expert here, but age is the first consideration. Does she have all her “other gear” (reg set, good BC, computer, etc.?) Dry suits are nice but not required to dive the normal season. (Yeah yeah throw the eggs now!) One thing you might want to check (again age is going to dictate if a dry suit is even applicable) is a semi-dry suit. Last month I attended an ice diving event and as a spectator it was somewhat chilly. There were two ladies that had the semi-dry suits and didn’t seem phased to bad by the water temp. Of course dry is the way to go, but it also may come down to a personal preference.
Many of the major wetsuit manufactures make these semi-dry suits so most any LDS should have them. If you are into Michigan anytime soon I would be happy to offer a few LDS recommendations.

 

[jwalko]

Ok...a little more information...

I was considering a semi-dry for her. In fact, I may rent one from my LDS for a dive we are planning on in April. Where we are going to dive, the surface temp will be in the 40's and it will be in the upper 30's at depth...in other words...COLD.

The only reason I am considering these suits is because a semi-dry goes for $450-500. I can purchase one of these dry-suits for under $400 (yep...a good deal). I don't mind spending the money if she'll get use out of the suit and if the learning curve isn't too steep (contending with buoyancy issues, managing the "air bubble", etc.). But, I don't want to just throw the money away.

I've never even seen a neoprene dry suit, much less tried one out, which is the reason I'm asking the questions. I've only ever used, and talked to other divers who've used shell suits. I currently dive a Bare dry suit and really like it...but it is closer to the $1000 mark and I was hoping to not spend that much on her right now (at least until she gets a job...lol). I really like the Whites Fusion from what I've read about them, but again...more than I would like to spend right now. I am thinking about it like this...for the price I can get the crushed neoprene suit, I could probably break even selling it if she decides she doesn't like it. I was just looking for feedback to tell me if I shouldn't even consider it for this reason or that reason...or if I should...

She is 16 and about 5'8"...dives mostly warm water when we are on vacation (a couple of times a year), but has been doing more local diving with me in colder water...the place we normally go is always cold below 40'...almost never above about 40-45 degrees. Surface temps are cold in the spring, but will warm up in the summer and fall...maybe getting into the 60 degree range by late summer. She normally dives a 5 mil wet suit with a 5 mil hooded vest (so 10 mil over her core), 5 mil gloves and boots when diving locally. She is OK in 55-60 degree water for about a half hour...then starts to get cold in the wet suit.

Thanks;

John

 

[elan]

crushed neoprene suits are heavier and dry longer