Drysuit in Red Sea in February

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

@Lorenzoid First and foremost, be properly weighted. Get all air out of the wing while still on the boat, and as much air out of the suit as you can. Double check and triple check that your dump valve is open. Do your backward roll and immediately go vertical, head up, making sure that your left arm is in a good position for dumping air. Do not bother trying to keep up with descending wet divers: you won't. Relax and remain completely still - no finning! - for 10-15 seconds to rearrange the air inside the suit. Your dump valve will start doing its job almost immediately. You may find yourself on the surface or close to it in the process but no worries. As soon as the valve stops dumping air, fully exhale and you will start descending. Remain vertical - head up! - and do not fin or inhale until 1,5-2 meters, then go into trim and continue descent.

Finning down from the surface sucks. You'll have ten liters of air in each leg and likely won't go anywhere unless overweighted. Graceful it ain't.

An alternative solution: add 10 kg of lead. You'll sink like a rock.
 
Last edited:
I would tell you between December and March you will want to have a drysuit with a thin under layer. A 5mm wetsuit during these months will not be enough for the average person in my opinion. At the very least a 7mm semidry is needed.
 
I would tell you between December and March you will want to have a drysuit with a thin under layer. A 5mm wetsuit during these months will not be enough for the average person in my opinion. At the very least a 7mm semidry is needed.

:clapping: Absolutelly. :thumb:
 
Well I guess you're either back or still there. I'm curious how was it with the dry suit?
I just came back from marsa alam last week, I used a 7mm. Under water everything was o.k., but at the surface it was freaking cold.
A very harsh chilling wind.
I would recommend a dry-suit to everyone during this season.
 
Wk 1 Feb 17-23 - Brothers-Daedalus-Elphinstone
Wk 2 Feb 24-Mar 2 - Rocky-Zabargad-St John's

Water temperatures ranged 21-22 (70-73).

Thanks to a lost bag I couldn't use my drysuit for week one and dived in a rental 7mm semidry wetsuit. It was okay but I was cold between dives and towards the end of each dive. It was especially miserable peeling off the wetsuit on the windy dive deck.

My bag arrived for week two and I was reunited with my Trilam drysuit, which I wore with minimal undergarments - juts the base layer. I was snug, warm and dry without a hood. Without question I would recommend a drysuit at this time of year.

All the other divers had at minimum 7mm and most had a vest or shorty in addition. The semidry wetsuits are warmer but they are also a struggle to get in and out of. The ease of donning and doffing the the drysuit is another big plus in its favour.

One tip from earlier in this post was to take your own hangar as the ones onboard won't easily accommodate a drysuit. I did this and was glad of it. You may also want to decline too much help from the crew as they are generally unfamiliar with drysuits.
 
anyone with experience diving red sea in july/aug?? whats the water temp like at this time of the year??
 
anyone with experience diving red sea in july/aug?? whats the water temp like at this time of the year??
Mid-August 29C in the North (Thistlegorm-ish), 31-32C in the South (shallow reefs and Daedalus/Brothers).
 
Mid-August 29C in the North (Thistlegorm-ish), 31-32C in the South (shallow reefs and Daedalus/Brothers).

sweet!! thats sounds nice and warm!! you think i could do 3-4 dives a day with just a rashvest and boardies?? or need atleast a 2/3mm??
 
sweet!! thats sounds nice and warm!! you think i could do 3-4 dives a day with just a rashvest and boardies?? or need atleast a 2/3mm??
I would strongly recommend to consider at least a 3 mm shorty. I dived dry and never regretted it. 26 dives in ten days.
 
Last edited:
After 26 years ill be going back to dive the northern wrecks and reefs in Late January 2018! think ill take my trilam ,how would a lavacore fair under it anyone?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom