Arnaud
Contributor
SD, you're doing the right thing. Just don't rush into buying a suit.
When I became seriously addicted and realized that diving only in the summer was going result in a major withdrawal, I took the dry suit specialty. There are a few places in LA where the suits can be rent, so I did not focus on buying right away.
The main thing about diving dry (besides being dry, obviously) is how good you feel after the dive, especially if it's the third or fourth dive of the day. The thickest wet suit still requires your body to warm up the water that's trapped inside the suit. This means more energy wasted and more air consumed than you'd need to if the water were at the same temp as your body. This also means that at some point, you'll feel cold in a wet suit. Maybe, you'll never have the opportunity to get to that point. But the fact is that the water drives away your body's heat faster than the air does (heat capacity). With a dry suit and the proper undergarment, you'll never get cold. You'll use less air and you'll never know about after dive fatigue anymore.
As far as the course goes, and as always, a good instructor will make the whole difference. Just keep in mind that it will take more than Padi's 2 ow sessions to get comfortable with the suit. But you'll get to learn the basics. It's really not that complicated. You will also get a sense for what you want in a dry suit.
Which leads me to my final point: don't rush into buying just any suit. With the proper care, a shell dry suit, unlike wet suits, will last forever. Well, at least 10 or 15 years. If you can't afford what you want, just wait. You'll be better off renting a "so-so" suit than owning it. It's a long-term investment, so spend your money wisely. It will be worth every penny.
Good luck!
When I became seriously addicted and realized that diving only in the summer was going result in a major withdrawal, I took the dry suit specialty. There are a few places in LA where the suits can be rent, so I did not focus on buying right away.
The main thing about diving dry (besides being dry, obviously) is how good you feel after the dive, especially if it's the third or fourth dive of the day. The thickest wet suit still requires your body to warm up the water that's trapped inside the suit. This means more energy wasted and more air consumed than you'd need to if the water were at the same temp as your body. This also means that at some point, you'll feel cold in a wet suit. Maybe, you'll never have the opportunity to get to that point. But the fact is that the water drives away your body's heat faster than the air does (heat capacity). With a dry suit and the proper undergarment, you'll never get cold. You'll use less air and you'll never know about after dive fatigue anymore.
As far as the course goes, and as always, a good instructor will make the whole difference. Just keep in mind that it will take more than Padi's 2 ow sessions to get comfortable with the suit. But you'll get to learn the basics. It's really not that complicated. You will also get a sense for what you want in a dry suit.
Which leads me to my final point: don't rush into buying just any suit. With the proper care, a shell dry suit, unlike wet suits, will last forever. Well, at least 10 or 15 years. If you can't afford what you want, just wait. You'll be better off renting a "so-so" suit than owning it. It's a long-term investment, so spend your money wisely. It will be worth every penny.
Good luck!
