drysuits for beginners...

[nemisis77]

Hiya... I'm new-ish to diving and have only used a semi-dry or wet suit before. How hard is it going to be for me to change to a dry suit and what do i need to take into consideration when using one. like the hoses and stuff???

 

[Afraid_of_Fish]

The weight you need to stay bouyant is a huge difference from dry to wet suits. If you dive in cold water, or an area where it can get cold, i would stick with a dry suit. Otherwise wet suits are less of a hassle. Peronsally, I like dry suits better.

Cheers,
Jess

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Hiya... I'm new-ish to diving and have only used a semi-dry or wet suit before. How hard is it going to be for me to change to a dry suit and what do i need to take into consideration when using one. like the hoses and stuff???

Get a trilam suit, not neoprene. The industry standard is the DUI TLS350; costs a lot but is the best (this is one time where spending the money really does make a difference). If you can afford a custom suit, that will make life even easier. I would stay away from the rock boots if possible; go with turbo soles.

Get bellowed pockets on each side. Aftermarket has to be glued on, and the glue always seems to come off. If you get it done by the factory, you will avoid these issues.

DUI has these new seals that you can zip on. Great if you ever need to replace the seal in the field. They are pretty new, so the verdict is not completely in on them. I have only heard good things about them so far.

I would also get them to add kevlar knee pads. It is not like I am sitting on the bottom or anything, but there are times where you have to be on your knees in the suit. This will protect you from problems there.

I would get an unbalanced pee valve. My understanding is that DUI only has the balanced type. If that is the case, you can get this added aftermarket pretty easily.

You also want the older style zipper on the suit. This is best for entry and removal.

If you have done all of this, you will be in a good place to start. Having a bad fitting suit will be something that you can't take enough lessons to overcome. So this is why I bring this up first.

The preferred inflation hose side is coming from your left. If you use a setup that has more than one first stage, run the hose from the left post regulator.

After getting the right suit, you can take a class with an instructor on drysuit use. You can get the hang in a pool in just a session or two. It is not a big deal but something you don't want to try for yourself without instruction in the open water environment.

 

[northcoast_diver]

The weight you need to stay bouyant is a huge difference from dry to wet suits. If you dive in cold water, or an area where it can get cold, i would stick with a dry suit. Otherwise wet suits are less of a hassle. Peronsally, I like dry suits better.

Cheers,
Jess

With a dry suit, you can vary your thermal insulation. That is the difference. With lots of thermal insulation within the shell suit, you could need as much or more weight than you would with a thick wetsuit.

The difference is your drysuit maintains its buoyancy as you inflate it to elimate suit squeeze while descending.

With a thick wetsuit, the neoprene compresses, and the insulation and buoyancy go away. Then you would be dangerously overweighted at depth, with your entire buoyancy depending on your B/C alone, unless you ditch all of your weights, which is also a potentially dangerous action.

So you are better off in a shell drysuit than a thick wetsuit, because you have better control over your buoyancy, at all depths. And an added advantage of the shell drysuit is that you can vary your insulation depending on the water temp.

 

[Diver0001]

Hiya... I'm new-ish to diving and have only used a semi-dry or wet suit before. How hard is it going to be for me to change to a dry suit and what do i need to take into consideration when using one. like the hoses and stuff???

It's not hard to change. It adds a level of complexity to your buoyancy control and generally screws up your trim to start with but after a few dives you'll get the gist of it. AFter about 10 dives it will start to feel good.

You should get some training. The BSAC and PADI both offer drysuit specialties to get you ramped up. Sign up now because in Oct, November the classes will be full.

As for gear, you'll need an extra LP hose and probably more weight than you use with your semi-dry. Depending on your mask and where your valves are you may feel the need to get a mask with a wider field of view too.....

As for drysuit features, there is more on the market than Trilam or DUI. Look around and make conscious decisions about materials, valve locations, seal types and so on.

Personally I use a compressed Neoprene suit and I'm very happy with it. My old suit was trilam and I wasn't so happy with it. It depends a lot on the suit. Go for fit and comfort but stay away from 7mm Neoprene because the buoyancy characteristics of the thick Neoprene suits just suck.

It's good to learn in Trilam, though. They're the easiest to keep under control. After you feel comfortable I would rent or try a variety of different suits to see what you like and what you don't.

Good luck and have fun. Once you have a drysuit you'll never want to dive wet again.

R..

 

[Beldiver]

Hiya... I'm new-ish to diving and have only used a semi-dry or wet suit before. How hard is it going to be for me to change to a dry suit and what do i need to take into consideration when using one. like the hoses and stuff???

As a new-ish diver myself the only advice I can give is try a weights harness that rests the weight on your shoulders. A standard weights belt around your waist feels ten times heavier and really restricts your movement.

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

Welcome to SB!! :happywave Put us in your computer's favorites and check in often. This is a great place to learn, compare, argue Look around our various forums - everything from New-To-Scuba to Instructors-Only to Dive Medicine.

You can get a lot of info on our Exposure Suit forum, but you will need special training!

don

BTW - Did you set up your Profile? Some ideas for your Profle might be taken from looking at mine. Click on my Username to the upper left, then click on my Profile, and see what I've done. For your's, click the [CP] in the upper left of the screen, then click [Edit Profile]. If you need any help, PM me direct.

 

[theskull]

You need live help, not a bunch of opinions from people you don't know on the 'net. For this issue especially. Find an instructor, dive shop owner, or seasoned diver who knows you and has seen you dive. If possible, know where and when you would like to dive in your new dry suit. Then thoroughly discuss this and look at equipment in person with your trusted mentor--by all means, get a second or third opinion in addition to your first contact.

But do this right, not from a quick post on a bulletin board. A drysuit is a serious investment that comes with serious safety issues and training obligations. AND, it is a wonderful addition to your diving if you do get it right.

Happy diving,
theskull

 

[headhunter]

Welcome to ScubaBoard!

Try reading and posting questions in our Exposure Suits forum. This is a subject that I have recently started to research myself and there is a lot to know. Read as much as you can about drysuits here on ScubaBoard, so that you're familiar with the issues that people bring up and then follow theskulls advice and check everything out in person. I think if you do your homework on the net first that things will make more sense when speaking to a "live person".

Dive safe!

Christian

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome Aboard!!!

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Good friends and good info. What could be better???

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