Exposure suits

[rushingwaters]

I am new to diving in the PNW, I live just south of Salem, OR. I was wondering what everyone uses for exposure suits. Do you dive with a dry suit or a Wet suit? And if you use a wet suit how thick of one? ??mm.

I am looking at diving in places like lakes here in the Willamette valley and some places on the ocean like Newport Bay (crabbing).

 

[wkyongae@aol.com]

Most of what I see dive dry. But, for me I free dive and 7mm is the least I'd go. And as always remember what the seasoned divers say about the 3 f's fit, fit fit and then look at price. Better to buy once then wish you had when you're freezing your ( ) off in 46 degrees water. I also crab and spearfish just watch where you go and everyone will be happy.

 

[Matt S.]

IMHO, if you can afford diving as a hobby, you can afford a few hundred extra bucks to get into a drysuit. Even a used one would be better than diving wet.

 

[SkullDeformity]

A drysuit worth owning is going to be more than a few hundred dollars more over a wetsuit. And for people who don't usually have repetitive diving or going more than twice a week might find it harder to justify the cost.

Get a wetsuit with 14mm on your core somehow. So that could mean getting a vest to wear under a 7mm.

 

[Matt S.]

My $450 used drysuit disagrees with you.

 

[diveborg]

Since everyone's cold tolerance is different, it is difficult for us to tell you want to get.

Where did you do your certification dives? If it was locally, what was the water temp and where you comfortable in what you were wearing?

I know for myself, if I didn't have a drysuit, I would not be able to dive anywhere on the west coast, from So Cal to BC. I just can't take the cold. Almost everyone I've ever met diving in BC dives in a drysuit. In So Cal, I'd say about 25% dive wet and 75% dive dry.

My vote is DRY.

 

[PNW Dive Girl]

I did my open water dives in Hood Canal wearing a 7mm wet suit. BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

I dive DRY!

 

[Dean810]

There's good advice here. Decide how much you plan on diving. The more you dive, the more you can justify the extra cost of a drysuit. I've seen people dive in all kinds of conditions wet. Just not me!

 

[thelawgoddess]

A drysuit worth owning is going to be more than a few hundred dollars more over a wetsuit. And for people who don't usually have repetitive diving or going more than twice a week might find it harder to justify the cost.

it really does depend - if i was only doing 1 dive at a time and not going very often, i don't think i'd spring for a drysuit, but if you're doing multiple dives and going fairly often you'll most likely want a drysuit.

i get cold easy. diving wet, my first dive would usually go okay - but i definitely got colder faster than the dry guys. the worst part was i pretty much stayed cold, though, so the second dive would usually end up being rather short. you just can't get your core temperature back up very quickly when you're in a cold wet wetsuit, and if you take it off in between dives ... well, let's just say that putting a cold wet wetsuit on is not very nice. i was really surprised how warm a 7+7mm wetsuit will keep you, but "warm" is relative. if i was still diving wet, i would probably have 1/3 of the number of dives i have right now - if i was still diving.

in wetsuits, the fit is extremely important - otherwise they don't work and you're just swimming around in a bag of cold water. in drysuits, there is more leeway - mine isn't custom (everything's too long), but it still does it's job.

 

[rushingwaters]

Thanks for the info, looks like I will be looking for a Drysuit.