How hard is it to adjust to a drysuit?

[jjmochi]

Hi,

I dive mostly in a 3mm full in 28-30C waters. However I have a trip next year in Komodo and Bali where I'll be doing 4 dives a day on a 7 day liveaboard and some sites have thermocline and are as cold as 20‐22C. I dove Penida 3 years ago in a 6mm full rental, for 2 dives only, for just 1 day, and was pretty cold when the thermoclines hit and was super cold by the end of the day. Dive log says temps were 22 and 24C. I'm worried that a 5mm wetsuit may not be warm enough even with addition of a 3mm hood and vest which I didn't have last time.

There is a Scubapro Everdry 4 on sale in the classified section in my size, and I'm considering whether I should try a dry suit. I'm not sure how much harder it is to switch from wet to dry- it sounds like it should feel pretty similar to a 4mm wetsuit, and only difference being having to add some air on descent and remembering to vent when ascending? I haven't taken a course but can if needed.

Any idea how much additional weight I need to add? I am ~107lb and in my 3mm I need 4kg of weight.

I will not be diving below 20C so this is just to solve for the 20‐25 degree range. I don't want to get a 7mm wetsuit as I already felt I could barely move in the 6mm rental. I will not be buying a new one as I will not be doing a ton of diving in that temperature range, only 1-2 trips a year. But if the transition from wet to dry is not too hard, I wouldn't mind spending $500 on a used one to try it out.

Thanks!

 

[Outbound]

First off, if you are considering drysuit diving, DEFINITELY get certified. Personally, I didn't find it all that difficult to get used to, and the Everdry4 swims very much like a wetsuit with only a little air needed to stave off a squeeze. But still, drysuit diving can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing and get inverted and end up making a runaway ascent. It adds another task to your load, so get certified and get some practice in before your trip.

As for weighting, obviously that will differ for everyone. But I use 4 pounds of lead with a 3mm full suit in salt water with my gear. In the Everdry4 I used to dive, I used 14 lbs. in fresh water (never dove in salt water with it) with the same gear. That was with a layer of Patagonia Capilene 4 underneath the suit. The Everdry is pretty warm as is, so you would probably just need a thin base layer.

Just to reiterate because I think it's important: get drysuit certified if you are thinking about diving with a drysuit. That's an added expense, so you might just want to get yourself a 7mm wetsuit instead.

 

[EireDiver606]

Get training from a good instructor whether it’s a course or not, no need to get officially certified. I’d recommend against the Scubapro everydry, it’s not a well thought drysuit.

 

[W W Meixner]

Hi,

I dive mostly in a 3mm full in 28-30C waters. However I have a trip next year in Komodo and Bali where I'll be doing 4 dives a day on a 7 day liveaboard and some sites have thermocline and are as cold as 20‐22C. I dove Penida 3 years ago in a 6mm full rental, for 2 dives only, for just 1 day, and was pretty cold when the thermoclines hit and was super cold by the end of the day. Dive log says temps were 22 and 24C. I'm worried that a 5mm wetsuit may not be warm enough even with addition of a 3mm hood and vest which I didn't have last time.

There is a Scubapro Everdry 4 on sale in the classified section in my size, and I'm considering whether I should try a dry suit. I'm not sure how much harder it is to switch from wet to dry- it sounds like it should feel pretty similar to a 4mm wetsuit, and only difference being having to add some air on descent and remembering to vent when ascending? I haven't taken a course but can if needed.

Any idea how much additional weight I need to add? I am ~107lb and in my 3mm I need 4kg of weight.

I will not be diving below 20C so this is just to solve for the 20‐25 degree range. I don't want to get a 7mm wetsuit as I already felt I could barely move in the 6mm rental. I will not be buying a new one as I will not be doing a ton of diving in that temperature range, only 1-2 trips a year. But if the transition from wet to dry is not too hard, I wouldn't mind spending $500 on a used one to try it out.

Thanks!

JJM...

A few things...ScubaPro Everdry 4...are sized one size small...be very careful buying a used one...inherent design flaw with the zipper wanting to bite into the inner tongue...I had one and there was a warning note in the package advising the owner of this...and if care was not taken when closing the zipper...the zipper could be permanently damaged form biting into the tongue...and SP would not cover the damage...

A properly fitting dry-suit/UG combo should be no more buoyant than a properly fitting 7mm wet-suit...

Preferably with a friend...perform your buoyancy check in the shallows or pool just as you did during your OW training...starting with smaller weights first...you should be dialed in within five minutes...forget trying calculations...there's too many variables...

Personally...I wouldn't buy a dry-suit that you can't don/doff yourself...stay away from rear zippers...

You may want to consider a Semi-dry/with hood...BARE has a good one...dry wrist/leg seals/dry zipper...excellent suit...with 5mm gloves/5mm boots you will stay warm...LeisurePro always has this suit on mark-down...this suit has an ''across the chest'' horizontal zipper...it is a ''Master T-Zip'' dry zipper...I have one of these as an emergency back-up to my dry-suit...I think it's the best sem-dry on the market...I've dove with it in 42 degrees C...Georgian Bay water...half hour bottom time...

Wet/Dry/or Semi...make sure you take your suit off between dives...turn it inside out...to let it dry...it will dry quickly on a LAB...

Initially...I did take a dry-suit course...having said that...most of what I learned I discovered on my own...to me a dry-suit is 90% proper fit...and 10% everything else...problems with an improperly fitting suit...especially if it's too large...cannot be solved with gaiters...lead...or anything else...once the air is trapped in over-bulk it stays trapped...

Best of luck...

Warren

 

[decompression]

Thermulation heated vest......$500.