How soon to buy a drysuit?

[Doomnova]

I did my OW in a Wetsuit up in Victoria I've done all my dives since in a drysuit and I'm not looking back. Up here is a double blast of cold. In the water and standing around during an surface interval or waiting for the boat to move to the next site in the winter. Water Temps might be 38-42F and the air temp won't be much warmer which is also when the diving is the best here as there are not major plankton blooms going on like during the early summer and now(anyone for diving in pea soup). If you can to really avoid the feet first ascent you should learn to use your BCD for your main buoyancy control and your drysuit with just enough air to keep the squeeze off. Vent the drysuit as you go up first then the BCD. The smaller the air bubble in your drysuit the better and the easier it is to control.

And for gods sake stay away from Neoprene Neck and Wrist Seals.

 

[eelnoraa]

I'd also say switch now. If you are committed to dive in Monterey, dry suit is inevitable, so might as well do it earlier than later. And as for cost, a decent used drysuit, even a DUI, it may not be much more expansive than your current 8mm + lava rock. There are also suits like USIA, Bare Next gen, etc. they are more affordable, and good entry dry suit. Remember, the key is fit. If it doesn't fit, it is not a good deal.

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Thanks guys for the tips! And:

stay away from Neoprene Neck and Wrist Seals.

I will take this into account as DUI has choice of Latex or Neoprene seals. DUI has the zip seals and nice features. Scoring 20% off a new drysuit will make it somewhat affordable.

 

[meierdierck]

Well besides cost, the biggest issue diving a drysuit is getting used to buoyancy control to avoid the dreaded out of control feet first ascent. Will take a look at GUE courses on drysuits and instructor experience.

IMO not a big deal, its just a little different, (definitely not the biggest issue)... it requires a new skill set, and a little forethought, and it will be second nature before you know it, relax and remember, this is supposed to be fun... and not 100% sure GUE is the Ultimate in Dry suit authority.
Just my opinions, yours may vary...

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Well I decided to wait another year to spend the cash on a new drysuit. I only do 2 dives a day in Monterey and right now I don't really get cold enough to need one. Instead I bought a pair of steel dive tanks and the rest of my weights along with a compass and spring straps to make getting my split fins on/off easier in surf. I have a year supply now of nitrox air cards so my gear is set until next year when I decide to learn to dive dry. DUI has a weekend event this summer and I can try diving with the different suits to see how I like it then before investing the 2-3k plus in a custom drysuit. Since I am short and stocky, I will need a custom suit which costs more.

 

[Peter_C]

So what tanks did you get?

 

[ajduplessis]

How soon should I switch to learning, using and buying a drysuit for Monterey?

The moment the drysuit ROI makes sense.

 

[Tigerman]

Well besides cost, the biggest issue diving a drysuit is getting used to buoyancy control to avoid the dreaded out of control feet first ascent. Will take a look at GUE courses on drysuits and instructor experience.

The drysuit "certification" can be omitted if you just get an experienced drysuit diver to walk you through the dos, donts and recoveries.
The hardest part for many is to "re-learn bouyancy" and probably the single-most thing to learn is what to do if your start floating feet up, which really is quite easy to correct.

...
And for gods sake stay away from Neoprene Neck and Wrist Seals.

I dont agree at all.
I find latex wrist seals to be good, but I absolutely HATE latex neck seals as I find them uncomfortable and Ive quite honestly had a much easier time to stay dry with neoprene neck seals. You just need to tuck it properly INWARDS to form a seal..

 

[Ben Prusinski]

I bought a pair of steel 100 tanks and have a year supply of nitrox air fill cards so I am good to go until end of next year in terms of gear
After trying out the DUI drysuits this summer I can decide which drysuit meets my needs and save up. By then more experience and also want to learn underwater photography/video so a camera setup will be in the works. Just want to focus this year on basics and experience so I am comfortable in the water.

 

[Nwcid]

I am far from experienced with only 10 dives under my belt. The GF and I started diving wet as well. 2 weeks ago I found a Craigslist deal on a older used Whites drysuit with undergarment that had hardly been used. I was worried due to age that it would not be cost effective to get it ready to go. We were doing a "workshop" with an experienced diver and the owner of the suit let me take it and try it out. I got it for $350 so worth keeping an eye out.

All the seals checked out good so on day 2 of our classes I dove dry. I did not get a "certification" but did a check out dive with an experienced diver. For me my buoyancy and trim was WAY better, I felt more natural in the water. The floaty feet was very easy for me to correct when we practiced the skill. I really like it. I do need thicker undergarments for it though. Problem is now I have to find one for the GF too.