Is dry suit worth it?

[scubamarketing]

One more vote for dry here. I used to use a neoprene, but now dive a USIA tri laminate and love it. It's so much more comfortable to get back into a dry suit than a wet suit and reheating between dives is so much easier when dry. I'd wear mine up to high 70 degree temperatures.

 

[porgyhunter]

Another pro Dry Suiter....I Dive a neropreme dry and it affords me great flexablity. All to do with under garmets. Not that more bulky than a 7mm.

 

[SeaHound]

Very useful info so far.

I live near Washington DC area and my diving has so far been in Florida and North Carolina. A few weeks ago I was diving Dutch Springs in my 3/2 mm with a 3 mm shorty on top. While swimming through the thermocline temperature was showing to be 61 degrees and that was the only time I felt uncomfortable enough to consider a wetsuit. The rest of the dive I was able to manage with my improvised 6mm.

Since I plan on diving Puget Sound, Channel Islands and BC area I would eventually need a DS. Can you not rent a DS from somewhere?

 

[Crush]

Drysuit threads are very common on SB. Look at this one: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/354287-what-drysuit-would-you-choose.html especially Thalassamania's comments.

 

[KaizerWilhelm]

I'm Pro-Dry Suit as well. I used to do two dives back to back up here in the PNW in a 7mm Farmer John and though I was good to go, then I got my DS. Total game changer. Im warmer, more comfortable, and could dive all day now. Get one. I dive a DUI CF200X, which is a crushed neoprene suit and a large undergarment. Nice and toasty

 

[Tanked]

I don't even know what a wet suit is anymore. you want to dive in cold water and actually enjoy it? Buy the dry suit.

 

[TSandM]

You can rent a dry suit in the Seattle area, and with the right credentials (dry suit cert) you can rent one in LA. But dry suits bring a new level of complexity to diving . . . if you don't dive one very often, you're going to find yourself having to pay a great deal more attention to the mechanics of diving, when you use one. I don't know about you, but when I am traveling and doing dives I won't have a chance to do again, or at least very often, I don't want to be paying more attention to buoyancy control and less to my surroundings.

 

[Scott]

Go dry or go home!

 

[Bogie]

Water temperature 50 degrees and below a drysuit is a must for me. I dive in Northern California with water temperatures from 45 to 55 degrees. I don't like getting squeezed by a wetsuit. Drysuits are excellent for between dives. With a wetsuit you get chilled between dives and then start the second dive cold going back into cold water. I also use my drysuit for buoyancy. The added air keeps me even warmer. When you improve your dive time past 40 minutes, you will really get the benefits of diving dry. It is also a bit of added safety because if your BC fails you can inflate your suit. You can adjust the undergarment to match water temperature.

If you are careful you can buy one used. You can find one at half the price of a new one. Make sure the zipper is in good shape.

 

[boulderjohn]

OK, so everyone is telling you to buy a dry suit. I think the results of your poll would be very predictable and wholly unscientific. If you understand the kinds of bias that are inherent in this kind of forum and this kind of question, you will understand why.

But that does not make it wrong.

I, too, am a dry suit diver, and had you asked me personally, I would have advised you to go in that direction. The reasons for which I would do that have nothing to do with the number of votes one way or the other. It has to do with the reasons for the decision.

Before I made the switch, I did not want to dive dry for a number of reasons for a long time, and I will go over each.

1. It looked like a lot of work.

OK, I saw these people putting wax on zippers, taking care of seals, putting on all that gear, etc. I said, "Man, that's too much." Now that I do it, I don't see it as a big deal. It isn't all that much work. If you are doing a day's worth of diving, it is a lot less work, actually, as you can leave the suit half on and just pull it up for the next dive.

2. I didn't understand the P-valve part.

In cold water, I had to Pee badly during dives. I could not understand how that worked with the dry suit. Now that I know I can easily take care of this without covering myself with liquid excrement, it is a plus rather than a minus.

3. I didn't understand what kind of a thermal advantage I would get.

Why go to all that trouble and expense when you can get the same thing with a wet suit? Well, you can't get the same thing with a wet suit. You stay way warmer way longer with a dry suit, and you can get in more dives and longer dives with it.

4. It costs too much.

Yes, a good dry suit costs more. Whether that extra cost is worth it or not is up to you. It is worth it to me.