Is dry suit worth it?

[TSandM]

My husband did our first few months of diving in Puget Sound in a 7 mm Farmer John (so 14 mm on the trunk). It was his feeling that, at least in summer, there was little significant difference between the wetsuit divers and the dry suit divers, for the FIRST dive. The real difference lay in the second dive, where the wetsuit divers hadn't ever been able to get fully warm during surface interval.

When the temperatures drop into the 40s in the winter, though, the wetsuit divers definitely shorten their dives a LOT compared with the dry suit folks.

 

[boulderjohn]

When the temperatures drop into the 40s in the winter, though, the wetsuit divers definitely shorten their dives a LOT compared with the dry suit folks.

So how are things there, say, around October 12?

 

[TSandM]

Oh, water temperatures are still in the 50's . . . and so are air temperatures; humidity, on the other hand, is a bit higher

 

[boulderjohn]

Oh, water temperatures are still in the 50's . . . and so are air temperatures; humidity, on the other hand, is a bit higher

Well, now, that is downright balmy.

And I know about the humidity--I can hear it outside my window.

I feel embarrassed about toting MK3s all across the Olympic peninsula now. I hope there is enough lead in Washington to sink me with all this fluff.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, a Mk3 makes perfect sense to me. I put a 200g Thinsulate vest under mine, use argon, and shiver.

 

[boulderjohn]

Oh, a Mk3 makes perfect sense to me. I put a 200g Thinsulate vest under mine, use argon, and shiver.

Well, your oft-stated need for enormous amounts of weight is making perfect sense now.

 

[Lobzilla]

Dry suits are the way to go.

Don't let Lobzilla's experience sway your opinion, these are not the words of an experienced dry suit diver, these are the words of someone who doesn't know how to use a dry suit properly.

You can do anything in a dry suit that you can do in a wet suit, and you will be warmer and more comfortable than if you were in a wet suit.

Experienced dry suit divers prefer to go dry even in moderate temperatures. I dive dry when the water is 75 degrees or cooler. During inclement weather (wind, rain), I have even gone dry when the water was 80 degrees. While others are shivering during the surface interval, I was toasty warm.

I love the flexibility of the trilaminate suits. Not only is it easy to move around in a trilam suit, but you can wear an infinite variety of undergarments to suit the temperature. I can wear everything from a skin to a snowmobile suit underneath, depending on the water temp.

Oh, yeah, a trilaminate suit drys in minutes.

Harry, could you please try the following:

Hover horizontally at depth, loft the suit to your liking, adjust wing volume to be neutrally buoyant.

Now, rotate in a 45 degree head down position, hold there, and do nothing (except breathing) for 30 seconds. What happens?

Physics will take over and both the experienced diver and the novice will experience what an unstable equilibrium is.

The moment you get rid of the squeeze in a drysuit, you will have an air bubble that needs to be actively managed and compensated for.

Can this be learned? Absolutely, I got this under control in minutes (and according to Ed Hayes and another instructor well ahead of the normal leaning curve) because my brain has a lot of pre-exposure to highly unstable systems like uni-cycles and helicopters.

However there is no denial that the air bubble in a drysuit 'screws around' with you. If you are not convinced yet, try this in a drysuit.

There is no argument that a drysuit is warmer and will allow dives that otherwise would be impossible because of hypothermia (cold water, long deco).

There is also a very high probability that you will find me in a drysuit in less than a month. However, my wetsuit is not going to be sold, just benched until the next summer. I like to feel the ocean, become part of it (when temperature permits), float like an astronaut in space.

On an entertaining note: I asked several dozend divers during the last week about their preferences on dry vs. wet. There seems to be a correlation between diving and sleeping preferences. Wetsuit (whenever possible) divers seem to prefer to sleep as naked as possible wherelse drysuit afficionados seems to prefer jamies.

 

[Lobzilla]

My husband did our first few months of diving in Puget Sound in a 7 mm Farmer John (so 14 mm on the trunk). It was his feeling that, at least in summer, there was little significant difference between the wetsuit divers and the dry suit divers, for the FIRST dive. The real difference lay in the second dive, where the wetsuit divers hadn't ever been able to get fully warm during surface interval.

Absolutely true. Starting your second dive with a heat deficit is not much fun and tells you that it is time to take the hammer to the piggy-bank.

When the temperatures drop into the 40s in the winter, though, the wetsuit divers definitely shorten their dives a LOT compared with the dry suit folks.

 

[TSandM]

Lobzilla, I think what several of us are trying to say is that you CAN do anything in a dry suit than you can in a wet suit, but a dry suit is definitely a tool whose mastery has to be learned. Once you have learned to use the suit, there is no problem doing what you want to do with it. Using the fact that it requires some practice to master as a reason to argue against owning a dry suit is only valid, I believe, in the very limited context of someone who does not intend to dive very much or use a dry suit very often -- which may actually pertain to the original poster in this thread.

 

[Lobzilla]

Anything one can do in a wetsuit, can be done in a dry suit. I have dived with Uncle Pug, who is known for swimming around in the headstand position (I can't figure out how he does it -- I can GET into the headstand position, but danged if I can SWIM that way.) He does his ascents on his back, and generally regards gravity as irrelevant when diving.

It DOES take a great deal of practice to be that stable in all positions. But I have proof it can be done.

All right, all right, I am going to buy a drysuit and help the ailing economy. I am going to master it like every other 'normal' diver, and then I need to meet Uncle Pug.

What I do not want is to give up 'freedom' and 'minimum separation' permanently for the sake of comfort. These are highly subjective and more philosophical issues that only those understand who still use a tent/sleeping bag regularly even after having 'graduated' to being home owners.

What do I know about drysuits? Next to nothing. I got only into this discussion after some posts promised 'eternal salvation' by going dry.

Every coin has a flip side. Why should that not apply to a drysuit?