Is dry suit worth it?

[pjones]

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

I've found drysuits can have a down side . I am skinny enough to have a defined neck. When I look up or to the side you can see the tendons in my neck. The tendons lift the neck seal off the skin (because it creates a channel between the tendon and the oesophagus) and causes a leak. I can over come this by wearing an elastic collar over the neck seal but it still limits my neck mobility while I'm under. As an alternative to the collar I can pull the neck seal down as far as I can and that stops the leaks to a point as well. Both methods however still limit me to looking down and forward with little side to side or up movement. Apparently people can get leaks around the wrist seals too because of the tendons that run along there.
I am still new to this whole diving thing yet alone drysuit diving in general so its possible that somebody has other tricks to conquer this dilemma. I haven't heard of them yet though.

 

[CuNanoTube]

This is a question that I've wondered about too, though I should purchase a regulator and proper BC first. I can take 5C in my 7mm in 5 finger gloves without feeling cold so unless I dive in cold salt water I think I can get away with my wetsuit.

 

[ptyx]

Apparently people can get leaks around the wrist seals too because of the tendons that run along there.

Yes.
I always ended up with damp wrists on 'working' dives, until I got dry gloves.

The good thing about protruding tendons is that with dry gloves you can keep the inner wrist seal as a backup and just squeeze your fist to equalize - no need for that tubing/bungee seal breaker nonsense that lesser people rely on

 

[Uncle Pug]

then I need to meet Uncle Pug.

I can be met.

 

[dataless69]

Well on the topic of dry suits - interesting debate, I have to say that once you have one you'll never ever go back...

 

[Cruisin Home]

I dive wet in nothern Massachusetts and New hampshire from May to October with a 7mm one piece with a hood. it is a toasty warm setup. Coupled with fact that I splash in some very warm (almost hot water) from my shower on my swim platform I am never really cold. Only hands occassionally, particularly if gripping a bag or something. But then again I have got cold hands with drysuit as well.

On the other hand for winter or really deep long dives i have my dry suit.

for what it's worth, on two occassions this summer I had buddies with malfunctions to their drysuit that blew the days dives for them.

My wife did her certification dives wet in maine 10 years ago in late November and used the warm water trick and didnt complain a bit. I knew I had a winner and married her one month later!

I'd be interested to hear from other New Englander's that still dive wet into October. Do you guys use the warm water trick? any other tricks?

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

A large propane heater helps. I found the water tolerable for shore dives through November in ME and MA, but the SI's could be brutal and make it a one dive day.

For me, D/S envy would hit in the spring when the weather turned nice but the water temps were lagging.....

 

[Lobzilla]

I can be met.

I decided to give the overpriced trashbag another 50 chances to deliver the feeling of weightlessness I had in the wetsuit.

After that, I will look for that guy with the white anemone hat who turns his pictures around in photoshop

 

[Lobzilla]

I dive wet in nothern Massachusetts and New hampshire from May to October with a 7mm one piece with a hood. it is a toasty warm setup. Coupled with fact that I splash in some very warm (almost hot water) from my shower on my swim platform I am never really cold. Only hands occassionally, particularly if gripping a bag or something. But then again I have got cold hands with drysuit as well.

On the other hand for winter or really deep long dives i have my dry suit.

for what it's worth, on two occassions this summer I had buddies with malfunctions to their drysuit that blew the days dives for them.

My wife did her certification dives wet in maine 10 years ago in late November and used the warm water trick and didnt complain a bit. I knew I had a winner and married her one month later!

I'd be interested to hear from other New Englander's that still dive wet into October. Do you guys use the warm water trick? any other tricks?

I saw the warm water trick on a boat 2 weeks ago. If you look at the amount of heat that you can actually transfer to your body that way it is probably more of a psychological boost, unless you take a 10 minute shower.

My current approach is to heat from the inside as I have no insulation under the skin. I conciously load carbohydrates before diving and make sure that I am warmed up through mild exercise before starting the dive. As soon as I am back on the surface I refuel and try to keep moving to stay warm. On a boat, that's tough and a cabin heater or shower may come in handy.

The physiological challenge is that the body will clamp down on the peripheral circulation as soon as the core temperature is at risk of dropping. It is downhill from there. Keep the inner furnace stoked with food and activity and everything is fine. (Do not try this when shipwrecked or in other situations where no suitable food is readily accessible).

How you get into the fight with the cold makes a huge difference on how you come out of it. While camping in the winter, I shivered whole nights in an arctic down bag after allowing to get too cold before. At the same temperature, I was toasty wrapped in just a wool blanket after warming up with a 15 minute walk.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I saw the warm water trick on a boat 2 weeks ago. If you look at the amount of heat that you can actually transfer to your body that way it is probably more of a psychological boost, unless you take a 10 minute shower.

FYI: I have done the warm water trick many times.

When done before the first dive in cold water, it prevents the cold water from shocking your system - can be very nice.

When done after a dive in cold air after a dive (winter), it feels nice for about a minute, then I actually feel colder and worse. Probably the warm water fools the body into sending more blood to the extremities just as the warm water turn cold from the environment, causing a net loss. The result is miserable.:depressed: