is drysuit worth the cost?

[k ellis]

Ok here is my question. I live in landlocked Oklahoma where obviously we have no ocean to dive. I am considering taking the Drysuit course just for 2 reasons. One I am addicted to diving LOL I guess we all are to an extent though right? I got certified in October of last year and dove my poor heart out in many exotic places since then and some were pretty down right awesome.

Now considering a drysuit may cost close to or more then a grand is it worth the expense since I have found limited Dive shops open in the winter time making Air and nitrox refills difficult to find, second are they pretty reliable given the reasonable TLC and third are there divers in the lake waters that are pretty easy to find when the water temp tends to get cold enough to keep our beer in for off diving days

I appreciate all feedback as well

 

[sschlesi]

I don't know about diving in OK, but here in the cold waters around Vancouver/Seattle a dry suit is the best thing since bottled air.

Of course if your willing to dive wet in the summer, and can't get bottled air or buddies in the winter it may not do much for you.

 

[White Knight]

I dive in California--Santa Barbara--and I finally broke down and bought a DUI CF200. The whole set up cost me nearly $4,000 and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It makes cold water diving in cold conditions pleasurable. I dive more because I have a dry suit--and a good one. You will have to weigh just how much you will get to use yours in a land locked location? In short, the more you dive cold water, the more it is worth the expense. Good luck to you.

 

[shoturtle]

If you are a scuba addict and need a fix weekly in cold water, sure is worth the money. It a hobby, and we all feed them, if we can afford them. For a average rec diver who do not do cold water often, I would say no.

 

[NudeDiver]

To me, the big question is, are you going to dive in places where you need a drysuit?

If the answer is "yes" then the answer to your question is "yes". While YMMV, I've found that rental drysuits SUCK. Drysuit diving is enough of a PITA as it is (relative to warm water diving). Being stuck with a leaky suit that doesn't fit right doesn't help.

I bought my suit (Bare XCD2 Tech) for about $850 (+about $150 for under garment) in 2004. I'm glad I did, 'cause prices seem to just keep going up and up. I've only got about 15-20 dives in it - and it still looks brand new, but I can tell you that I am a LOT more inclined to go diving having my own suit than I would be if I had to get a rental. $1000 was a lot for me to blow on this suit, since I had already spent some $5K on gear the year before - but I'm glad I did it.

You can save a lot of money getting something used - lots of barely used suits out there. The trick is finding one that fits you.

Good luck!
nd

 

[Fish-R-Man]

Where I live, I normally don't do a lot of diving in the winter. I took a rescue divers class that had us doing the diving in March. We ended up at a lake in Eastern WA and it decided to snow that day. ( My wife didn't even want to get out of the truck) I was diving in my two piece 7mm suit. I was warm enough until it came time to get out of it. All of the other guys that day had dry suits on and just stepped out of them into jackets and what not and there I stood in the snow in a bathing suit freezing my tail off trying to get dry enough to get into the truck and something warm. That was the end of wet suit diving in cold water. I now have a DUI drysuit and it is great in cold water/weather conditions. It really makes diving in the colder wet months in the Pacific Northwest a lot more enjoyable.

 

[NudeDiver]

All of the other guys that day had dry suits on and just stepped out of them into jackets and what not and there I stood in the snow in a bathing suit freezing my tail off trying to get dry enough to get into the truck and something warm.

You guys take your suits off between dives?? Too much work man. Up here, if it is cold out, we just put a towel on the seat and sit on it with our suit on

 

[Divin'Papaw]

You guys take your suits off between dives?? Too much work man. Up here, if it is cold out, we just put a towel on the seat and sit on it with our suit on

Absolutely! If it's at all possible we leave our drysuits on. We often times take just the top off and use the suspenders to keep the suit up. If its cold, the suit stays up all the way. It's a real pain to have to take the suit off between dives. We only do that if the temps are warm enough that it's absolutely necessary.

In Indiana a drysuit is a must unless you only want to limit your local diving to between July and Oct or unless you're going to travel south for all of your diving. Once Nov hits the air is too cold and the water is starting to cool. In the spring and early summer, the air is warm enough but the water is frigid. My drysuit has been then #1 best scuba purchase I've made for my own comfort and to expand my diving options to include deep lake diving (aka below the thermocline) and 12 month diving.

 

[=C=]

yes. next question

 

[Fish-R-Man]

You guys take your suits off between dives?? Too much work man. Up here, if it is cold out, we just put a towel on the seat and sit on it with our suit on

End of the last dive... Long drive home.... Leather seats!