Just finished PADI Dry Suit Specialty

[oddible]

So I just finished up my PADI Dry Suit specialty and was surprised by how much of this course is related to dry suit materials and maintenance versus actually diving in a dry suit. I suppose that in order to include enough material to make a whole specialty course of this it was necessary to go into this much detail and make me knowledgeable about dry suits rather than just train me how to dive but about 3/4 of this course isn't particularly relevant to actually diving with a dry suit. I'm curious if this is common in the PADI specialties? I've only taken Nitrox and that was almost wholely focused on the physiology and diving with Nitrox.

 

[skyguy94]

I'd say yes, this is common to the specialties. What you'll hear over and over again on this board, and is the very accurate statement that "its really not about the course, its all about the instructor."

In the case of the drysuit course, I treated the "course" like it wasn't a course, but like I was paying for the experience of a knowledgeable dive buddy (which I didn't have) to help familiarize me with the process. The book and knowledge reviews were pointless because they were trying to explain things in writing that are best done first-hand.

Blue Skies,
Ritch

 

[spectrum]

Kind of makes you wish they required the class before you bought it all, huh?

I had the same experience with SSI. 80% or more was anticlimactic at that point.

 

[scubajim 1]

knowing materials and construction will help you make an informed decision about the type of dry suit you might want to use/purchase, but the course should have also considered the effect of temperature on the diver and the advantages of a dry suit in colder environments,that being said you should have had two dry suit dives at a minimum to get the hang of proper weighting and bouyancy control, and using the equipment.

As to speciality courses you will go into a lot more "depth" but if it is a diving speciality the knowlege should re-enforce and highlight the skills you'll be using as a diver. I think you'll find most speciality courses are very worthwhile.

 

[jscott099]

With the exception of knowledge intense courses like Nitrox, Computer, or Altitude Diving; the real meat of the specialty courses is in the dives. And, given that there are typically just two dives, as instructors we have to make the best use of these to provide the most skill building as possible.

Of course, you realize now that one cannot 'read' how to dive. We learn motor skills by doing. All the scuba texts are there to round out our education as much as possible.

 

[D_B]

Nope, that is not what was in my PADI drysuit class, mine was quite vigorous in training you to dive one, what the failure points are and how to overcome them.
Here is my report on my class and what a good drysuit class should teach you ... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/260824-padi-dry-suit-class.html

My experience with my classes compared to what I've seen here on the board is because of my instructor ... a good instructor will teach you what you need to know, it does not matter as much what agency he belongs to

 

[tracydr]

My husband is my instructor. We've been discussing what will be my drysuit class when I get my first drysuit this winter. It sounds like it will be one of the better classes that I will take, other than of course rescue. I think it really depends on the instructor. My husband spends a lot of time fine tuning buoyancy skills with your new suit which is great because you should leave the class with even better buoyancy skills than before, not just barely able to maintain the same attitude that you had in your wetsuit.

 

[SDiverJim]

We did alot of practice dealing with problems. Inverted with air in the legs, doing a flip and then orienting yourself, buoyancy etc. I do think it was the instructor. Luckily I had gone to DUI days for the open water sessions so a nicely fitted suit was a positive experience.

 

[--tom--]

Not common to be presented that way, but sometimes the instructor wants to fill in relevant information in response to a bad experience at one time or another. If the instructor felt he/she had made an uninformed choice, or spent a lot of money on a costly repair due to ignorance, the instructor may over compensate.

Without giving a automatic approval to the instructor, I do realize that my drysuit with suspenders, undergarments, and pockets cost more than a complete set of scuba gear. The instructor may be trying to save you money in the long run.

 

[didi440]

I completed my PADI dry suit specialty in June. It was a good class and I got several dives in on the suit. I did the book and went over all of that with one of our staff instructors who is a cave diver/tech diver. He put me through my paces in the pool -- how you get inverted, how to get out of it, how to adjust the suit, etc. He then stripped all my weights out of my belt and BC (I use both -- it's more comfortable) and we redid them all for both the light and heavy undergarments.

Then I went to the quarry where we do our OW dives with students. I was DM'ing that day and got several dives under the watchful eyes of another instructor who is also a tech diver. I completed the specialty that day, but still need to spend some more time working on my buoyancy.

For me, it was a great course, but my instructors put me through my paces. I love my instructors. They patient and thorough. They share from their experience as well. I often hear the book says this but real life is this, because of the conditions we dive in here.