My new dry suit...

[doctormike]

Mike,

Do have the suit checked out. Not being able to lift your knees while standing is important. I have trouble doing just that since I gained weight and can tell you it's important from experience. You may not think about it while standing in your living room but will definitely be hindered once you are in the water and trying to climb a ladder back onto a boat! Or climb a set of stairs. Especially if the rungs of the ladder are far apart or the stairs are deep.

Paula

Hi...

Just to follow up.. had a great time diving the Catalina kelp forests with the suit.. the tightness in the knees was a bit noticeable, though. The guys at Diving Concepts were terrific, though, and they spoke to me at length about this.

I think that I'll take the suit over to my LDS and have it sent in for a bit of leg lengthening (not such a big deal, according to the guy at Diving Concepts), and maybe add the zip seals for the wrist.

Thanks for all your advice..

Mike

 

[diver_paula]

Hi...

Just to follow up.. had a great time diving the Catalina kelp forests with the suit.. the tightness in the knees was a bit noticeable, though. The guys at Diving Concepts were terrific, though, and they spoke to me at length about this.

I think that I'll take the suit over to my LDS and have it sent in for a bit of leg lengthening (not such a big deal, according to the guy at Diving Concepts), and maybe add the zip seals for the wrist.

Thanks for all your advice..

Mike

Mike,

Very cool! Did you get a tour while you were there?

Paula

 

[doctormike]

Mike,

Very cool! Did you get a tour while you were there?

Paula

Didn't actually make it up to Santa Barbara, just talked to them on the phone...

Here are some photos:

http://homepage.mac.com/mikerothschild/SCUBA/PhotoAlbum217.html

 

[ChrisA]

I didn't realize that it was possible to "add a couple of inches" to a custom suit. How would they do that? Would they basically have to rebuild the whole bottom section?
Mike

I think DUI suits are cut on the large side. It makes then easy to take on and off put they are nt so streamlined. I noticed the swimming drag the first time I tried one.

I've been told that adding or removing two inches is easy. It can be done at the ankles or wrists. They can take the feet off the suit adjustthe lenght and then re-attach the feet. replacing feet is a common repair.

I assume a custom suit is warentied to fit. The high price likely has warenty work built into the price, they know that xx percent get shipped back and set the price acordingly.

If you were to become inverted underwater you would need to be able to roll yourself upright. Do you have the range of motion to do this? Is so I think you are OK.

Worst case is that you come out here to So Cal and have to dive in a wetsuit. The water is warm enough for that right now. I'm fine at Catalina in a 7mm wetsuit. mid to low 50's right now at depth.

 

[doctormike]

I think DUI suits are cut on the large side. It makes then easy to take on and off put they are nt so streamlined. I noticed the swimming drag the first time I tried one.

I've been told that adding or removing two inches is easy. It can be done at the ankles or wrists. They can take the feet off the suit adjustthe lenght and then re-attach the feet. replacing feet is a common repair.

I assume a custom suit is warentied to fit. The high price likely has warenty work built into the price, they know that xx percent get shipped back and set the price acordingly.

If you were to become inverted underwater you would need to be able to roll yourself upright. Do you have the range of motion to do this? Is so I think you are OK.

Worst case is that you come out here to So Cal and have to dive in a wetsuit. The water is warm enough for that right now. I'm fine at Catalina in a 7mm wetsuit. mid to low 50's right now at depth.

Yup, had a great time at Catalina (see photos at link in last post)..! Diving Concepts only charges $100 more for custom fit (about $1800 for the suit, considerably less than DUI)...

You are exactly right about lengthening the legs, that is what they said they would do, just add more material to the boot end of things... the suit is on its way back for adjustment, and I asked to have the zip seals put in the wrists as well...

 

[diver_paula]

Didn't actually make it up to Santa Barbara, just talked to them on the phone...

Here are some photos:

http://homepage.mac.com/mikerothschild/SCUBA/PhotoAlbum217.html

Ooooh very nice! Gotta love the Garibaldis and kelp. I definitely need to get back out there. Think it was 1992 that I was working in SanDiego for a couple months and would snorkel after work. Thank you for sharing!

Paula

 

[doctormike]

Ooooh very nice! Gotta love the Garibaldis and kelp. I definitely need to get back out there. Think it was 1992 that I was working in SanDiego for a couple months and would snorkel after work. Thank you for sharing!

Paula

Yeah, it was great.. I was in LA for a meeting, but I made three morning trips out there on the fast ferry! I wish that there was something so easy and nice that convenient from Manhattan... Jersey shore has cool wrecks, but really not possible to go for a quick dive in the morning and be back for a noon meeting in midtown...

 

[TSandM]

Really enjoyed your pictures, particularly the one of your buddy taking pictures of the Garibaldi -- that's classic! Looks like diving in those kelp forests is eerie and beautiful.

 

[doctormike]

Really enjoyed your pictures, particularly the one of your buddy taking pictures of the Garibaldi -- that's classic! Looks like diving in those kelp forests is eerie and beautiful.

Thanks! It was a great dive... visibility not bad, either... now that I have my own dry suit, I really want to dive the Pacific northwest...

 

[diver_paula]

Thanks! It was a great dive... visibility not bad, either... now that I have my own dry suit, I really want to dive the Pacific northwest...

And how about the Great Lakes wrecks further West of you?