need help wet/dry suit?

[spectrum]

Anything other than a drysuit in NE is a complete waste of money in my opinion. If you plan to dive on a regular basis, you will eventually find your way to a drysuit. A brand new drysuit can be had (as previously mentioned) for $500. Add $150 for thermals and you are 10 times more comfortable than someone in a wet suit. The drysuit also allows you to dive through the winter.

Some hearty souls swear by wetsuits and perhaps they have a crazy internal core temperature that keeps them warm. I can't even remember the last time I saw a wet diver to be completely honest....

With that being said, I have a 7mm Seaquest Contour 7 wetsuit with additional 7mm farmer john for sale in excellent condition cheap.

--Matt

Wow Matt that's quite a perspective.

The $ 500 wetsuit is one thing that I agree on. $150 for thermals, I guess it depends on what you want, I only spent a little more at $200. Almost any diver will be past the basic gear phase before investing in a drysuit unless they borrow fins or have them provided for the pool sessions so in some cases new fins are part of the migration. I didn't really care for the security of a weight belt with the nature of the drysuit and undergarments so another C-note for a weight harness. Not being an avid outdoorsman I needed some socks and long undies that would wick moisture properly $$. Oh yea and another $40 or so for a dry hood. Before too long that $500. is looking closer to $1000 fully deployed. Eveyone's outfitting will vary but these are real typical costs.

If a diver plans any warm/mild water travel they won't escape buying wet gear to some extent.

I don't know anyone that swears by diving wet in the winter. Some have done it out of necessity but not choice. I'm diving dry tommorrow and have no qualms about being in the water. Working with the cold wet gear in subfreezing temperatures is not something I'm looking forward to but that is the price of admission to cold water winter diving. Many folks have no interest in going there.

As for wet divers I guess we are in different circles. I admit right now most of my wet buddies, maybe all of them at the moment are out of the water for the winter. We had plenty of wet divers here last summer. Maybe it's a matter of the crowd you dive with, I don't know.

It may very well be that you are not a cold tolerant person and that's just part of what makes you Unique. I dive wet with plenty of males and females who will be the first to say they are not particularly cold tollerant but they dive wet comfortably from June through October.

Don't take this a a flame or anything like that. I have a perspective that many folks read these forums as members and lurkers and I just wanted to balance some of your blanket statements.

I hope to get the chance to dive with you sometime Matt,

Peace,
Pete

 

[Green_Manelishi]

all i have to say is....
...............................
Unisuit

You use a Unisuit? You rebel YOU !!!

 

[matt_unique]

Do you personally dive a drysuit that costs $500 brand new? I'm guessing youre referring to a nexgen??? I did spend some time researching/shopping and it seemed like a decent suit was at least 1K+ (and that was an online price!). Add in undergarments, training (some shops won't give it away), books, accessories (p valve, pockets, knee pads, dry gloves) and your probably looking at another few hundred. At one point, I temporarily lost my mind and was about to drop almost 3K on a top of the line, custom DUI with all the bells and whistles (e.g. zip seals). I'll be the first to admit that I'm a snob when it comes to gear. I know that if I buy the cheaper [anything], I'm probably going to want the better one pretty soon. There are plenty of good reasons to dive dry, but it's clearly much more expensive than a wet suit.

My suggestion: Dive wet and just make sure you have plenty of natural insulation (like I do).

I dive the O'Neill 7mm neo suit. You can buy that suit now brand new for $500. When I bought mine years ago it was $750. When this suit dies I will buy another. I have never found a better bang for the buck.

I have since invested in dry gloves ($190). I did take a drysuit course when I purchased the suit.

I used to dive in April in my wetsuit. The moment I submerged in my new dry suit I could not believe I ever bothered to dive wet. It was *that* much more comfortable. Not so much a matter of tolerance but preference. Having gone from wet to dry, the $450 I paid for my wetsuit was a purchase I regret.

--Matt

 

[johnnyseko]

I've made the dry suit switch since this thread began. Several of us that were diving wet in January have since purchased dry suits, if that tells you anything.

Got it cheap on ebay for $300 (older unisuit). I dont plan on buying any special undergarments. Of course, this just starts the ball rolling. Then I had to go with a weight belt, different weights, no more integrated cause then I had to make the bp/w switch. Now I'm looking at steel tanks. Will have to upgrade my regs. New computer cause I want wrist mount..........does the maddness ever end?!?!?!?

With careful planning and patience, you can get the suit for less than $500. But you'll always want more/better gear! I'm not selling the wetsuits yet. Hope that I might still get some use out of them in the summer....

 

[bobby-in-mass]

well after much thought and looking around,,
I got the dry suit.
I found a good used suit with 2 different undergarments and boots for a good price
and decided to get it.
after all the replys on here the answer is plain to see... if I want to dive year round better go dry
if I was to buy a wet suit (henderson hyperstrech $400) for a little more just get the dry and dive year round
thanks for all the info
bob

 

[johnnyseko]

Congrats!!! Hope you enjoy it!! Maybe we'll see you out there.

 

[N.E.Diver]

Johnny-

I hope you remember me we went diving once or twice last summer with OSS. Anyway, I have been lurking again as the frost starts to peel...saw you got yourself some toys over the winter. Drysuit and a DSS BP/W. You will love the BP/W I went straight for the oxycheq as my first BC, and dove it silly last summer. I am looking at grabbing a drysuit myself...its used and if it fits should be right around 500. I can't wait to be able to jump in and out of my drysuit instead of changing in that parking lot at Wetherhill. Hope to dive with you in a few months.

-Andrew

 

[johnnyseko]

Johnny-

I hope you remember me we went diving once or twice last summer with OSS. Anyway, I have been lurking again as the frost starts to peel...saw you got yourself some toys over the winter. Drysuit and a DSS BP/W. You will love the BP/W I went straight for the oxycheq as my first BC, and dove it silly last summer. I am looking at grabbing a drysuit myself...its used and if it fits should be right around 500. I can't wait to be able to jump in and out of my drysuit instead of changing in that parking lot at Wetherhill. Hope to dive with you in a few months.

-Andrew

Yeah, of course I remember. We didnt realize we were both from SB until we got back online, right? LOL
I'm dying to get out and try out the stuff. Looking forward to the warmer air temps in a month or two. Definitely have to get together for some dives.
Good luck with the dry suit!

 

[matt_unique]

Wow Matt that's quite a perspective.

The $ 500 wetsuit is one thing that I agree on. $150 for thermals, I guess it depends on what you want, I only spent a little more at $200. Almost any diver will be past the basic gear phase before investing in a drysuit unless they borrow fins or have them provided for the pool sessions so in some cases new fins are part of the migration. I didn't really care for the security of a weight belt with the nature of the drysuit and undergarments so another C-note for a weight harness. Not being an avid outdoorsman I needed some socks and long undies that would wick moisture properly $$. Oh yea and another $40 or so for a dry hood. Before too long that $500. is looking closer to $1000 fully deployed. Eveyone's outfitting will vary but these are real typical costs.

If a diver plans any warm/mild water travel they won't escape buying wet gear to some extent.

I don't know anyone that swears by diving wet in the winter. Some have done it out of necessity but not choice. I'm diving dry tommorrow and have no qualms about being in the water. Working with the cold wet gear in subfreezing temperatures is not something I'm looking forward to but that is the price of admission to cold water winter diving. Many folks have no interest in going there.

As for wet divers I guess we are in different circles. I admit right now most of my wet buddies, maybe all of them at the moment are out of the water for the winter. We had plenty of wet divers here last summer. Maybe it's a matter of the crowd you dive with, I don't know.

It may very well be that you are not a cold tolerant person and that's just part of what makes you Unique. I dive wet with plenty of males and females who will be the first to say they are not particularly cold tollerant but they dive wet comfortably from June through October.

Don't take this a a flame or anything like that. I have a perspective that many folks read these forums as members and lurkers and I just wanted to balance some of your blanket statements.

I hope to get the chance to dive with you sometime Matt,

Peace,
Pete

Hi Pete,
Your description of additional costs sounds right to me too. That's assuming you want a weight harness and the other things of course. My rig is weight integrated (BP/W) and you would need to buy the same hood diving wet or dry. There is no way a New Englander does not already have lot's of good socks! I mentioned above you would of course need to buy the right thermals for about $150.

Comfortable is a relative term. I guarantee you would have a new definition of diving comfortable if you dove dry. Perhaps you are already diving dry. If you would not agree it was a huge difference you would be in the minority. I was one of these guys diving wet in April - I had the hot water before and after and the whole thing. I dove wet for years. It was after I dove dry that I realized what I was missing. I had the same experience when I upgraded my system to include dry gloves. Once you go dry you will never go back. My cold tolerance has always been the same as those I dive with.

I also travel to warm water destinations. The water is way too warm for my 7mm wetsuit. When I travel to warm water I rent a 3mm shorty or dive without any exposure protection. I used my wetsuit once since I bought a drysuit in 2000. It was to dive in the NE Aquarium G.O.T. and I had to pull at my seals several times to stay comfortable (warm water of course).

If someone is starting out, and plans to dive regularly in this area, it would not be a mistake to buy dry.

I don't take your note as a flame. If you're the same Pete who dives with Chris perhaps our path's will cross some time for a shore dive.

--Matt

 

[MASS-Diver]

I think it's best for most people to rack up some dives wet before they dive dry. Although it varies from person to person, I think it takes on average a good 20 dives before one really starts to develope halfway decent bouyancy skills. I would wait untill that point to introduce a second air space to be managed.


For a new diver, I would recommend either renting a wetsuit or picking one up cheap off ebay (for say, $100) logging some dives and then going dry.