New to Cold Water

[SubMariner]

DRYSUIT!
DRYSUIT!
DRYSUIT!

Did I mention a DRYSUIT? :approve:

Seriously, in Ontario I dove wet until I finished Rescue Diver. I was miserable. I was always cold & my max downtime was 25 minutes, regardless of depth.

Then I bought a drysuit. It was a 1/4" neoprene that only cost $600 Cdn, but it saved my dive life! If it wasn't for that suit I never would have dove locally, nor progressed up the dive ladder.

After I moved from TGWN, I bought a nice DUI 350TLS trilam. Been happily using it ever since all over the world, including the Red Sea in March. I'm warm, I'm comfortable, and it allows me much more freedom of movement than any wetsuit with "comprable" exposure protection ever will.

Did I mention DRYSUIT?


~SubMariner~

 

[MoBayDiver]

I get the whole "ziplock bag" idea, and am sure that what I wear under the suit wil contribute as much to the moisture retention or absorbtion.
My biggest worry is the seals around the neck, wrists, and ankles. The wet crush is reasonable for what kind of depths?

 

[pt40fathoms]

MoBayDiver once bubbled...
I get the whole "ziplock bag" idea, and am sure that what I wear under the suit wil contribute as much to the moisture retention or absorbtion.
My biggest worry is the seals around the neck, wrists, and ankles. The wet crush is reasonable for what kind of depths?

Good thermal underwear is a must; however, try to find some thin underwear that is designed to wick the moisture away from your body at your local sporting goods store to wear under the thermal underwear. On the point of thermal underwear, one size does not fit all situations. Depending on how many seasons you wish to dive, you will need at least two sets. Thinner summer underwear and a thicker one for colder months would be the way to go.

As for seals, your boots are attached, so no seal problems here, unless you cut your suit and have a leak. On the topic of your feet, take a serious look at getting neoprene booties that you lace a pair of boots over top of. You will greatly reduce the instances of "floating feet" with this set up.

Wrist seals either work or they don't. You most likely will end up with dry gloves, so the inner wrist seal will rarely get used, as the glove rings will do all the work sealing the joint from suit to glove. If you do have a rip in the glove, the inner wrist seal *should* prevent the water from entering your dry suit. Wrist seals really very reliable, so I would not loose any sleep over it.


As for the neck seal, this is the one item that is hardest to get right. Too tight will mean a good seal, but no blood flow to the brain, and that’s not good. Too loose will be very comfortable, but will also leak. You will need a snug fit, and when fitting, go for a little tighter than for a little loose. When under pressure at depth, the tighter fit will not be noticed, just make sure you are not turning blue!

Finally, get latex seals for the wrist, and neoprene for the neck. The latex wrist seals are the easiest to fit glove rings too, and the neoprene neck seals are much warmer around the neck than latex. Although latex may offer a slightly better seal over the neoprene, the neoprene is in my opinion a better option if you have it.

I'm not sure what you mean about the "wet crush", I'll assume you mean the crushed neoprene dry suits.

They are good to any depth you can take scuba into; the same is true for the other styles of dry suits. The limiting factor is mostly in the thermal protection, as it relates to endurance on decompression dives.

 

[Fishbait99]

There has been plenty of good advice already posted, so I'll only add a couple of things.

If you're planning to buy a drysuit, the most important thing to ensure is a proper fit. A drysuit can be bulky enough without having the material bunching up under your arms or behind your knees. It can be a tough line to tread, but you want a suit that fits well while still allowing room for the thermals. And, as was already mentioned, if you plan on diving over a couple of seasons in the year, you will need more than one set as the temperature varies.

Also, one thing I haven't noticed yet is mention of the zippers. In my experience, the first thing to go on a drysuit is the zipper, and since they are very expensive to replace, proper care is essential. Keeping the zipper well lubricated will extend it's life expectancy. Inspect it regularly for any breaks or for spots where it is separating from the suit. (A friend of mine once jumped into the Northumberland Strait in winter, only to have the entire zipper pop out of his drysuit...he was instantly quite wide awake.)

Finally, I'm sure that even in NE, as in Prince Edward Island, the water isn't frigid year round. Sooner or later, you will want a wetsuit as well as a drysuit. I know people who dive dry year round, but personally, once the water nears the 60 degree farenheit mark, I just find the drysuits too warm. Not even a perfectly fitted drysuit offers as much freedom of movement or comfort as a wetsuit, and you can count on dropping a substantial amount of lead from your belt. (Although, I'm told the crushed neoprene or trilaminate suits eliminate this problem...never used one, so I can't speak to that.)

Happy diving!

 

[JDostal]

MoBayDiver once bubbled...
I will begin my certification process this fall (2003) and I look forward to the input of anyone regarding wetsuits for cold water, cold water physical conditioning, and equipment differences and adjustment from warm to cold water.

Don't get a wetsuit. Believe me. I live in Wisconsin. Yes, there are like three months that it's "warm" to dive here, but once you get below 60 feet you've hit a thermocline or two and it's freezing anyway. A drysuit will last longer and make you a MUCH, MUCH happier diver. Don't even waste the money on the wetuit. I bought a $300 Scubapro STek 7mm Steamer when I started. 1 year, 100 dives later and the thing is already starting to show significant wear and I've already squirted a couple of tubes of aqua seal into it trying to keep it together.

The high quality dry suits that my friends purchased (and I have now as well) have several hundred dives on them over the past 2-3 years and aren't even starting to get worn. It's much more cost effective to get a drysuit. The suit may cost you a grand, but you'll buy 3 wetsuits in the time you will own that drysuit.

And you will be MUCH MUCH happier. I can't stress how much more you will enjoy diving in a well fitting quality drysuit.

 

[JDostal]

.

 

[diverbrian]

I started in a two piece (farmer-john and shorty) 7mm wetsuit. I worked out all right until the surface intervals started to get cold. That's right, I said surface intervals. Let me tell you that wet neoprene is worse than useless as a windblock and that putting a cold wetsuit ranks up there with the rack and thumbscrew as a torture device for interrogation.

I now dive dry and love it. I don't dive ice, but I have been in thirty six degree water and come out toasty. Think about it!

Used cold water gear:

BC- but not necessarily on-line as I would want to try it on first. You will need either a back-plate and wings or a BC with enough lead to handle the weight that you will need to sink due to all the cold water gear. Our LDS sells BC's used all the time and they are nearly as good as new.

Regulator- You may be able to find an LDS willing to sell you a used one out of rental. Again, not a big deal as long as it is serviced probperly. This would not be a bad thing. If you do buy one on-line make certain that it is of a brand that your LDS can service and that it is designed properly for cold water. You certainly do NOT want a Caribbean regulator for cold water. Your likelihood of a free-flow increases enormously in that situation.

Good luck and keep us updated!

Brian

 

[Kelanore]

I just started diving in cold water this year. Before this I have done all of my diving in warm water. I just purchased a 7mm Wet Suit with a farmer John and a shorty over it for $234 new. It works well for me.

I have to say that the more I dive in cold water, the less the cold temperatures bother me. It is always cold when the water temps are in the high 30s or 40s. However, it is manageable. I would suggest that you rent a 7mm wetsuit for a few weekends before investing in a dry suit. You may find it to be a cost efficient solution while you are deciding how much you like diving in cold water and how often you are going to do it.

I would like to eventually buy a dry suit. Most of the people I dive with have them. It seems like people that dive a lot in cold water eventually figure out that a dry suit is much more comfortable. DUI makes great dry suits. They seem to range in price from $1,200-$2500 or so. There seem to be some really good deals on dry suits as well. Good luck with whatever you get.

If you are diving in a wet suit, i would suggest bringing a thermos of hot water with you. If you get cold between dives, it really helps warm you up. Have fun! good luck!

P.S. Give the wet suit a few dives to get used to it. My first few times I felt very uncomfortable. 7mm was much more neoprene than I was used to, and I hated the hood. I'm much more comfortable now.

 

[PhotoTJ]

It depends on water temp, and how sensitive to cold you are. I dive wet, in water down to 48F. I just don't notice the cold. I have friends that dive dry up to 65F.

 

[MoBayDiver]

I really appreciate the advice. And after a couple of days of reviewing your input, my wife and I have decided to invest in a dry suit AFTER a couple of cold water dives in my current wet suit. After all, isn't it about the trial and error. I love the advice about bringing a thermos with some warm or hot water, I'm sure it will help.
The cost is less important than my happiness and health under the water.


I would still love to hear from you about what "Cold Water" gear has worked the best for you. And about what equipment you would and wouldn't feel comfortable buying used.

Again, Thanks alot... :chef: