Probably saved myself $2K today

[Malpaso]

Went to the DAN/DUI dry-suit demo in Gloucester, and after diving decided that I'm just fine with a wet suit. The dive was fine, no problems with the dry suit at all, but...

I was no warmer (50*F water) than diving wet
It takes a lot longer to suit up
It takes more weight

The demo was great. Every volunteer there was very friendly and helpful. I learned a lot about dry suits in a very short amount of time. Got a hat (nice hat) and lunch for the entry fee of $20, and snagged a DAN golf shirt for the closeout price of $10.

Most importantly, it got me in the water for the first time this calendar year.

 

[scubadiver888]

Was it a nice day? The one thing I have noticed is I dive wet and a lot of the guys I dive with are in a drysuit. I'm ready to go sooner than them and it looks like a lot of trouble but at the end of a long, deep dive in late October, early November I'm inside the boat hugging the stack trying to get warm and they are out on the deck chatting. Even after I take off my wetsuit I'm still damp and need to wear a towel for a bit. Between dives is the worst. Even by the time we get back to shore and I'm in my car I still feel a little chilled.

I cannot even imagine diving wet under the ice but the guys I dive with are diving year round, even when the water freezes over.

 

[alewar]

Donning or doffing a wet, cold wetsuit sucks...

 

[rhwestfall]

dives below the thermocline in 40 degree water.... sure, do it wet.. Maybe 1 or possibly 2, but that 3rd or 4th? Doubtful....

Its never warm in Tobermory, and its never warm below 80' in Lake Erie....

I'll take the "hassle" of a DS.

 

[Wookie]

Was it a nice day? The one thing I have noticed is I dive wet and a lot of the guys I dive with are in a drysuit. I'm ready to go sooner than them and it looks like a lot of trouble but at the end of a long, deep dive in late October, early November I'm inside the boat hugging the stack trying to get warm and they are out on the deck chatting. Even after I take off my wetsuit I'm still damp and need to wear a towel for a bit. Between dives is the worst. Even by the time we get back to shore and I'm in my car I still feel a little chilled.

I cannot even imagine diving wet under the ice but the guys I dive with are diving year round, even when the water freezes over.

+1. The drysuit isn't made for keeping warm on the dive, it's for keeping dry on the dive. You want to be warm, pile on the undergarmets. Being dry on the dive means that after the dive you can stand on the boat deck in a stiff North Atlantic breeze and not freeze your tookis, having a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

 

[PT4476]

As mentioned above if you are happy being a fair-weather diver and not doing more than a couple of dives a day then I suppose wet is OK but the last line in your post suggests otherwise. Diving dry will get you out diving earlier and later in the year and on days that are somewhat less than optimal for most other outdoor activites.

 

[Wookie]

That "lot longer to suit up" thing is relative. I can get in my drysuit a lot faster than someone can pull on a wet wetsuit, and probably a lot faster than someone can pull on a dry 7 mil. The learning curve is steep, however. The downside is getting my footies wet on the boat deck if I take my drysuit all the way off.

 

[Dsix36]

All this discussion of dry vs. wet is only relate to the individual diver. Both are tools to manage a dive and both have pros and cons.

the time may come when the OP begins to do the kind of dives that will make the thought process start over on this topic. I know for me that a drysuit is an absolute necessity unless i only want to dive 3 months out of the year.

The final straw in my decision was when I blew off a considerable amount of deco just to get out of the water and warm up. i had begun to shiver so violently that I bit the tabs off my mouthpiece and was forced to hold it in my mouth with my hand. I made a conscious decision that suffering DCS in a warm chamber was far better than continuing the current torture and still risking DCS from my coldness.

To each his own, works in this matter.

 

[eelnoraa]

I was no warmer (50*F water) than diving wet

That is because the undergarment of choice.

It takes a lot longer to suit up

I believe this is because it is your first time. Once you get used to it, putting on drysuit is faster, especially on 2nd and onward dives.

It takes more weight

I can't argue this

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Every response so far is pro drysuit.
Typical scubaboard.

How about this,
Diving wet is a lot sleeker, there's no baggy fabric interfering with a smooth slipstream.
Wetsuits are way less prone to problems such as torn seals, faulty zippers, holes and leaks.
Wetsuits don't have catastrophic failures.
Wetsuits can withstand a lot more abuse and are easily repaired.

Wetsuits are way cheaper both initially and in the long run. Even a nice custom suit is less money than a nice drysuit.
I think drysuits are overpriced and a ripoff.
I have some very nice custom wetsuits that I use in 45 degree water when it gets that cold here.
People who constantly bash wetsuits don't know much past what is available off the rack in a store. There is a whole separate world once you get into the custom world, better neoprene, better fit, better designs.
Urchin divers around here dive 5 to 7 hours a day in freezing cold water in wetsuits. They are used to it.
If someone is comfortable in a wetsuit there's no reason to go into a drysuit unless you want to waste money.