Probably saved myself $2K today

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Money pit is right. $280 Merino base layer, $140 NF base layer, $130 Under Armor base layer, $1200 heated suit and Valve, $380 fins (had to sell one pair at a loss as they didn't fit), $300 Kubi dry gloves, $40 merino gloves, $60 additional lead, $50 socks. Probably not absolutely necessary but $360 40lb wing, $380 5.1kg plate plus price of suit $2500. Wow, when I list it all I clearly need to see a psychiatrist. The quest for warmth has been the big killer. Admittedly I could have bought cheaper equipment and if I went a little slower probably could have avoided double purchases, but yes, it's been an expensive undertaking. Having said all that diving is my life hobby and costs less than several other addictions I've had. If my wife saw this I imagine there would be words.

Awe, come one you can spend as much as you want, just like buying a car or almost all dive gear. I you want a top of the line, best in class with every option known, it is mind bending expensive. If you want basic good, you can save a ton.

My D/S cost me a $800. Granted is was used (10 dives), but it was a pricey DUI, included fins with spring straps, spare seals, pee valve, carrying bags, etc.. I splurged $100 on a 500 gram polar fleece undergarment from ebay and $30 on on thermal undies at Walmart for a base layer. I re-purposed hiking socks and I have more gloves and lead than I will ever need. Is it set up for 34F water? hell no. For 40ish water its fine.

 

[Stoo]

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

If I was diving in 50° water all the time, I'd be diving wet too...

Having said that, I was diving in Tobermory on the weekend (put markers on the Niagara) and it was probably the coldest dive I've ever done. Two different brands of computer and one read 33° at depth, the other 34°. On the upside, it "warmed up" to 36° near the surface. I was in for only 40 minutes, but it was some kind of nippy! Topside it was windy, cloudy and chilly.

Had you been in your wetsuit here, you would have happily parted with your $2K!

Here's a shot of the interior of the Niagara. I went inside to get warm.

 

[eelnoraa]

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.

I absolutely agree with these. I prefer diving wet when I can. If I know I need to be moving around a lot, like spear fishing, urchin or abalone hunting, I will dive wet in Monterey. But to say a "proper" equipped drysuit is no warmer than a wetsuit, this is not a good argument. Surviving a 1 hour 45F dive is very different than feeling warm and comfortable in the same dive. Sometime, it is about comfort vs money

---------- Post added May 12th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ----------

Money pit is right. $280 Merino base layer, $140 NF base layer, $130 Under Armor base layer, $1200 heated suit and Valve, $380 fins (had to sell one pair at a loss as they didn't fit), $300 Kubi dry gloves, $40 merino gloves, $60 additional lead, $50 socks. Probably not absolutely necessary but $360 40lb wing, $380 5.1kg plate plus price of suit $2500. Wow, when I list it all I clearly need to see a psychiatrist. The quest for warmth has been the big killer. Admittedly I could have bought cheaper equipment and if I went a little slower probably could have avoided double purchases, but yes, it's been an expensive undertaking. Having said all that diving is my life hobby and costs less than several other addictions I've had. If my wife saw this I imagine there would be words.

Those numbers are in USD???

 

[al248005]

I think we all agree most would prefer to dive wet if they could. However us folks up here in the northern states that see snow a drysuit, yes is about keeping dry but IMO more about being able to dive at all. There's no way on this earth I could dive wet in 36°-39° like I do with my drysuit. With the drysuit, I can will do 2 dives in those temps on a regular basis and still keeping comfortable/warm at the same time. With a wetsuit I really wouldn't even consider diving in those conditions.

 

[buddhasummer]

I absolutely agree with these. I prefer diving wet when I can. If I know I need to be moving around a lot, like spear fishing, urchin or abalone hunting, I will dive wet in Monterey. But to say a "proper" equipped drysuit is no warmer than a wetsuit, this is not a good argument. Surviving a 1 hour 45F dive is very different than feeling warm and comfortable in the same dive. Sometime, it is about comfort vs money

---------- Post added May 12th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ----------



Those numbers are in USD???

Yes, USD, items bought locally (Japan) are pretty spendy, items from US or UK are higher due to shipping costs and around 5% import. My prices were a little off just checked CC wing was actually $430, plate $420 and kubi gloves $280, socks $44, fins $200 DR Exp plus Hollis F1s $175 minus the $100 I got selling F1s. Base layers bought locally. Heated suit MTM $800 plus valve $400. Oh forgot battery $800 More money than sense springs to mind.

---------- Post added May 12th, 2014 at 07:41 PM ----------

Upon reflection had I bought a BZ400 from the get go I could have saved myself maybe $2300 (including battery). They say don't go food shopping when you're hungry, I say don't go undergarment shopping after a cold dive. The plate I could have avoided by putting more weight in trim weight pockets. Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining about cost, it's nice gear and I'm happy with it, but was certainly richer when diving wet.

 

[Stoo]

Up here (...in Tobermory, where cold water was invented...) it's not just about being comfortable on the dives, it's about extending the season. I dove on the weekend, and there is still a lot of ice around. I stopped diving Dec. 15 or something last Fall. Diving in a wetsuit here, at this time of year is only manageable buy the young, the impoverished, the Sado-masochists and those that like peeing on themselves.

I've tried to explain the difference between diving wet and dry in the past, to students or younger divers I'm mentoring, and this is the closest I've come: Diving in a wetsuit is like standing outside in a freezing cold rain, getting soaked to the bone, shivering uncontrollably and taking hours to warm up. Diving dry is more like standing inside your house with your hand up against a thermopane window and feeling that same cold through the window. You know it's cold and miserable outside, but it just isn't the same.

I love diving wet in temperate, or warm water, but up in these parts, it's not only stupid, it's dangerous.

 

[scububa]

What's a wet suit?

 

[buddhasummer]

What's a wet suit?

It's what a suit becomes after being caught in the rain walking to work.

 

[mrose]

I have a great Aqualung Aquaflex 7mm and would prefer to use it over a drysuit. But between dives and during the second dive, I'm miserable unless it's 90 degrees F outside. I don't have a lot of bodyfat, so I tend to get colder than some of my dive buddies. I just started drysuit diving this season since I couldn't wait any longer to get started diving. It's been an adjustment, but I'm excited for the longer diving season and the challenge of diving with new equipment.

 

[doctormike]

I think we all agree most would prefer to dive wet if they could.

I don't agree.

I love my dry suit. Goes on quickly like an old pair of pajamas, very comfortable between dives, great pockets, and redundant buoyancy for my fairly negative and not-quite-balanced rig (double 119s).

I don't mind my 3 mm shorty for the Caribbean, but I really can't stand heavy wetsuits - hot, tight and uncomfortable on the surface or the boat deck, and they lose warmth at depth. Also, they take me a long time to put on (but it has been a long time since I was in a 7 mm wetsuit - maybe they have gotten better).

Look, there is a bell curve for everything, including cold tolerance. I'm sure that there are plenty of people here who claim to be perfectly comfortable diving wet in 40-50 degree water. There is obviously no argument that one can make here in this thread to refute someone who says that they are perfectly comfortable. Good for you!

So those people don't need dry suits. But for what I believe is the majority of people who would be uncomfortable diving wet in the mid 40s, there is the option of a dry suit. No argument there.

But I do take issue with the position that dry suits are some sort of ripoff. Maybe there are people who dive seven hours a day in freezing cold water in a wetsuit, but some of us mortals enjoy diving in gear that makes us more comfortable.