Quest to become a local Nor Cal diver...and drysuit diver

[fisheater]

Don't be so quick to want to add integrated weights to your BP/W.

With steel tank and all the lead you'll need to sink that drysuit and undergarments, your scuba unit would get real heavy, real fast.

Also, consider getting the DSS weight plates.

Lastly, Otter Bay custom hoods cannot be beat. They may be uncomfortable above the water, but under the water you're head will be comfortable and, more importantly, warm.

 

[Peter_C]

All DUI suits made today are custom. The TLS350 is a nice suit. They also have a suit even more flexible but I haven't researched them at all. As others have stated just jump into a pool in your new drysuit and new back plate and wing to get some practice in before heading into the ocean. Forget the word wetsuit. Do get a 12mm Otter Bay hood as suggested above. The wing you have now probably is barely big enough to float a full HP100 or bigger tank. I run a channel filled with lead on my BP/W, dive an HP130 and use a 40lb wing to keep it afloat without me in it. Most find a 30-35lb wing is perfect for them. I am also one of the people that swear by a weight belt. What happens if you have to remove your scuba unit and don't have a weight belt to keep your neutral? Try donning and doffing in the pool for practice. Thick gloves or even dry gloves make every task harder, and practicing in a controlled environment will up your comfort level.

If you want some private or group instruction, in San Fran, to turn you into an excellent cold water diver get with Elliott Jessup (Or another diving instructor that teaches diving skills, gas management, and most important team skill building.)
Elliott Jessup's Page

Welcome to the amazing diving we have in California. I have traveled to dive some and always enjoy coming home for diving.

 

[ScubaERDoc]

Thanks for all the advice!

I talked to the guys at Any Water Sports and am going next week to try on some dry suits. Now I am locked in the classic Whites Fusion vs DUI debate, which looking at old threads has been discussed multiple times. I like how the DUI seems really much easier to get into and dries faster, but it appears that the Fusion is more conforming and dives better. I guess I just need to try them both out.

Also now considering DSS vs Halcyon. Again an old topic on this board. I understand that I will need to have some weight on a weight belt, but I have always liked having some ditchable weights on pockets bolted to my back plate. It looks like the Halcyon Infinity/Eclipse has 10 lb pockets and also a storage pak for SMB which the DSS does not appear to have. Also a weighted STA comes with the Halcyon as opposed to weight plates for the DSS which need to be purchased for $100.

As well, when I dive with flatter back plate systems, like my Zeagle Express Tech, the back of my head always repeatedly gets drilled by my Apek DST first stage, especially when I am trying to keep good horizontal trim...even with a crotch strap. I have heard that the Halcyon STA moves the tank just a little back and may solve this problem...while the DSS is a non-STA system

 

[Peter_C]

Most folks do not have a problem even in single tank diving with banging their heads on their first stages hard. You may be able to touch your first stage with your head all the way back.

Halcyon also has an STA that is filled with lead. You can also get a sock deal and put lead balls into it. My friend does that with his Halcyon plate.

I wish I had a TLS350 or some other kind of suit, like maybe a Santi. I would recommend checking Santi out. My Fusion fits like a glove, but it is a pain to put on. The pockets totally suck, but can be replaced, and I will be doing so. I have a CF200 that I like in many ways but it get heavy and takes forever to dry. I would recommend the Halcyon or larger pockets installed on the DUI of your choice. There are things you are going to want to carry locally that they fit nicely into the pockets. My preference is also for a built in boot like the Turbo Soles, not a rock boot or in my case Chuck Taylors.

Something I forget to mention which started being eluded to above. Sometimes we have far from tropical vis here. In fact that would be most of the time, since we have such nutrient rich water, which is what offers so much life for us to see. Therefore I would recommend color. Yellow works great! Black is terrible. Could be yellow, or blue webbing on your harness. I am not talking little blue H's either, more like the entire harness. I have seen yellow DUI TLS 350's that are easily seen underwater. Fins are one of the best places to add color. Oh and I would recommend a good heavy paddle fin in a drysuit. Something like a Hollis yellow tipped fin (The manufacturer is local!), or the tried and true Scubapro Jet fin in yellow. No matter what fins you decide on, spring straps are the ONLY viable option for shore diving in surf. Some will argue bungee works though.

Most of the folks I dive with are using a Hogarthian aka Hog setup. Here is the reasoning behind it with a simple explanation.
Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

Yes it means diving with a long hose. Most of us dive with a can light too. When diving thru kelp, having a hose tucked tight to your body is a cleaner routing so the reg doesn't get jerked around in your mouth. Then if someone does get in an out of air situation, the long hose means a simple air share and you can decide whether to grab their chest straps, or relax and come up slowly controlling buoyancy. A can light or bright flash light of some kind brings the color out and also makes the sometimes dark water brighter. When it comes to keeping a dive team together, they are simply fabulous. If vis is poor your dive buddy will disappear within 10 feet, but the can light can be seen for 15+ feet. If you can see your buddies can light, you do not even have to look at them since you know they are right there. I never dive without mine, even in the tropics.

 

[ScubaERDoc]

Wow I wasn't even considering Santi. But looking at all the SB posts, it seems that people seem to really like them and find them more leak-proof than DUI. Does seem to be a bit more $$. I wonder if it is worth waiting for Black Friday as some online stores have sales. Wonder if any of our local LDS will have Black Friday sales?

Thanks for the tip on color. I can't really see myself in a yellow drysuits but who knows. Maybe I'll end up with the Hollis yellow tip to replace my Apollo biotins (although I love those biofins!)

 

[TSandM]

Santi's prices are pretty much the same as the DUI suits. Either will run you $1000 more than a Fusion. If budget is an issue, that's something to think about -- I can put up with annoying pockets for a long time for that much money. On the other hand, if you are going to use your pockets a lot, having better ones might be a higher priority.

I have found that getting into my Santi suit is only a little bit easier than getting into my Fusion, but then again, my issue (which is trying to pull the legs up to get the boots on) may have been solved. The suits I saw at DEMA now have a finger loop on the heel to aid getting into the boots. That is one nice thing about Santi. They are always thinking and improving the design.

To the OP -- I don't believe the Halcyon rigs INCLUDE the weights for the STA. The STA itself is included, and "accomodates a weighted insert". So figure that into your price calculations.

 

[billt4sf]

We have been going through this transition, and still are.

There are two places that I know of that rent drysuits in the SF / Monterey corridor -- Bamboo Reef in Monterey (not in SF) rents Whites Fusions. They recently changed out their stock and got all (?) new drysuits. Diver Dan's in Santa Clara rents DUI suits -- their rental period is a week (for the same price as the Whites). They also have a pool -- they allowed us to use their pool for $25, which included the use of the suit and tank! But that is only when an instructor is present.

The staff in both stores is very helpful. Diver Dan's is a much larger store.

Good luck.

Bill

 

[Ben_ca]

Yellow works great! Black is terrible. Could be yellow, or blue webbing on your harness. I am not talking little blue H's either, more like the entire harness.



If vis is poor your dive buddy will disappear within 10 feet, but the can light can be seen for 15+ feet. If you can see your buddies can light, you do not even have to look at them since you know they are right there. I never dive without mine, even in the tropics.

You don't like my black drysuit? So are you trying to say you lose track of me but not of my light?