To dry suit or not to dry suit

[rlynch]

If the class is only 0.15 scuba bucks why not. Be careful you can spend 2-3 scuba bucks on a drysuit easy (or more!)
We use a slightly different scuba buck scale, big numbers scare us

 

[nimoh]

If the class is only 0.15 scuba bucks why not. Be careful you can spend 2-3 scuba bucks on a drysuit easy (or more!)
We use a slightly different scuba buck scale, big numbers scare us

warning: do not attempt to convert your annual salary to scuba bucks...very depressing.

 

[danvolker]

Going to be doing my OW certification in a month and a half. They offer the dry suit option for 150 dollars extra. I'm not sure if I should just get it now or wait. I live in the midwest and don't plan on diving much in the Mississppi. So this will really be mainly on trips and vacation spots. So I wanted to hear the veterans thoughts on if it was a good idea or not..

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

I bought one of the top of the line drysuits....and learning to use it is easy if you have diving reflexes, and at least chat with some dry suit divers... Easy to use the dry suit with mediocre skills--the way most dry suit divers do it--with way too much weight, and easy release of OVP air in the suit on ascent....to do it aT a Cave level, with precision buoyancy is still something you can learn yourself, but you need a lot of practice with much less weight and lots of ups and downs...

Personally, I hate using a dry suit...they are the GARBAGE SKOWS of exposure suits for drag in the water....expect to go less than half as fast with your dry suit on, or to work twice as hard to go the speeds you went before. In some dive sites, this is irrelevant. In many higher current areas with cool structures and lots of fish, it is a huge disadvantage to wear the garbage skow suit. I would rather be a little cold in my wet suit.

And I have NEVER seen a Dry suit diver that is not poky on dives...it is not their fault---there is just nothing they can do about it other than to use a high powered scooter.

 

[RJP]

I bought one of the top of the line drysuits....and learning to use it is easy if you have diving reflexes, and at least chat with some dry suit divers... Easy to use the dry suit with mediocre skills--the way most dry suit divers do it--with way too much weight, and easy release of OVP air in the suit on ascent....to do it aT a Cave level, with precision buoyancy is still something you can learn yourself, but you need a lot of practice with much less weight and lots of ups and downs...

Personally, I hate using a dry suit...they are the GARBAGE SKOWS of exposure suits for drag in the water....expect to go less than half as fast with your dry suit on, or to work twice as hard to go the speeds you went before. In some dive sites, this is irrelevant. In many higher current areas with cool structures and lots of fish, it is a huge disadvantage to wear the garbage skow suit. I would rather be a little cold in my wet suit.

And I have NEVER seen a Dry suit diver that is not poky on dives...it is not their fault---there is just nothing they can do about it other than to use a high powered scooter.

You need a suit that fits and/or is cut right. Plenty of people dive in dry suits in high-flow caves with no problem.

 

[danvolker]

You need a suit that fits and/or is cut right. Plenty of people dive in dry suits in high-flow caves with no problem.

As you may know ---- I know and dive extensively with some of the best cave divers there are....their "flows" in cave, do not compare to the "flows" of the Gulf Stream off of Juno and Jupiter..I have a custom fit TLS 350....It was fit to be as slick as possible. You could lie down on the bottom with a big current, in a dry suit, and your evil twin could lie down next to you in a wet suit, and the wet suit wearing twin would be blown around much less than the wet suit wearing twin

 

[rlynch]

Dan that may be true in S FL regarding a wetsuit. But as you well know not all dives are wet suit compatible (cold, gas volume, depth, etc)
I think the topic should be focused at where the OP is diving and then go on conditions and need. If just vacation diving in warm waters, dry suit class is an unneeded expense. If cold water diving a lot it's cheap and will extend your enjoyment.
I choose to dive dry most of the time, I don't like being cold, it keeps my skills sharp, and I usually am in steel doubles. I don't subscribe to the theory of choose the best rig etc for the particular dive b/c it builds jack of all trades/ master of none habits.
I take exposure suits that fit the env, even wetsuits depending on where I'm at and the dives I'm doing. Hawaii it's a wetsuit in the summer and dry in the winter.

 

[danvolker]

I agree of course, If I am going tech depths even in summer, it could be 55 on the bottom in S fl....so a dry suit is the tool.
The OP may well do MOST of his diving in warm water vacations, in which he would want a wet suit.

I am a bit jaded, in that I do live in Palm Beach, and have little need to go anywhere it is cold.....I'll do Catalina again some time, and use my Dry suit for that--but it has no currents, so there is little penalty there, only pluses.

I don't know if the Op knows where he will do most of his dives....at least now he has heard that there are some real negatives to be expressed about dry suits in warm water.

 

[rlynch]

yep warm water rec dives, don't bother with the drysuit.

 

[RJP]

As you may know ---- I know and dive extensively with some of the best cave divers there are....their "flows" in cave, do not compare to the "flows" of the Gulf Stream off of Juno and Jupiter..I have a custom fit TLS 350....It was fit to be as slick as possible. You could lie down on the bottom with a big current, in a dry suit, and your evil twin could lie down next to you in a wet suit, and the wet suit wearing twin would be blown around much less than the wet suit wearing twin

A wetsuit is certainly more streamline, no doubt. But I've been in plenty of flow, current, surge etc in my two drysuits (TLS-350 and 30/30) and never had a problem to the point of wishing I had a wetsuit on instead.

PS - my evil twin is an only child.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

A wetsuit is certainly more streamline, no doubt. But I've been in plenty of flow, current, surge etc in my two drysuits (TLS-350 and 30/30) and never had a problem to the point of wishing I had a wetsuit on instead.

PS - my evil twin is an only child.

I find my legs are more tired and my SAC both consistently show I work harder when diving dry. This in zero current situations, same dive site, same depth.

I am sure my d/s is not streamlined, its an off-the rack DUI CFX (used) and spending 2K on a new custom suit might help a bit. But its a no-brainer for me, when the temps permit, I dive wet.