To those of you who dive dry....

[jiveturkey]

Right now, I use a 5mm semi dry with a 5mm shortie over it. I've never dived in the winter but this summer I decided I'd give it a shot this year. Well, winter came around and I wimped out. There's no way I'm getting in with my current setup. It was cold enough in November.

My question is, just how warm and comfortable are you in a drysuit? Too warm? Just right? Cold but tolerable? Just how much nicer is it to dive dry in cold water?

 

[BILLB]

I usually explain it this way: Diving Dry is no different than bundling up to shovel snow off your drive way. You know it is cold and certainly aware that it is cold. Because you have layered insulating clothing when shoveling snow (or under a dry suit when diving) your body conserves heat which allows you to stay out in the cold longer before it becomes uncomfortable.

Personally, I am comfortable in cold water (40 F) in a dry suit. It is how you layer the undergarments that keep you comfortable. My hands do get a bit numb wearing wet gloves but it is not intolerable. Dry gloves are available for an additional charge!

A dry suit out of the water on a cold and windy day makes life easier too. Just get the wet hood and gloves off and towel dry both areas immediately. Then, put on a pair of skiing gloves and a dry hood (or oversize parka like the football players wear). You should be ready for a second dive in about an hour!

Last but most important. Dry suits provide the same degree of comfort at depth because they do not compress (if operated correctly). Take a dry suit course. You will not regret it.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Subjective questions that deserve a subjective answer:

Yes.

 

[Mo2vation]

Well, winter came around and I wimped out. There's no way I'm getting in with my current setup. It was cold enough in November.

My question is, just how warm and comfortable are you in a drysuit? Too warm? Just right? Cold but tolerable? Just how much nicer is it to dive dry in cold water?

To extend my season.

Yesterday I did my last dives of the year. In 2002 I did 26. In 2003 I did 95. I attribute this significant jump to a lot of things (this board surely being one of them, my DIR/F another) but my Drysuit contributed significantly.

In So Cal, the Body Glove or ONeill 7mm is king. Water is in the 54 - 64 range most of the year - so can you do fine with a 7mm wet? Of course. Where I noticed the difference going dry was the SI - when that wind is blowing between dives, its sure nice to emerge in my fuzzy jammies and be warm and dry.

Plus, its easier to get motivated to do that 3rd or 4th dive, to do that night dive after dinner... when I don't have to pry myself into that cold, clammy wetsuit.

Easier to get on, easier to take off. Big plus for me as well.

Like Bill said, you know its cold out there... but you're not cold in here. As such, your core temp stays warmer, you use less energy to heat yourself, so you ultimately use less gas. My BT went up significantly - of course, diving a lot more was the primary driver there, but the DS contributed.

UP's YES is about all there is to say about it. The only reason I can't see diving dry is if I was rock climbing to get to the site... then I'd be a little nervous. But if your entries are a bit more refined than that, you should strongly consider diving dry. I'm telling you, its totally worth it. I've never regretted biting the bullet, selling some stuff, saving my pennies and getting a quality DS.

K

PS: yes, you can be too warm in one... but this is where the layering comes in. Right undergarments for the right situation, and you're fine.

 

[IzzyTahil]

I'm Singaporean so I lived in 90+ degree weather year round, so you can imagine how much I despise the cold!! But cold is not going to stop me form diving. A dry suit will keep you warm so you can enjoy a dive and actually look forward to getting in again for the 2nd or 3rd dive. Go dry, you will be glad you did.

 

[Dive Source]

I personally use a Bare Trilam Drysuit pretty much all the time ( with a couple different thicknesses of undergarment to suit water temps) except when I travel to the carribean etc. then I switch to a 3mm.

Most people start diving wet due to cost and the perception that drysuits are hard to use (not) but once they go dry they rarely go back.

 

[MikeS]

For the most part a drysuit doesn’t keep you warm, it keeps you dry, although neoprene drysuits do offer some thermal protection, but very little once they’re compressed.

What keeps you warm is an insulating layer of gas between your skin and the drysuit. The amount of gas you put in the suit affects thermal comfort. Generally, the more gas you add, the more insulation and hence the warmer you’ll be. However, adding too much air results in instability as the air is allowed to shift around inside the suit drastically effecting trim. The way to prevent this instability is by wearing something insulating under the drysuit i.e. drysuit underwear. This allows the layer of insulating gas while reducing the amount that the gas can shift.

The thicker the underwear, the more insulating gas that can be trapped between your skin and the drysuit without instability, and the warmer you’ll be. Most drysuit divers I know have several different types/thicknesses of drysuit underwear that they change depending on the anticipated water temperature. To some extent you can regulate your temperature by adding or dumping air. However, letting too much air out results in uncomfortable squeeze while adding too much results in instability as the gas shifts to the highest point. It will likely take some experimentation to figure out what makes you comfortable.

The material of the underwear can also affect your comfort by controlling moisture inside the suit caused by perspiration. Some underwear is constructed of three layers, an inner layer to wick moisture away from your skin, a middle insulating layer, and a hydrophobic outer layer that repels condensation on the inside of the drysuit.

Mike

 

[jiveturkey]

To some extent you can regulate your temperature by adding or dumping air.

This is very interesting. I've never considered this before.

 

[Warren_L]

I'm fairly new to drysuit diving but it has allowed me to extend my dive season basically to year round, or at least until the water freezes over. Then it will be year round once I get ice trained. But it's not really just the cold water temps that bother me so much as the frosty surface intervals. If it was only one dive and I did not have to worry about a surface interval or getting out of my wet wetsuit (and even worse yet, getting back into a cold wet wetsuit), diving wet into the mid-30s would be no problem.

I dove with Mo2vation a couple of days ago at Catalina in 57 degree water, which is very comfortable for me temperature-wise diving wet. Total bottom time for us was close to an hour and a half over two dives. Cold? Nope. Could have stayed down longer if it wasn't for my rented AL80. :mad1:

Point is, everyone will have their own reasons for diving dry.

 

[Genesis]

In water colder than 72F or so, I prefer to dive dry.

I HATE being cold. While I CAN dive wet in virtually any water, why? Freezing is not my idea of a good time.

With my drysuit only my hair and face gets wet, along with my fingers. The rest is dry. And as warm as I'd like, depending on the underwear I use.

The downside to a drysuit is that it DOES have a lot more drag than a wetsuit - but do you really need to go fast anywhere underwater?