Use of Drysuit during Open Water Training

[TheHuth]

Hi Everyone,

I'm about to start my Open water training next week. I'm a major wuss when it comes to the cold. I live in Southern California. I think the water where my open water dives is in the 60 degree Fahrenheit range right now. I'm considering picking up a used Drysuit to use during my training. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is a good idea? I am a very fast learner at everything I do, so I dont think it would add much of a burden. But maybe someone with experience might feel otherwise.

Also, what should I wear underneath if I do get one? I see there are lots of undersuits specifically designed for this. But the water really isnt all that cold. I'm wondering if I should just wear my normal swimwear underneath (Board shorts, and skin shirt). Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
John

 

[Dhboner]

Personally I think it is a very bad idea. As a new diver you will be learning to deal with buoyancy changes and controlling those with your lungs and the air in your BC or wing. That is going to be challenging enough but if you add the additional "challenge" of controlling the air bubble in a drysuit you will be task loaded well beyond your experience level. Managing a drysuit isn't rocket science but there is a learning curve and you should be pretty comfortable managing your buoyancy before you take on the challenge.

 

[Hawkwood]

The vast majority of our students do their OW in dry suits. You will do a little more class and pool work in order to learn how to "use" a dry suit, but it's not too onerous.

You are going to want something more than a bathing suit and skin shirt. A wicking layer and light fleece would be about it for those temps, but you do not want bare skin against the suit.

edit: I was typing while Dhboner posted his. You have two perspectives. Welcome to SB!

 

[undrwater]

Talk to your instructor about it. Most SoCal divers get certified in wetsuits, which may mean you'll have to pay for private instruction.

What undergarments you need will depend on if you get a neoprene drysuit or a laminate one. If you really are a cold water wuss (like me), you'll want something wicking and warm.

 

[boulderjohn]

You should not need private instruction if you find a shop that can do both. As Hawkwood said, you will need to have some additional instruction in addition to your regular pool instruction.

On the other hand, most of the people who get certified with us locally do so in water temperatures in the low 60s. We put them in 7mm suits, usually without a hood. They are fine--even the wusses.

 

[tbone1004]

nothing wrong with doing it as long as your instructor is OK with it, plenty of divers in cold water get certified in drysuits. As far as undergarments, it all depends on your cold tolerance. Read some of the threads or talk to some of the tech divers around you to see what they're wearing.

 

[Edward3c]

Personally I think it is a very bad idea. As a new diver you will be learning to deal with buoyancy changes and controlling those with your lungs and the air in your BC or wing. That is going to be challenging enough but if you add the additional "challenge" of controlling the air bubble in a drysuit you will be task loaded well beyond your experience level. Managing a drysuit isn't rocket science but there is a learning curve and you should be pretty comfortable managing your buoyancy before you take on the challenge.

I disagree, I've had many students who dive from the off in a dry-suit. If as the instructor I told them it would be difficult it would, but it isn't. Students usually learn to control their buoyancy within 2 dives, no different than someone in a wet-suit..

 

[decompression]

My previous shop on the west coast taught all OW in drysuits. My wife's OW 22 years ago was in a drysuit......nothing wrong with it provided the extra time is accounted for.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hawkwood]

Learn in the tool you will use.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I learned to dive in the frozen north, where 65 degree water in August was considered "warm". Lots of students learned to dive in a dry suit.

You can run it two ways, and at the single tank recreational level either method works.

1. Ideally, you'll run the suit with minimum volume, adding just enough gas to keep the squeeze from leaving welts; or

2. You can leave the wing pretty much alone and use the suit to control buoyancy, provided you have what amounts to a balanced rig and don't need to add additional weight. This approach is a little harder as new divers (and their instructors have a bad habit of over weighting to offset issues such as overly active feet, etc. The approach is also limited to an Aluminum 80 or a steel 72, as it becomes a problem with a larger steel tank due to greater swing weight and / or greater negative buoyancy, which requires more gas in the suit which creates a larger and harder to manage bubble.

The type of suit makes a difference as well as a trilam suit requires a little more gas to keep the squeeze off than a snug fitting neoprene dry suit, and because the shell has no insulating value, condensation forms on it, making a wicking undergarment essential.

The neoprene suit needs to fit properly to retain the advantage of swimming like a wet suit and avoiding the need for excessive weight, but even when fit properly, it will require more weight than a trilam with a wicking undergarment.

The moral here is that you can certainly learn to dive in a dry suit from day 1, but you'll want to ensure you have an instructor who truly understands the ins and outs of a dry suit, rather than just spouting whatever he or she was taught by someone who may or may not have understood how to make the whole system function together.