Using a dry suit

[Bazzer69]

Hi, am a novice OW diver and have bought a nice DUI drysuit. I have read a lot about using one although I haven't dove in it yet. Do you think I should have a lesson on using one or do my first dive or two in it in shallow water, maybe even the pool?
Thanks


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[Searcaigh]

Definitely

Did you buy from a LDS, and did they offer any lessons?

 

[jboneng]

I agree with Searcaigh, diving dry vs. diving wet is too different to just put on a DS and jump into the water, the biggest difference is the buoyancy control and the weighting. I personally uses the DS for buoyancy control (unless there is a dive that needs fast response in changes of buoyancy like a drift dive), and it is a bit harder to control the airbubble inside the DS than the bubble inside the bladder of the BC, if you have buddies that is experienced DS divers, maybe take a couple of easy dives in the 5-10m range to get comfortable with the DS before doing any harder dives.

 

[NAM001]

I on the other hand use jsut enough air in the suit to get the squeeze off and use the bcd/wing as normal. Bazzer did you get a shell suit or a comp neo suit and what undies are you using? Definately if your LDS has a pool onsite then get some pool time. Learn the various options for buoyancy comtrol ans see what works best for you.

 

[Bigd2722]

Unless you are a fish in the water, get lots of practice in a pool or very shallow calm dives and be sure to have an instructor or experienced buddy.

 

[seattlepaul1975]

It is very different diving dry...get to a local LDS and get a dry suit class. It will be well worth your time and effort.

 

[rockystock1]

If your padi trained you know yourself the drysuit is a new ticket on the advanced adventure dives,,


Mike

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm in the process of writing a new dry suit manual.

For the truly experienced diver making the jump is possible without professional instruction. Although I have had warm water trained instructors contact me about classes after they gave it a shot on their own. For a newer diver I think it's essential. You may be able to find mentors to take you through the process but there comes the liability aspect of it for them. If they show you incorrect procedures or if your survivors think they screwed you I would not want to be them.

For a new diver there is enough of a jump in skills and knowledge that I strongly recommend you get professional instruction. I don't know where you bought your suit but when I sell one a dry suit class is part of the package. No extra cost for those able to take advantage of it. Classroom, two pool sessions, and 2-3 open water dives. I can't believe any LDS would sell you a new suit without offering training. Wait, sadly, yes I can.

As for using it as one dive on the AOW or AA dives I think that is going to get people hurt. No pool, no real classroom, just one dive in a likely ill fitting suit. Total BS.

 

[rockystock1]

At my school we do one pool session and one open water,, the pool is optional but recommended


Mike

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

When I first got into diving a dry suit I simply put it on and did a few dives in the quarry. Granted at the time I had a few years of dive experience under my belt and had purchased my suit used from a private party. After "trudging" my way through a few dives a good friend who is an experienced instructor made me an offer I couldn't refuse, he was willing to let me tag along on a dry suit class he was teaching for the bargain cost of a steak dinner and the c-card. I took him up on the offer simply because I had nothing better to do that weekend. While at that point I didn't learn much about diving a dry suit itself, it did teach me a great deal about fine tuning the dive experience, maintenance and care of the suit, and proper undergarments to use(I was using sweat pants and a fleece jacket at the time). What he also taught and the most value I got out of the class was learning about added accessories that simply make the experience amazing! I knew nothing about p-valves, dry gloves, or heated vests, and while I have yet to take advantage of the latter two I at least knew about them for future reference. So even though I knew how to dive a dry suit going into the class I definitely got my money's worth out of the course. So in closing....spend a few extra bucks and take the course, there are plenty of great instructors waiting to show you how to do it right!