Warm Clothes under the Dry Suit

[kelemvor]

Hello all! Thanks for all of the comments, haven't been checking this site regularly. I'll be doing the PADI Dry Suit Specialty with the London School of Diving in mid-March and they said that we'll be going to Wraysbury Lake. They didn't say that they wouldn't provide any undergarments, they only said that I should bring some warm clothes, and that these clothes are going to get wet.

I was thinking of using my Sharkskin Chillproof wet suit under the dry suit, it has an initial layer of fleece and wicks moisture away. Is that still not recommended?

Sharkskin is virtually identical to lavacore. I use lavacore under my drysuit when diving in spring water that is 72f/22.2c. It won't be enough for the water temps you'll be diving in.

I suspect that the school is going to provide undergarments and the clothes are just something light to be worn under the undergarments. You should definitely call them and ask before you go.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

They didn't say that they wouldn't provide undergarments? That's not an answer..... You need to CALL/TEXT/E-MAIL your "London School of Diving" and ask them, specifically, "will you be providing drysuit undergarments for the course?"

Don't wear your wetsuit.

^^This^^ and make sure you've either got, or can buy/rent/borrow, a decent hood and pair off gloves otherwise you'll be miserable. Wraysbury was about 6°c a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Storker]

Wraysbury was about 6°c a couple of weeks ago.

I wouldn't use anything thinner than a 7 mil hood, preferably a snug 10 mil, and either drygloves or three-fingers if the water is 6°.

 

[BlueTrin]

Hello all! Thanks for all of the comments, haven't been checking this site regularly. I'll be doing the PADI Dry Suit Specialty with the London School of Diving in mid-March and they said that we'll be going to Wraysbury Lake. They didn't say that they wouldn't provide any undergarments, they only said that I should bring some warm clothes, and that these clothes are going to get wet.

I was thinking of using my Sharkskin Chillproof wet suit under the dry suit, it has an initial layer of fleece and wicks moisture away. Is that still not recommended?

In that particular case I know that they will provide the undergarments, however it is your responsibility to ask them.

(I know because I have done my drysuit with them)

If I was you, I d jump at the hood/glove box as soon as I arrive. When I did my drysuit class the people who couldn’t find their size were freezing (this included me)

When I did my drysuit in Wraysbury. I was with open water students for the first bit. One guy had a hiccup and refused to dive (I think he didn’t really want to learn to dive but followed his girlfriend, he looked really uneasy).

We waited I think 15mins or more at the surface because he was not going anywhere. People started to get really cold.

I found a small stone which was illuminated by the sun and used it to warm my hands. Soon all the class was around me hands on the stone while we waited for the guy’s to make a move or his hiccup to stop.

This same afternoon, Mike’s Dive Store (the local diving shop) sold 1 hood and 1 pair of gloves per student

 

[divad]

You need to CALL/TEXT/E-MAIL your "London School of Diving"

rofl

 

[DaddyJr]

I contacted the dive centre and they said they would provide an undersuit, but that I should still bring in some base layer thermals and thick socks. They said that I could also use the Sharkskin wetsuit, but that they would prefer that I discuss that with my instructor.

 

[W W Meixner]

Hello Everyone!

I will be doing the PADI Dry Suit Specialty in the UK next month and I was advised to bring "warm clothes", to be worn under the dry suit (so going in naked under the suit is not recommended then?).

Anyways, just want some recommendations/tips on what to wear. Can I just wear a skin suit and shorts underneath the dry suit? How about a 2-3mm wetsuit under the dry suit? Surely wearing a thick sweater and sweat pants would weigh me down too much, or should I not be concerned about that.

I have never dived in a cold environment before and have never had to use a dry suit.

Appreciate your views.

DJ...

A little late to the picnic...and can only offer advise based on what I'm currently using...

Most of my diving these days is Ontario Canada Great Lakes...primarily Georgian Bay and Lake Huron...conditions in lower recreational depths are cold...depending on location...and bottom water movement...4/10 degrees above freezing...even in July...with very few exceptions...

My suit is ''crushed neoprene''...my undergarment consists of a low loft two piece T-Max Heat undergarment...plus a multi fabric thermal knit crew top...and T-Max Heat socks...my suit has soft feet and neporene neck/wrist seals with a warm collar...hood and gloves are from Waterproof...

Excellent thermal protection for 30 min BT 130 ft dives...without over-heating...

Don't wear a wet-suit under your dry-suit...

Best...

Warren

 

[DaddyJr]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! I suppose I owe it to you to let you know how things transpired.

The dive instructor thought the the Sharkskin chillproof wet suit was good enough to replace the undergarments, but as a precaution, we also took the undergarments with us to the dive site at Wraysbury Lake, at the outskirts of London. I wore 4th element base thermals, the Sharkskin wet suit, and a trilaminate (shell) dry suit. The instructor took me into the shallow part of the lake first to see if I was comfortable, I was (in the circumstances) and other students and a divemaster candidate joined us. Of note, the other students and the instructor wore base thermals, a sweater, undergarment and the dry suit. The divemaster candidate wore base thermals and also a wet suit, in fact, he wore a normal neoprene wet suit, and then the dry suit. The divemaster candidate said he prefers the wet suit instead of undergarments as it makes him feel warmer. The water was 8 degrees celsius, surface air temperature was 9 degrees celsius.

My dry suit held firm and very little water sipped through. So body wise I was good.

The only negative was that they recommended that I wear 5mm wet suit gloves and although that proved fine for the first dive, in which I was in the water for around 25 minutes. But by the end of the 2nd dive, in which I was in the water for around half an hour, my hands started to feel numb. No lasting permanent damage.

I've now completed the PADI Dry Suit Diver specialty! Looking forward to using the dry suit again, but will be more discerning about the gloves I use.

 

[Storker]

The only negative was that they recommended that I wear 5mm wet suit gloves and although that proved fine for the first dive, in which I was in the water for around 25 minutes. But by the end of the 2nd dive, in which I was in the water for around half an hour, my hands started to feel numb. No lasting permanent damage.

5-finger or 3-finger? I wouldn't use 5-finger wetgloves in 8C water. For me, that temperature calls for either 3-finger mitts, preferably thicker than 5mm, or drygloves.

Before I switched to drygloves I used Mares Trilastic 6.5mm 3-fingers which are decently warm and surprisingly flexible, but I'm not sure they are available where you live. Waterproof makes some of the best hoods ordinary money can buy, and I've heard that quite a few are really happy with their wetgloves as well. Products - Waterproof

 

[penak]

never experienced it. but this is a very interesting discussion to follow