When to take a drysuit class?

[ucfdiver]

So what if you don't mind being a little cold in a wetsuit when you get out of the water? Would a dry suit be worth the cost and PITA if you wanted it just so you didn't have to worry about wet clothes after a dive by virtue of just taking off suit and stepping out in regular clothes (well plus necessary undergarments) that were dry? I don't mind the temperature issue in a wetsuit...it's just having to towel off and go through the trouble of layering clothes, and then those layered clothes being damp anyway after the first dive and not as effective, that drives me nuts.

Drysuits are worth every penny.

1- They're safer. Try swimming heavy steel tanks up to the surface if your BC pops.
2- They're more comfortable. Drysuits hold your feet up so you don't have to.
3- They're warm no matter where you're at. I can dive the exact same suit in more temperatures than any wetsuit.

 

[String]

Just where do you use it and how much?

Neck and wrist seals. and a SMALL amount. It wont harm the seals in the same way vaseline will. One tube lasts me well over a year (obviously my life isnt exciting enough...)

I have before now gone into a supermarket at 4am on the day of a trip to buy supplies for the weekend....I wanted a Banana for lunch, some KY jelly for the suit and some toilet roll as we were camping. The look on the persons face at the till was priceless.

If you dont want KY then some dilute baby shampoo will also work.

 

[String]

Because talc works fine.

One issue with talc is when it gets wet it gets a bit like glue. It can jam up dump valves especially if you have a cuff dump. Mine has been glued shut a few times like that until i realised the cause.

 

[Melicertes]

Yep, good idea to then stay with my dilute baby shampoo spray bottle

 

[emttim]

Drysuits are worth every penny.

1- They're safer. Try swimming heavy steel tanks up to the surface if your BC pops.
2- They're more comfortable. Drysuits hold your feet up so you don't have to.
3- They're warm no matter where you're at. I can dive the exact same suit in more temperatures than any wetsuit.

Hmm, fair enough. Well, what specific dry suit brands and models would you guys recommend? When to try a DS experience-wise (at 25 dives now)? What about price? I can't really afford $2,000 for a dry suit...

Neck and wrist seals. and a SMALL amount. It wont harm the seals in the same way vaseline will. One tube lasts me well over a year (obviously my life isnt exciting enough...)

I have before now gone into a supermarket at 4am on the day of a trip to buy supplies for the weekend....I wanted a Banana for lunch, some KY jelly for the suit and some toilet roll as we were camping. The look on the persons face at the till was priceless.

If you dont want KY then some dilute baby shampoo will also work.

Man, I would have loved to see the clerk's expression, haha. Closest I've come to that type of purchase is buying a crapload of rum and KY.

 

[ucfdiver]

Hmm, fair enough. Well, what specific dry suit brands and models would you guys recommend? When to try a DS experience-wise (at 25 dives now)? What about price? I can't really afford $2,000 for a dry suit...

I have a dacor, which is a company who went out of business. It's the same suit as the dive rite 905, and i'm more than happy. I've also owned a mobbys twin shell, and was pleased with that as well.

If you're going to go new, the bare nexgen can't be beat. My dad just bought one and it appears to be a quality suit.

As for how many dives, none of us can tell you over the internet. If you simply went through the motions thoughtlessly through your dives, you could have 500 and they wouldn't do you any good. If you made a strong effort to perfect buoyancy and technique every dive, 15 might be enough. I know some areas train divers from basic OW in a drysuit due to climate requirements.

I'm going to make this as blunt as possible. Dry diving is no where near as complicated as people make it out to be. Very little skill is involved, and most people who have a mentor to teach them learn within 5-10 dives. The suit is made to keep you dry, the BC is made for buoyancy. Use them for what they were made for and you'll save yourself a lot of headache.

 

[emttim]

I have a dacor, which is a company who went out of business. It's the same suit as the dive rite 905, and i'm more than happy. I've also owned a mobbys twin shell, and was pleased with that as well.

If you're going to go new, the bare nexgen can't be beat. My dad just bought one and it appears to be a quality suit.

As for how many dives, none of us can tell you over the internet. If you simply went through the motions thoughtlessly through your dives, you could have 500 and they wouldn't do you any good. If you made a strong effort to perfect buoyancy and technique every dive, 15 might be enough. I know some areas train divers from basic OW in a drysuit due to climate requirements.

I'm going to make this as blunt as possible. Dry diving is no where near as complicated as people make it out to be. Very little skill is involved, and most people who have a mentor to teach them learn within 5-10 dives. The suit is made to keep you dry, the BC is made for buoyancy. Use them for what they were made for and you'll save yourself a lot of headache.

Hmm, sounds like I should keep an eye out for dry suit deals then. I make a strong effort to perfect buoyancy, along with every dive skill for that matter, on every dive. Buoyancy's good enough to hover with just breathing control for as long as I want so it sounds like that may be sufficient.

I'm not sure if I'd get a new dry suit though. Like I said, $2,000 is a lot of money to dish out, especially when I've barely used my wetsuit but I almost certainly wouldn't be able to sell it because it's size small and I doubt there's that many 5'5" guys diving. Although thanks for the input, I'll consider a dry suit in the future.

 

[String]

If you do get a 2nd hand suit remember fit is absolutely crucial. A suit thats too big will be a nightmare to dive due to air migration.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

EMTTIM

im sooooooo jealous ... you are a small dude ... you can probably fit into a stock size from any company ... im sooooooooo jealous ... i just got a brand new bare trilam (very very nice new material) and the stock size was about $1550 after the BTS discount ... i ended up at $2200 after two pockets, suspenders, pee-valve, super high undergarment, trek boots, and FULL CUSTOM. it's aggravating. better be worth it.

but you, you my friend, will be buying a second hand used suit that will fit charmingly like a glove ... probably for well under $1000. UGH!!!!

im 5' 10" with a 51" chest ... talk about a drysuit companies dream ...

hey ... dont know exactly what they are currently running but the new HOLLIS dry suit is VERY nice ...

do your research though and dont take anyones advice on dry suit brands (sorry everyone) because you will find most people like what they like and end up with one of three different groups .... 1) DUI 2) not DUI 3) rubber suit

dont believe i picked bare because they are the best, its just that after months of research, i felt that bare was the best that i could afford for my (teacher's) salary. look at your diving conditions before deciding on neoprene, rubber or trilam. the people i dive with would not hear of someone diving other than trilam ... does that mean it is the best? NO! most commercial divers are diving rubber ... does that mean it is the best? (pretty strong argument) but they are pretty damn easy to fix on the fly ... look at the companies waranty info? well, they all pretty much treat their reps the same so if you have a problem with a bare suit that you got at your LDS and they have a good relationship with bare ... they can get it taken care of quite often. if your LDS is too money hungry to get it done for you than oh well.

i read earlier on this thread that some shops offer a free DRYSUIT course with the purchase of a drysuit ... that angers me because mine wouldnt even dream of that ... my LDS offers a free rental suit to you (IF IT IS AVAILABLE) during your wait for the dry suit company to make yours, but if you didnt buy undergarments from them, they want to charge you the rental fee for the undergarments. . .

some of you will say something like ... "than why do you go there" its a catch 22 ... they are the best instructors for many miles around ... i get more out of one of their classes than i would/do anywhere else ... i actually have a LDS that is 5 minutes away and i end up driving 1 hour to get to the other that is so much better a teacher (and i mentioned already that i am a teacher so i really do appreciate the art side of their ability).

UGH.

i highly doubt you will EVER regret buying your drysuit (unless you're married and dont tell your wife) or if you are marries and do tell your wife who isnt a diver ... yes another catch 22)

so do your homework and see what suit is the best kind for you ... if you take the class, you will learn a bit about the different materials used as well as if you would even be comfortable in one ...

i did rea that someone likes the feel of a wetsuit better ... after surfing for many years, i do NOT mind a wetsuit ... but a drysuit is much more practical for me now. comfort is H U G E ... the more comfortable you are the safer you will end up being due to both decision making and loss of body heat ... and the more time you will be able to spend underwater due to less fatigue ...

hey man, dont believe anything i say, go out there and do it, love it, try it, enjoy it.

stay with it and dont give up.

 

[emttim]

EMTTIM

im sooooooo jealous ... you are a small dude ... you can probably fit into a stock size from any company ... im sooooooooo jealous ... i just got a brand new bare trilam (very very nice new material) and the stock size was about $1550 after the BTS discount ... i ended up at $2200 after two pockets, suspenders, pee-valve, super high undergarment, trek boots, and FULL CUSTOM. it's aggravating. better be worth it.

but you, you my friend, will be buying a second hand used suit that will fit charmingly like a glove ... probably for well under $1000. UGH!!!!

im 5' 10" with a 51" chest ... talk about a drysuit companies dream ...

hey ... dont know exactly what they are currently running but the new HOLLIS dry suit is VERY nice ...

do your research though and dont take anyones advice on dry suit brands (sorry everyone) because you will find most people like what they like and end up with one of three different groups .... 1) DUI 2) not DUI 3) rubber suit

dont believe i picked bare because they are the best, its just that after months of research, i felt that bare was the best that i could afford for my (teacher's) salary. look at your diving conditions before deciding on neoprene, rubber or trilam. the people i dive with would not hear of someone diving other than trilam ... does that mean it is the best? NO! most commercial divers are diving rubber ... does that mean it is the best? (pretty strong argument) but they are pretty damn easy to fix on the fly ... look at the companies waranty info? well, they all pretty much treat their reps the same so if you have a problem with a bare suit that you got at your LDS and they have a good relationship with bare ... they can get it taken care of quite often. if your LDS is too money hungry to get it done for you than oh well.

i read earlier on this thread that some shops offer a free DRYSUIT course with the purchase of a drysuit ... that angers me because mine wouldnt even dream of that ... my LDS offers a free rental suit to you (IF IT IS AVAILABLE) during your wait for the dry suit company to make yours, but if you didnt buy undergarments from them, they want to charge you the rental fee for the undergarments. . .

some of you will say something like ... "than why do you go there" its a catch 22 ... they are the best instructors for many miles around ... i get more out of one of their classes than i would/do anywhere else ... i actually have a LDS that is 5 minutes away and i end up driving 1 hour to get to the other that is so much better a teacher (and i mentioned already that i am a teacher so i really do appreciate the art side of their ability).

UGH.

i highly doubt you will EVER regret buying your drysuit (unless you're married and dont tell your wife) or if you are marries and do tell your wife who isnt a diver ... yes another catch 22)

so do your homework and see what suit is the best kind for you ... if you take the class, you will learn a bit about the different materials used as well as if you would even be comfortable in one ...

i did rea that someone likes the feel of a wetsuit better ... after surfing for many years, i do NOT mind a wetsuit ... but a drysuit is much more practical for me now. comfort is H U G E ... the more comfortable you are the safer you will end up being due to both decision making and loss of body heat ... and the more time you will be able to spend underwater due to less fatigue ...

hey man, dont believe anything i say, go out there and do it, love it, try it, enjoy it.

stay with it and dont give up.

Ronzo, thanks for all the good advice! I never would have figured my size would be stock for any company since it's a PITA finding clothing that fits, but if it's stock for diving suits, that's all I care about. I'll definitely do my research, much appreciated. :14: