When was dry suit certification first offered by a major international agency?

[Marie13]

Didn’t need a card when I rented a Viking suit at the local hole in the ground, to see what all the fuss was about.

Spent a year diving in a drysuit before getting the sticker.

Oh, Brazil.

 

[MarkA]

Oh, Brazil.

UK at the time. Had enough of freezing my butt off bobbing around in a blow up boat.

 

[tursiops]

I moved to SE MI (from central MO), in late1991, and "discovered" Great Lakes diving. In spring 1993, I purchased a custom drysuit (DUI CF200SP) from my LDS, took it out a couple of times local diving, and then, in late spring, headed to Isle Royale (in Lake Superior) for a week of recreation diving (MOD 140[sic] ffw) wearing it.

I'm pretty sure there weren't drysuit courses offered at that time--at least, I wasn't aware of their existence.

ETA: I never expect to need to rent a suit. If I can loose my stubborn COVID 30, I'll be able to take my own suit diving again.

rx7diver

The PADI Training Bulletin in 3Q 1994 (the earliest one I have) refers to Dry Suit Diver as one of its 16 Standardized Specialties, i.e. those for which there is a formal manual available. So PADI clearly had a formal Dry Suit Specialty before the 3Q of 1994.

 

[rx7diver]

The PADI Training Bulletin in 3Q 1994 (the earliest one I have) refers to Dry Suit Diver as one of its 16 Standardized Specialties, i.e. those for which there is a formal manual available. So PADI clearly had a formal Dry Suit Specialty before the 3Q of 1994.

Interesting. Thanks.

rx7diver

 

[jborg]

I have a feeling that the dry suit course/cert is one of those things that are less emphasized the more common dry suits are in the area. Over here (Sweden) a dry suit is the default, everyone will rightly assume that if you dive here you do it dry and know how to do so. I got my card "for free" (i.e., paid the PADI fees) as part of the OW, because I thought it sounded cool to have an extra cert, otherwise it's mostly just implied.

I guess if you show up to rent a dry suit and you're tanned and mention not having anything thicker than a 2.5mm shorty you might get asked, otherwise I'd be surprised if anyone cares about the cert.

 

[Searcaigh]

Over here (Sweden) a dry suit is the default,

Basically the same in the UK with BSAC.

While you might do intro training in a wetsuit for pool training you quickly graduate to a drysuit before hitting OW conditions (in Scotland).

 

[happy-diver]

I'm sure one of the dudes in the PADI drysuit video that goes with the manual jumps in with his zipper open

 

[jborg]

To be fair, I've done that too. Sometimes I think it would be cool to learn to dive a rebreather, not that I have particular need for it but I'm a gearhead. Then whenever I do something like that I reset my "am I adult enough to handle a rebreather"-date a few years into the future... I don't think I'll ever get there, which is probably a good thing overall.

 

[diver257a]

The PADI Drysuit Diver speciality course is mentioned in the 1991 edition of PADI's Adventures In Diving

 

[Searcaigh]

I'm sure one of the dudes in the PADI drysuit video that goes with the manual jumps in with his zipper open

Well that happened to my buddy in real life, should have heard her scream