Where to get NAUI Certified for Drysuit Diving?

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Boosted98gsx

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Messages
65
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Location
Houston, Tx
# of dives
25 - 49
I would like to start planning a trip to Iceland to dive the divide, and it pretty much requires a drysuit. Where can I get trained in drysuit use / certified for them in Houston? I'm a NAUI Master diver w/ NITROX currently.
 
Typically any dive shop that sells drysuits will also provide drysuit training. When I bought mine, the shop included the drysuit course for no additional charge. We spent an hour or two in the classroom and an hour or so diving with the instructor.

NAUI doesn't have any specific drysuit course themselves, at least they don't list one on their website.

Congrats on the silfra trip. That dive is in the top 5 on my bucket list.
 
So even going to a PADI center would be sufficient? I would think it's just buoyancy management, right? One more thing to deal with while under water?
 
So even going to a PADI center would be sufficient? I would think it's just buoyancy management, right? One more thing to deal with while under water?
Yes, going to the padi shop would be fine. You're right for the most part, it's not all that complex.
 
Any shop affiliated with any agency that has a qualified instructor can teach you how to manage a drysuit.

That being said, pay attention to the phrase "qualified instructor." My initial drysuit instructor had only the minimal experience required for certification, and he had evidently been taught himself by someone with minimal experience. It did not take me long to figure out where he was wrong, but it did take that bit of time.
 
I just wanted to say I think you're doing the right thing by taking a course or otherwise learning to use a drysuit before arriving in Iceland. From what I've read, dive ops there will take divers who have never used a drysuit, give them a short course, and then it's off to Silfra Crack. I believe getting good enough with a drysuit to really be safe and confident with it requires not just a few hours of learning but quite a few practice dives with it afterwards.

My drysuit course covered not just buoyancy control but also seemingly simple things like handling a stuck inflator (yeah, the same issue as with a BC), arresting an inadvertent feet-up ascent, selecting appropriate undergarments for the conditions, and drysuit maintenance. All straightforward stuff, but I felt having it taught all packaged together neatly in a course was worth it.
 
It just occurred to me to mention this... I don't know why all suits don't come with "ankle gaiters" but get ankle gaiters. That helps a lot in slowing bubble travel down to your feet, which in turn helps you prevent an inadvertent feet-up ascent.

It might be worth buying a pair that don't attach to the suit and bringing them to Iceland with you. That way you've got them in the even the rental suits don't come with gaiters.

Dive rite makes some but they're very expensive for what they are at $79: Dive Rite Gaiters Pair, Adjustable Size Fits All
 
NAUI doesn't have any specific drysuit course themselves, at least they don't list one on their website.

NAUI offers a drysuit course. It may not be listed on the website, but it is offered. Read boulderjohn's first line on post #5. Also take into consideration what he posted after the first line. I agree with him whole heartily on his points.

I would like to start planning a trip to Iceland to dive the divide

After you take the course go dive with the drysuit. Avoid being one of those people who get the cert, yet do nothing with it and claim to be certified meaning they are proficient with it.

It just occurred to me to mention this... I don't know why all suits don't come with "ankle gaiters" but get ankle gaiters.

Why? I didn't learn with gaitors and have never used them. I wouldn't want my drysuits to have them. In fact no one up hear uses them. I like to allow gas to get up into my feet to keep them warm. Proper training with a properly fitting drysuit is a much better option than using gaitors. I'm not against waitors, just glad none of my drysuits came with them.

I've been diving with a drysuit for the past 12 years and love it. I like it so much I've thought about getting a tropical drysuit. I much prefer it over a wetsuit.
 
Why? I didn't learn with gaitors and have never used them. I wouldn't want my drysuits to have them. In fact no one up hear uses them. I like to allow gas to get up into my feet to keep them warm. Proper training with a properly fitting drysuit is a much better option than using gaitors. I'm not against waitors, just glad none of my drysuits came with them.

I've been diving with a drysuit for the past 12 years and love it. I like it so much I've thought about getting a tropical drysuit. I much prefer it over a wetsuit.
They don't prevent gas from getting to your feet. That misunderstanding is probably because by your own admission, you don't use them. It just slows the travel of gas. If you couldn't get gas to your feet, they wouldn't just be cold, they'd be crushed.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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