Who in Texas is diving a dry suit.......

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

I was considering getting some 7mm stuff for myself and the wife for diving this fall, I think we could both probably do okay with a 5mm or 7mm hooded vest if it was a step-thru design (if such a thing exists?).
 
TLS 350 for my primary suit
Mobbys Armor Shell for my backup suit

Dive year round. The area lakes get down to the 40+/- during the middle of winter. I dive dry year round unless it's warm enough for a 3mm suit, which is 70 degrees and higher for run times of an hour. I get chilled in a 3mm suit/70 degree water when it's longer than that.

I'm hoping to get to Jefferson Lake in CO to do some ice diving this year. :)
 
I'm hoping to get to Jefferson Lake in CO to do some ice diving this year. :)

Would that put you in the 8-9.5 thousand foot elevation?
 
I was considering getting some 7mm stuff for myself and the wife for diving this fall, I think we could both probably do okay with a 5mm or 7mm hooded vest if it was a step-thru design (if such a thing exists?).

In the water in the winter at recreational depths I have been fine in a 5mm with hood and gloves....and I get cold pretty easy. I use my hood year round.
 
In the water in the winter at recreational depths I have been fine in a 5mm with hood and gloves....and I get cold pretty easy. I use my hood year round.

Hrm. I don't get cold at all. In the summer I do 90+ minutes in the Comal in Scuba Pro Hybrid gear (shorts/long sleeve, 1mm neoprene panels front/back, the rest is Lycra) and I'm fine.

I wonder if I'd be okay with a 5mm over the winter? Hrmm..
 
I was investigating drysuits for a while, and came to the conclusion that I couldn't justify what people seemed to recommend (or perhaps I didn't know enough to buck the "you gotta have this one" advice, but most recommendations ended up being in the $2500 range). So I bought a Henderson 7/8 semi-dry instead for $400. Very nice suit, thick integrated hood; I tested it yesterday from the Giant Stride to get used to buoyancy etc.

Granted temps don't warrant this right now, but I can tell you it is warm. Even after a second dive, it was comforting to pull the hood at the end and let some cool 72F water in - I was *warm*. I sat on the bow to cool off when the other divers were zipping the boat's wind shields around them to stop being cold. This suit should be good to 50F at least I think, so I'm set for winter diving anywhere in Texas, including the coast/rigs/wrecks as far as I know.

For me this is a great option, since it's way cheaper than the dry option, and plenty warm for what I plan to dive. I also like the fit and flexibility of a wetsuit (and I like being wet!). The SI will probably be the worst part, but in a boat with wind shielding, and a windbreaker to stop evaporation, it shouldn't be too bad. We shall see.

-blomdiver
 
Your suit was the source of our suit-envy yesterday! :)

Time for me to retire the 3mm till next year, that's for sure!
 
My only beef with the Fusion is the way the outer skin slides down while walking around. I look like Dick Van Dyke's penguin imitation (for anyone who remembers the Mary Poppins movie). It's not a problem in the water and I'm thinking a soft tie belt of some sort would fix that problem on land. The suit with the tech skin _is_ light, even when wet. And it dries rapidly. And the suit is more flexible than the 5mm semidry I tried on. I am interested in seeing Carrie's version too.
 
My only beef with the Fusion is the way the outer skin slides down while walking around. I look like Dick Van Dyke's penguin imitation (for anyone who remembers the Mary Poppins movie). It's not a problem in the water and I'm thinking a soft tie belt of some sort would fix that problem on land. The suit with the tech skin _is_ light, even when wet. And it dries rapidly. And the suit is more flexible than the 5mm semidry I tried on. I am interested in seeing Carrie's version too.

Supposedly the LE skin takes longer to dry. I heard a rumor that velcro had been added to the LE skin to help with pocket sag. I sent a PM to Whites on SB to confirm and was told that was not correct. Warren asked the White's rep about it and the rep said they had added velcro. :idk:
Hopefully my suit will be in this week.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom