Printable View
I'm getting certified next month and i live in washington so obviously its on average like 45 in the water and about 50 and raining out of the water. so i have been told that drysuits are kinda like wearing a ziplockbag and annoying and wetsuits suck when you are out of the water, so me being new want to know what i should invest in. i'm going to rent gear for now until i buy my own.
thanks
Once you go dry, you'll sparingly use wet.
ie. when I travel, depending on the destination and the
number of dives planned, I may carry a wet suit.
99 and 66/100 percent of the time, I'm diving dry.. and I
live in Florida.
In waters of that temperature, a wetsuit is like a PC or a fax machine, a drysuit is like e-mail or a Mac.
Viking makes a stretchier rubber version of their top of the line dryuits. In my opinion it is the best. DUI is popular, and there are Washington based drysuit manufacturers that are popular.
With water that cold a wetsuit would be out of the question for me. I use a drysuit in florida much of the time and a wetsuit only when the water is warm enough.
I think you would be a popsicle in a wet suit after about 20 minutes. Multiple dives will be out of the question. I've dove here in San Diego and had water temperatures down to about 49 and was completely frozen in my 7mm but the surface was sunny and 70.
Thanks for the opinions, now if i'm going to get a dry suit what should i get?. dont have allot of money, and i'm 6"2 and about 225 any suggestions on a brand or style? i have seen neoprene dry suits whats the diffrence?
The drysuit type that is the best is the one you're most happy with. That is hard to tell until you dive with a bunch of different types.
Most drysuit divers have their personal likes and find no reason to change.
I have done extensive diving with the neoprene types as a teen. They work just fine, and tend to insulate on their own without expensive undergarments.
The thin fabric ones, well, most are not stretchy, so they must be baggy, which slows you down a bit, but who is in a rush anyway?
The crushed neoprene ones are heavy, but so is your scuba tank! I did try a so called self donning diagonal across the shoulder zipper style, HATED it compared to the far easier across the shoulder zipper.
Don't get an attached hood, as in the summer if the water is warm just dive without a hood.
For the last 20 years I have been diving with a Viking vulcanized rubber suit and would never go with anything else. I use a non-publicized version that has a stretchy inner tricot nylon liner. Far more comfortable getting in and out. Repairs are REALLY easy and fast, and the suit is lighter than neoprene, dries much faster and does not wind chill from evaporation. Get attached boots, otherwise you may lose a boot. Some swear by DUI gear with separate rock boots. I wonder if they just like the macho name, as there is no way I am climbing over rocks with dive gear on, and it is more gear to lose.
DUI does have a vulcanized rubber drysuit made for them and it has the zip seals which is an interesting feature.
I have done field repairs with latex neck seals using PVC glue and duct tape that worked fine.
Keep ALL drysuits and rubber products away from refrigerators such as a fridge in the garage. The ozone produced by the electric motor will destroy your suit in short order. Trust me on that one!
Neoprene drysuits tend to be the least expensive, vulcanized rubber and crushed neoprene, the most expensive.
Many others here dive dry, so hopefully others will chime in, we LOVE to spend other's $!
Quote:
Originally Posted by daner19
Considering you are not even certified yet, I would not buy anything. You should take your class and get certified using a rental dry suit from the dive shop that you are taking the class from. They usually don't charge much more for this, and you will get trained in how to properly use the dry suit. I think while using the rental unit and seeing what others are using on the dive boats, you will have a better feeling for what you will ultimately want to purchase. Dry suits are very expensive, so you don't want to buy a mistake that you can't afford to correct.
I personally like the tri-laminate suits, they are very lightweight and comfortable. It also can be dried out quickly which is important if you dive often. The neoprene suits tend to take a long time to dry. You will need to consider undergarments as most dry suits do not provide much insulation. I would never buy a dry suit unless it had a zipper across the chest so you can remove it yourself. My wife has a rear across the shoulder zip, and she can not zip or unzip it herself.
I also have a rather strange preference but I really like a neoprene neck seal with heavy duty latex wrist seals. The neoprene neck seal is very comfortable for me and has never leaked on me either which actually amazes me. The latex wrist seals tuck under my gloves nicely and work pretty well. I get a little bit of water at times, but just a few drops here and there.
You also have to consider your hood, gloves, and boots. Personally I like to use dry suit without a hood so I can wear a neoprene hood. The nice thing is I can go from a thicker to a thinner hood depending on the water temp. I am under the impression that something with a built in hood might be warmer, but it might be uncomfortable and difficult to put on or take off. As far as gloves, I have a bunch of gloves (3mm,5mm,7mm,and dry) that I use. I like the 5mm the best, I have warm hands so the 5mm keeps me warm and I can use my fingers to do mostly everything without a problem. I have seen some guys use mittens, but that kind of sucks in my opinion. The dry gloves are by far the warmest, but they are a bit bulky. As far as boots, I like some nice attached boots, not the little sock booties some have that would require an additional boot to be worn. My dry suit has some big boots with heavy tread like snow boots, DON'T get those, but rather get the smaller boot that resembles a basket ball shoe. The big ones offer a lot of flotation which you don't want. They also make it extremely difficult to find proper fitting fins for. Even the XL sized fins don't fit, so be aware.
You might want to consider having a "P" valve installed. If you are going to be spending much time in the cold water, nature will call and it might be difficult not to answer. ;)
I would steer clear of any off brand dry suit, not saying you have to spend a fortune to get the biggest name, but stick with a good reputable manufacturer. DUI, BARE, VIKING, are all good suits manufacturers that I would buy from. Be careful of the Bare Nex-Gen as it is not made to last but rather get you dry cheap. It really feels as thin as a plastic bag. I have the Bare Tri-Lam and could not be happier.
Ace makes a valuable point that his wife can't put a zipper across the back shoulder suit on by herself, whereas I had more trouble putting on a diagonal suit zippered suit and I personally find a rear shoulder zipper suit a piece of cake.
Because such things are so subjective and individual, it makes his good suggestion of trying on/renting different suit from your local dive store even more valuable.
Again take the classes and make sure you can dive and it's something you like enough to spend a lot of money on. Personally I'm fine in a wetsuit and I live in Northern CA where the water is normall in the high 40's to low 50's during winter and not much warmer during the summer. I have a 9mm XCEL which is extremely warm. But I also run warm because I rarely dive with gloves and have only been cold in that suit once and it was at 110' and the water was 44 deg F. I'm sure dry suits are great for some but right now I'm fine wet, so don't jump in determined you must dive dry, and again MAKE SURE DIVING IS FOR YOU!!!
No you don't need to go dry, that is for sure, but it is something you seriously need to consider if you are going to be diving where you live. That is the nice thing about renting equipment, you can rent a wetsuit for your first day of your checkout dive and rent a dry suit for your second day. Of course you will need to be trained in using the dry suit, but you can then make your own decision.Quote:
Originally Posted by hbh2oguard
I do promise you that once you go dry you won't want to use a wetsuit again. I am actually considering using my dry suit in Florida this winter. It is just very comfortable to be dry and warm while diving.
Oh yea' by the way, once I started using my dry suit I was able to increase my dive times as I was using less air. When you are cold you will suck down much more air then when you are comfortable. When my friends ask me what it feels like to dive dry, I tell them imagine being on your couch nice and comfy, my undergarments are fleece.
Thanks alot for all the info, and yes i am not going to buy anything yet. i am just trying to figure out what to rent to see what i like and see what people say about various gear. and i am sure i will love diving, i have been obsessed with the water since i was a kid and go snorkeling all the time. My dad was a Commercial diver for years so i grew up on boats and in the puget sound, so now I am excited to get certified to go explore it in more depth. Thanks again for all the help and i am sure i will ask more questions. i will keep you posted on what i decide to buy.
I dive a DUI CLx450...
Very Durable..
I decided on the diagonal front entry zipper... Easy to manage..
I had the back zipper, over the shoulders and hated it..
I chose the Rock Boots, because I didn't trust walking on the built on boot
and cutting into it.. Oops, there goes the 'dry' suit...
I also chose the Zip seals... for both the neck and wrists... A quick field
swap out should you tear a seal..
I've used Ace's method of dick tape. Didn't work too well, but I was able
to dive.. So it worked for the day..
I also bought custom made, verses the standard made.. Cost a little more
but it was cut for me.. Now $$ is a concern, I say rent.. Use Depends
and enjoy your experience with the suit..
Oh, and don't carry your cell phone in your dry suit... but that's another story..
Lars
LMFAO!!! That reminds me of one other thing you should be aware of, the term dry suit is a bit incorrect, they are dryer than a wetsuit, but you will get a little water here and there. You would be shocked at how much your sweat adds up.Quote:
Originally Posted by lars2923
Depends.....ummmm, I'll hold it, which sucks, but not Depends...I can't even imagine going to the store to make that purchase.
It's easy.. I just say I'm buying it for Acelock... :-)>Quote:
Originally Posted by acelockco