I'm a dry suit convert!

[bpotkin]

Last Sunday I was on the bottom scratcher dive boat at Catalina Island. It was cold, rainy and windy all day. Water temp was 51.
Those of us with drysuits were nice and warm. My son and others with wetsuits were freezing. I am new to drysuit diving and loving it.
I own an awesome wetsuit and a vested hood, however it can't even come close to my drysuit.

 

[TSandM]

I shoulda brought the dry suit . . .

 

[Randy43068]

.... sorry

I shoulda brought the dry suit . . .

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Hmmm... Why do I have this image of Peter sleeping on the couch or floor while Lynne is allowing her wetsuit to drip on him?

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[dv]

Great Post SeaHorse81! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Edge drysuit (ordered it in early March). I am glad to hear you like it so much! I am a relatively new diver, and I don't even own a wetsuit. I was renting all last year, and made the call that for me, maximizing my dive season is most important. With the drysuit, and varied undergarments, I hope to use this suit from April to November (as long as there is no ice basically). My only reservations about drysuit diving is that it would be too warm in the hottest summer months. I hope i don't regret my decision come July/August when air temps get to ~35 Celsius.

I know what you mean about the ease of putting on a drysuit vs. a wetsuit. I tried on a larger sized Edge drysuit and was so amazed at how easy it was to gear up. No more yanking/pulling and jumping around like a crazy person trying to pull up the legs far enough!

Sounds like you are getting some great training. I will be doing one pool session and 2 open water dives, with my LDS instructor. When i'm done I hope to have the same experience you did.

 

[turnerjd]

I shoulda brought the dry suit . . .

Dry suit in Hawaii? that's obvious no?

I get some funny looks at the start of a days diving when I dive dry in the Red Sea, this must be about the same latitude and conditions. It is surprising how many people at the end of a day diving wet will not be making fun of me any more when I am nice and warm and dry at the end of the day, especially when we have been down to >35m (what's that in feet 110?) for some time.

Dry suits rock!

To DV, it is never too hot for a drysuit. At the worst you just wear a T shirt and jeans under the suit.

Jon

 

[TSandM]

Jon, I agree! I did the Red Sea in a dry suit last September -- warmest water was 86 degrees, and I wore a base layer only; at 80, I had on a set of Polarfleece sweats. Everybody around me would run around the deck of the boat looking for towels and hot drinks; I would step out of my dry suit, grab a Coke, and go sit on the sundeck.

I don't think there is a "too warm" for a dry suit.

 

[SeaHorse81]

I don't think there is a "too warm" for a dry suit.

Music to my ears. I have to think that on the warmer days though, one must move through the gearing-up process and get in the water as efficiently as possible. I can imagine it getting pretty sweltering if having to wait any amount of time for entry once the suit is on.

 

[undrwater]

Music to my ears. I have to think that on the warmer days though, one must move through the gearing-up process and get in the water as efficiently as possible. I can imagine it getting pretty sweltering if having to wait any amount of time for entry once the suit is on.

Not any more so than with a wetsuit. The difference is your sweat is trapped INSIDE the suit!

 

[SeaHorse81]

The difference is your sweat is trapped INSIDE the suit!

Oh, yay!! That's okay -- small price to pay for all the wonderfulness. Yes, the 7 mil on a hot summer day has been quite the sauna, so I know that routine -- it's been the only time getting into the water has felt genuinely good, thermally speaking.

Now, I can look forward to getting into the water all the time, for a local dive season that lasts longer that 4-6 weeks.