New to diving, would like to dive dry...

[stangguy327]

I will start off by saying that i have about a dozen dives under my belt. I have picked this sport up quickly and have never had a problem with bouyancy control. I am very comfortable in the water, and even in my Open water checkout dives had no problem with obtaining and controlling a neutral bouyancy.

That being said, I realized that for the price of a new 7mm wetsuit i can pick up a 2nd hand drysuit. So i am asking advice on a couple things....

Do you think diving dry is something that will be diffucult for me now?
And what do you think about buying 2nd hand dry suits.

One suit that i have come across is a Posiden parkway that supposedly has good seals and zipper, but a little on the old side for $175.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

I have to say I love diving dry... But you will most definently get what you pay for with a drysuit.

 

[PerroneFord]

When I finally get IN my drysuit, I'll rarely dive wet again. But you get what you pay for. I'd expect to pay 500-800 for decent used drysuit, and about twice that for new.

If your buoyancy is as good as you say, then you should not have any trouble picking up a drysuit. I wish I could say my buoyancy was solid, even now.

 

[mikeyjoe]

Don't hesitate in going dry - you won't regret it. I did my Open Water certification in a drysuit, so with a few dives under you belt you should be fine. I'd recommend buying a good used drysuit from a local LDS that you trust (i.e. the one you put you life in their hands for your lessons...;-) ) rather than a private sale. Zippers are very expensive to replace..... Try renting a neoprene and a shell suit first to see which you prefer. I like the neoprene myself, but I know the shell suit are very popular.....

 

[BubblesUp]

I started diving dry when I had about the same number of dives and similar level of comfort in the water as you. With practice and a good level of awareness regarding buoyancy control and proper trim, it didn't take long - maybe half a dozen dives or so - before diving with the drysuit felt like second nature.

Can't use my experience to predict how you'll do; however, it worked for me. I certainly wouldn't shake my head and think you were nuts for wanting to go that route.

As for second hand suits, I know divers who have been thrilled with used suits and others who got burned - or should I say wet - pretty badly. For gear like drysuits, BCs and regs, my personal preference is to buy new and buy the best I can afford. That way I know exactly where my gear has been and how it's been maintained. A bargain isn't much of a bargain if you have to repair early/often or re-buy.

My two cents.

 

[NSDiver]

Before I started diving dry, I had the impression that it was super difficult, or something for "advanced divers." I found that wasn't really the case once I did it - any new diver with relatively good control should be able to pick it up rather quickly. And since I've got my log book out... my first dry dive was #28.

As to the 7mm suit, I've said this multiple times on SB (though some might disagree): any dive that requires a 7mm will be much better done in a drysuit.

That being said, I'll echo everything else - you will probably get what you pay for in a drysuit. If you can, it would probably be best to save some money and shop around a bit. You can pick up a nice used suit for 5 or 6 scuba bucks (oops, PF kinda already said that too).

See my avatar? That's me smiling at 46 degrees in my drysuit.

-Nick

 

[GONEHAWKN]

i just order'd a custom Bare Trilam suit. i almost went the used route, but was concern'd with the shape of the suits i was looking at. none were local, so it was not like i could go and check them out in person prior to buying. plus, i have some odd measurements and i dont think an off the shelf suit would have fit me quite right. with enough input from other folks i opted to buy new. now, i got a pretty good deal on a new suit(right around $1600.00 with some extra's). but, my dive buddies both order'd SeaSkin suits. well, my one buddy has already received his. let me tell ya, for $1000.00 he got a hell of a suit. that $1k included next day shipping from the UK as well. anyway, your probably gonna get a 100 different answers to your post. but, i will say what someone else has already said; you get what you pay for. not that the deals on used suits are not out there. it's just "buyer beware". good luck.

Bill

 

[stangguy327]

thanks for the friendly info guys, Yes i will keep my eyes open and try not to go to cheap.

One more question though, leaking problem aside, is there any problems with lower end suits? Or i should say why are some suits 2k and some 800, what makes them worth that much more?

 

[yangnome]

I personally think that if you have a good idea of what you want, and keep an eye out, you might be able to find a great deal on a used suit and save a lot of money. I recently purchased a CF200 off of ebay for $300. It was the right size, and from the pictures appeared to be in very good condition. I went ahead and bid on it figuring that even if I had to replace the zipper and seals, I'd still get a hell of a deal on a good drysuit I wanted that I normally couldn't afford. I figured that even if someone scammed me and I didn't get the suit, or it was in worse condition than avertised, I would be ok with losing that money. If for some reason the suit didn't fit right, I could likely sell it on ebay for more than what I paid for it.

I got the suit in the mail yesterday and it appears to be in great condition--better than what i thought it was when ordering. I still haven't taken it in the water to see if it leaks or not, but it fits well, the seams and zipper appear to be in good condition, and even if I need to pay for a repair, I think I got a hell of a deal on a really good drysuit. I'll be diving dry a lot sooner than I would have been had I saved up the money to buy a suit. I can spend that extra cash on other equipment too.

 

[sambolino44]

I don't have a lot of experience, and my buoyancy skills could definitely improve. I did two "demo days" dives with DUI suits - no class, just a cursory explanation of what to do. It was easy. I even got into the "dreaded" situation I've heard so much about: too high, going up with too much air in your feet. All I did was exhale and swim down; no problem.

As for buying a used one, I can't help you there.