Should I Start with a DRY suit ?

[String]

My advice would be to go straight in with a drysuit. Any wetsuit you buy will be short lived and a total waste of money in a few months.

I learned in a drysuit and to date have never dived in the UK wet and dont regret it. Using a drysuit is far from difficult, a few extra lessons and a bit of practice and there'll be no problem what so ever so if you are determined to stick at diving and can afford it id say go dry immediately.

I bought a 7mm+7mm semi-dry (wetsuit) before my sea dives, aquired the dry suit in the meantime and i have a very expensive lump of neoprene, still in the packaging that im NEVER going to use hanging in my wardrobe.

 

[TX101]

Go Dry!

As for the brand, I'd say it dosen't really matter so long as the suit is durable and is water/air tight. I prefer trilaminate so the level of warmth for me is dependent on the undersuit.

If you're new, try to get a course thrown in. I got a good deal on a new suit, the padi specialty and undersuit as a package (basically got a 10% discount and the course for free).

 

[lamont]

Is a dry suit too much suit for a novice...I wouldn't think so because it's all about staying warm.

A dry suit is not too much for a novice. I did 4 dives wet (my cert dives) and the rest of them have been all dry...

 

[geraldp]

I am kind of middle of the road on the issue of new or relatively new divers going with drysuits.

Bouyancy control is more demanding as you will either be using the suit for bouyancy or you will be using the BC for bouyancy and adding air to the suit as required to offset suit squeeze. In both cases you will be managing the same total volume of air, the differnce is in where the air is located and there are trade offs each way.

There was a discussion about this a couple of months ago in another folder. My drysuit class taught me to use my BC only on the surface for inflation, then completely use my drysuit for bouyancy after that. After 20 or so dives I just couldn't get my bouyancy down. By the time I added enough air to my suit to achieve proper bouyancy at depth I would very easily topple over and all the air would rush to my feet. Most of the posters on SB suggested that BC's should be used for bouyancy, not drysuits. So I started adding just enough air to remove the suit squeeze and then using the BC for bouyancy and that helped a lot. My instructor still says I should only be using my drysuit, and my bouyancy problem stemmed from being overweighted. He's probably correct that I need to dump some of my weights, but it sure helps my trim to add air into my BC when I need it vs adding additional air to my suit.

Jerry

 

[Daryl Morse]

I'm a new diver. OW in April and AOW in July. I've never dived in anything but a drysuit.

I did OW in an O'Neill neoprene drysuit. I dove in a pool before any ocean dives in order to practice and experiment with it. I had a few issues due to a leaking dump valve and general inexperience, but I feel it was a good decision as the water in Vancouver is cold.

When I did AOW, I used a Whites Nexus shell drysuit with fleece underneath. I like the shellsuit much more. I'm continuing to use the Whites suit in a rental package. Since I hadn't used a shellsuit before, I did a pool dive before going into the ocean. I also did another pool dive after AOW to further experiment with buoyancy and the shoulder dump valve.

Diving dry does add some complexity to diving, but not so much that you shouldn't do it as a novice diver. I suggest you spend some time in a pool and get familiar with the buoyancy characteristics of the suit and the way the dump valve works.

My viewpoint is that the drysuit should be used for keeping dry and the BCD should be used for buoyancy, but there are others far more experienced than I who may argue otherwise.

 

[Cal71]

I got a deal on my first wetsuit, but went dry after about 10 dives (got a deal on that too)... In my opinion the wetsuit really was a waste of money--especially if you know you're going to want to dive a lot. I'm now angling for a deal on a new drysuit (front entry and dry gloves---mmmm, dry gloves)...

A couple thoughts about starting out diving dry... Since you're just getting into the sport, buoyancy control will take a little while wet or dry, and you may find it easier to use your BCD rather than your drysuit in the beginning. I used my BCD for buoyancy underwater for quite a while because I knew how fast I could dump air and didn't feel at all sure I could dump air out of my suit in an emergency--after a while, I got a lot more comfortable judging my buoyancy in the water and understanding my suit valves that I started relying on the suit. Later on, I was able to shed about 10 lbs of weight as I got more comfortable with my drysuit, and buoyancy and trim got much easier...

One thing about being overweighted and compensating with more air in your suit, is it's easier to get air in your feet, and that's the biggest pain in the butt as far as I'm concerned...

If you've got good safe dive spots (no current, easy entry) to train and build your experience up, then I think starting dry makes a lot of sense and saves money in the long run...

 

[z969942]

I totally agree with Cal71. My purchase of a wetsuit for 40-55 degree water was a complete waste. Diving was fun but uncomfortable at that temperature especially when you start adding depth into the equation.

I could have bought a 7mm Atlan Neoprene for $515. I when with a 4mm compressed suit for a little more (cuts down on lead) actually I now use 3 lbs less than with my 6.5mm wet suit. Best thing I've bought to date. Just sold my wet suit. Can't wait until I really test it this winter under some ice.

As far as buoyancy control, regardless of what PADI has to say on issue. 90% of instructors (any discipline) say BCs are for buoyancy control and drysuits are for exposure protection, except in emergencies.

 

[andrep1]

Hi,

I dont see any issue with starting with a drysuit. I did my OW a year ago and got a wetsuit. I don't think it was a bad investment, but diving in cold water, I would start with a drysuit and then, maybe buy a 5 or 3 mm wetsuit for summer and down south.

As far as buoyancy control is concerned, I was taugth to use my drysuit during my class. That lasted for 2 or 3 dives and once I got comfortable, I started using BCD for buoyancy and the drysuit only for comfort.

 

[r37691]

I would go dry, if you can afford it. I think with DUI you're paying for the name, as others have said. My next one will be the Bare ATR HD model, or a Whites SAR. And No I don't sell those brands.
Most LDS, if you order a Complete Drysuit from them will give you the drysuit course free.

 

[divedeepnj]

Where you are diving, dry is definitely the way to go. I'm in NJ and only dive in the ocean with a drysuit. I started with a Henderson 7mm neoprene, very warm, but it leaked constantly after only 2 years. You definitely get what you pay for. I just got a DUI CNSE and haven't had any problems so far. If you have any freshwater lakes, ponds, quarries, or rivers that you will also dive in during the summer months, a 3mm wetsuit is great for when it gets to warm for dry.