To dry suit or not to dry suit

[cityleader]

Going to be doing my OW certification in a month and a half. They offer the dry suit option for 150 dollars extra. I'm not sure if I should just get it now or wait. I live in the midwest and don't plan on diving much in the Mississppi. So this will really be mainly on trips and vacation spots. So I wanted to hear the veterans thoughts on if it was a good idea or not..

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

 

[Superlyte27]

I personally wouldn't pay for a drysuit class. Everything you need to learn about drysuit diving you could do in a pool before the tank of air is gone with the help of a good mentor.

 

[t-mac]

Unless you need it right away, I would do OW first and get a number of dives under your belt before adding the complication of the dry suit. You can learn that later once you are comfortable diving without it.

 

[TMHeimer]

I personally wouldn't pay for a drysuit class. Everything you need to learn about drysuit diving you could do in a pool before the tank of air is gone with the help of a good mentor.

I also have heard this is true. My buddy got a drysuit maybe a year after certification and figured it out himself (he may have gotten some pointers from someone). But it's not the $150, it's the cost of the drysuit. Sounds like you won't need one if you are mostly planning vacation dives (assuming they are warm water). You (probably) wouldn't need one if diving on the north Gulf Coast either, though I have seen them in mid winter there.

 

[RayKay]

I know a few LDS's up here offer the combined OW/drysuit option just because of the conditions up here. I don't want to be anywhere near them when they are doing their first OW checkout dives combined with drysuits...but....it is MUCH warmer to dive those waters in a drysuit. I did my OW checkout dives during an LDS trip to warm waters, came back, and did my drysuit course before I would even consider getting in the water here (mountain lakes of 4C/39F).

You should be prepared that you just might end up liking cold water diving after all, though, or that diving a handful times a year is not sufficient and you want to get in the water more, and you will definitely want a drysuit. I won't get into the water up here without one! I don't think the course is a MUST if you have a good mentor who can teach you the tricks of the trade and how to do it safely, but I did take the course anyway since it was a very low cost for me to do and I was able to try out a few different suits until I figured out what I wanted for myself to own. I would recommend the course. Some places will not rent a suit to you if you do not have the course, and I don't blame them after seeing a few people pop up to the surface.

I love warm water diving, but there is something also very unique and interesting about cold water diving. And cold water diving does not have to be 39 F, for me I consider basically anything below 70 F to be coldwater! Get the right drysuit, and not only might you be able to dive more often, you may even appreciate having it on the "warm" water vacations.

 

[Scott]

Unless you need it right away, I would do OW first and get a number of dives under your belt before adding the complication of the dry suit. You can learn that later once you are comfortable diving without it.

It's not complicated if that is what you learn to dive from day one.

I live in the midwest and don't plan on diving much in the Mississppi. So this will really be mainly on trips and vacation spots.

If you have few plans to dive locally then there is little value in taking the course.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

If you live near the Great Lakes, then the D/S is nice. Deep, cold water. For travel destinations, not so critical.
Save the money, it is easier to learn wet & as other mentioned, learning it is not a huge undertaking once you have everything else dialed in.
There are so many ways to spend you money diving, its not funny.

 

[maniago]

+1 on waiting. If you don't have a severe cold water need (lets say below 45deg alot) then just wait. There is plenty of time to grow into it if you wish. Remember that this board tends to attract really enthusiastic enthusiasts, but they don't necessarily represent the whole population of divers. I'd hazard to say that many if not most world wide divers never dive dry and never have the need. Its a great wrench for the right nut, but don't get hooked into any hype or jump on the bandwagon just because. Read, listen, and evaluate for your particular situation. YMMV

 

[RJP]

If you think you will be diving anywhere north of south Florida with any regularity... learn how to dive in a drysuit and then dive in it.

- To suggest that you might need it only if you plan to dive in water below 45F is ludicrous
- To suggest that it is complicated to do OW in a drysuit is ludicrous
- To suggest that you don't need a class is... well, that one might be true for some folks. However I took a class and thought it was worth it

 

[TSandM]

What are the water temperatures going to be where you do your open water dives? If they're significantly below 70, you will be SO much happier in a dry suit. In addition, if the water to which you have regular access is that cold, if you have a dry suit cert, you are more likely to go diving, which is how you become good at it (and have more fun).