Had my last dive ever today...

... in a wetsuit.

So I'm a cold water Canadian diver and now that the ice is off the water in our local high altitude mountain lake my buddy and I decided it was time to get wet.

Up to today I had a two-piece 7 mm wetsuit that for some reason seemed to have shrunk over the winter??? At any rate it was difficult to get the zipper done up but after some not so gentle coaxing I got it done up and was ready to dive.

10 minutes later at a depth of 60 feet and my computer showing a water temp of 37 F my zipper on my wetsuit splits and opens from my neck to my waist!! Natuarally not wanting to cut the dive short I signaled to my buddy to continue diving. We dove for another 25 minutes and then surfaced. I was freezing my butt off but the dive was amazing. The good thing about cold water diving is we had great visability. At any rate after that dive I dorve directly to the LDS and put in an order for a drysuit.

I used to be the guy who made fun of drysuit divers for being wimps while I was still diving wet in cold temperatures, but after today I have finally been converted.

I can totally relate

Using shrinking neoprene is a conspiracy by the suit manufacturers!

Dive the tropics and stay warm!

For me, if it's too cold to dive my 3mm, I go dry. I got tired of not being able to move in a 2pc 7mm. I felt like the kid who said he couldn't move (arms sticking straight out), in the winter coat in the movie "A Christmas Story". Just a thought though. Remember, a drysuit, occasionally, will become a wetsuit at some point & time.

OMG :shocked2:

You are brave! 48F in a zipped 7mm had me running for a dry suit !

They are cozy !

jjhill:

..
I used to be the guy who made fun of drysuit divers for being wimps while I was still diving wet in cold temperatures

Click to expand...

That's like monkeys making fun of humans for not wearing fur coats in the summer.

Welcome to the world of drysuit diving. Just a friendly note, go ahead and order a pee valve. It is money well spent and it's the next best thing to a drysuit.

When the water temp drops below 75F I start reaching for my drysuit. It just makes all the difference in the world in being able to enjoy a dive.

When I'm in water for 5 or 6 hours doing training with students at the end of the day I don't need to put on a warm up cap and insulated jacket to go have supper.

37 F my zipper on my wetsuit splits and opens from my neck to my waist!! Natuarally not wanting to cut the dive short I signaled to my buddy to continue diving. We dove for another 25 minutes

Click to expand...

Now that's what I call hardcore! I would have been outta there in a flash!

It has been said that the tightness of Neopreen is directly proportional to the volume of Biopreen.

Best Regards

Richard