DUI Demo Sucker

[wreckchick]

I'm posting this in Basic Scuba because I'd rather talk about the who and why of drysuit diving, not necessarily the equipement, however if one of the mods wants to move it, I'll understand that.

Well, I can honestly say that diving that drysuit made me want one. I would, of course, get proper training and practice in familiar situations, etc.

I'll throw this out for you to tear apart. I love diving. I want to dive a lot. My local diving is cold. I'm always cold, in the water and out. I've been suffering through my dives in a semi-wet which is better than a fully-wet suit, but a drysuit would most definitely make my diving much more enjoyable. I have said in the past that I feel slightly task loaded already and as I think you can all appreciate the drysuit does add tasking to a dive. However, when I was in the drysuit, I recognized that I had more going on but due to my increased comfort the tasking seemed manageable on that particular dive. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm cold my thought processes slow down considerably. On my very next dive I was wet and I was back to having to really think about what I was doing because I was so cold.

Now my question is this: Am I a good candidate for a drysuit?

Rachel

 

[SueMermaid]

Seems like a no-brainer to me, Rachel. Besides the expenditure, what's your hesitation?

 

[O-ring]

Now my question is this: Am I a good candidate for a drysuit?

Most of your diving is cold, so if you want to stay warmer and extend your dive season you will need to go dry. Once you do, I bet you will almost never dive wet again..

The only drawback I see is the one SueMermaid pointed out... $$$$

 

[JDostal]

Hey

A drysuit is NOT that hard to learn how to use at all...it's pretty easy to get the basics down actually. Your first couple of dives with it might not be the best - you will feel out of sorts, and your buoyancy won't be great...but soon, you'll get the hang of it.

And once you do, it's a LOT better than wetsuit diving. Even in a semi-wet...you're still wet =)

And once you are nice and dry and warm in your drysuit, you're going to be a LOT more comfortable, a lot more relaxed, and a lot more happy on your dives.

Believe me - a drysuit is for you. They are great!

 

[Soggy]

If you are cold, you are a good candidate for a drysuit. That is the only reason you need! You hit the nail right on the head with being cold and slowing down the thought process. I am normally a drysuit diver, but was wet in very cold (38-40 degree) water this weekend. I found at 60 feet I was pretty narced. My mind was wandering and I was not noticing things that I should have noticed...everything was in slow-mo. The moral is...cold has been proven to increase narcosis.

If you are going the drysuit route, don't only look at DUI, though....there are several manufacturers out there that make products of similar quality for a LOT less money. Do the research and figure out what kind of diving you will be doing? Are you doing a lot of shore or wreck diving that requires a tough fabric? If yes, then you should look toward crushed neoprene or heavy-duty trilaminate suits. If you are just site-seeing, you may only need a lightweight shell suit.

I'd suggest staying away from 7mm neoprene suits. They have all the disadvantages of a 7mm wetsuit, plus you cannot layer as much underneath...i.e. they are less versatile.

 

[wreckchick]

My only hesitation, apart from the money thing, but I'm quickly coming around on just having to suck that one up is that I'm still a new diver and I'm not as instinctive about my diving in "normal" gear as lots of more experienced divers and by adding the stuff with the drysuit I worry I'm overextending myself.

It was brought up in another thread that "not everyone should dive dry" so I was wondering what everyone thought about me.

I was crying on the dock in my semi-wet the day after I demoed the drysuit. I wanted one right then really bad!!

R

 

[Big-t-2538]

O-ring once bubbled...

The only drawback I see is the one SueMermaid pointed out... $$$$

Yeah...that is literally the only thing stopping me....I am thinking tax-refund = drysuit and training.....now all I have to do is convince the wife that I "need" yet another piece of dive gear and yet another class.

 

[diverjed]

A drysuit is not that bad once you get used to it, like everything else, you just have to keep doing it, and then it is old hat. Find a local quarry to practice all the ins and outs with the suit, the differences in bouyancy and weight adjustments, and all will be well.

To save on costs, inquire with your LDS about possible used dry suits, you never know.

Or search the web (e-bay), I recently lucked out and bought a brand new Viking for just over $600, and it panned out well. Just make sure you pass on your proper measurements to the seller:

Arms
Chest
height
weight
neck size
Shoe size

 

[Uncle Pug]

biscuit7 once bubbled...
I've been suffering through my dives in a semi-wet which is better than a fully-wet suit, but a drysuit would most definitely make my diving much more enjoyable.

Get the drysuit... ASAP.

 

[Scuba Chip]

Rachel
How can you be comfortable an content if You are cold? How can You have fun if Your're cold? Get the suit!!! It will also open additional options to You, like ice diving, and it will extend your dive "season" to the entire calendar year. Have you ever experienced the light refraction of ice when diving under a frozen waterfall? Have You ever literally walked 'upside down' under the ice of a frozen lake? Cold water makes marine life very lethargic. You can actually pick up fish in your (gloved) hands and pet them when they are cold enough.

Cold is all relative though. I have seen postings on this board by divers of the DELMARVA Peninsula claiming they dive cold water. That's laughable, given our location in Northern New England. Even Southern New England (CT, RI & MA on Southside of Cape Cod) is warm water, compared to up here (MA Northside of Cape Cod, NH & ME). For certification dives here, students wear wet suits. (No dive shop I know of rents drysuits). Their entries for their outdives are a very memorable portion of their cert course. Those who intend to stay with the sport diving locally, all opt for drysuits ASAP. Drysuits are the future. At least two manufacturers that I know of (and there probably are many more) are now making tropical drysuits. That's right, intended for us liveaboard lovers who make 4-5 dives a day, day after day, for a week or more. Don't hesitate. Go for it! You'll be glad You did !