Do you pee less with drysuits than with wetsuits?

[Zef]

I am not against having a pee-valve installed in my drysuit, I just have not gotten around to making a purchase and installing one....plus there are lots of stories about the valve that equalizes things becoming an issue....not sure if that has been resolved throughout the industry yet.

On the other hand, I tend to get bored beyond an hour in the water. I also have some upper back issues that make it uncomfortable for me to carry a tank larger than 12L 232 bar. With my 12L tank I can easily dive for an hour, without much impact by depth as no-deco time for any given depth would have me periodically adjusting to a shallower position in the water column. If I had a 15L 232 bar tank I could easily dive upwards of 1.5 hours.

The above means that I am either self-limiting my dives to about an hour (+/-) or my dives are limited by the air consumption of my dive partners/clients.

It may be coincidental but if I spend more than an hour in the water, wet or dry, the urge to pee befalls me. Not an issue in a wetsuit...even though I do my best to avoid peeing in my wetsuit, I have on occasion....but with my drysuit, I have come occasionally come out of the water and headed back to the car in code yellow conditions. This is one reason that I insisted on a suit with a zipper that I can open/shut on my own. The biggest issue is getting my head and hands through my silicone seals without tearing damaging them as the level of crisis rises.

My whitewater kayaking drysuit has a relief zipper down front for such occasions,,,I didn't find out until after the fact that I could have special ordered my fusion suit with one too.

-Z

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

Depends make the warmth stay longer

 

[rjack321]

I am not against having a pee-valve installed in my drysuit, I just have not gotten around to making a purchase and installing one....plus there are lots of stories about the valve that equalizes things becoming an issue....not sure if that has been resolved throughout the industry yet.

duckbill valves are a persistent problem - but you dont need a balanced valve at all

 

[Storker]

What’s a 50 minute dive?

A pretty typical one for those who use a single tank rig and/or don't want to owe deco.

 

[stuartv]

The urge to pee is the same as the mechanism is still present.

That is true - IF the diver is equally warm (or cool, if you're a glass half empty person), either way. But, I think most people go to a drysuit to be warmer... In which case, the "mechanism" generates less bladder pressure (when warmer).

Some of you talk about being able to hold it until you get out, then going to pee somewhere. I used to do that. If the water is cold enough that I'm wearing a drysuit, it is kind of a pain to get out of the water and go get out of the suit "enough" to be able to pee, then put it back on. I don't know why any male would prefer that to just using a pee valve. Especially if taking the top of the drysuit down is required and it means that the sleeves are dragging on the floor in a porta-potty or marine head. Or, really, any public bathroom.

I don't usually take my drysuit off between dives. I definitely don't if air temps are cool enough that I don't sweat (much). Diving in cold water on a cold day, and having to open my drysuit at all to pee really sucks!

 

[Storker]

Especially if taking the top of the drysuit down is required and it means that the sleeves are dragging on the floor in a porta-potty or marine head. Or, really, any public bathroom.

That's the second reason for your suit's suspenders. Secure the wrist rings behind the suspenders, and presto. No sleeves dragging on the floor. Or, if you get out of the top, tie the sleeves together around your waist.

I don't usually take my drysuit off between dives.

During summer I get clammy enough just by suiting up and during the ride out to the site. At the least, I open the suit and get out of the top part to vent a bit of moisture between dives. Best option is to get out of it all and turn it inside out, and then cozy up in just the undersuit.

 

[stepfen]

I don't know what's wrong with me but I pee a lot. Last dives I intentionally tried to count the times so that I report it here. During the first dive I lost count after 4 times (but it was at least a couple more). Second dive it was 3 or 4 times. That's with a wet suit (5mm two pieces long john) in warm water (25oC) for about 60-70minutes long rec dives. I don't have a dry suit yet although one is needed (January to May water gets here around 16-20oC) and one of the reasons is this. The idea of catheters etc doesn't sound appealing enough to me and not having a pee valve in my case is not possible for obvious reasons.
The reason I pee that much is not known. Maybe eating too many fruits contributes. Water melon and melon season just finished - now we have grapes apples an pears - soon oranges will start (i.e. even more water down the stream).

 

[Storker]

That is true - IF the diver is equally warm (or cool, if you're a glass half empty person), either way. But, I think most people go to a drysuit to be warmer...

Google "immersion diuresis". AFAIU it's a lot more pronounced when you're wet in a wetsuit than if you're (mostly) dry in a drysuit.

For me, there's a noticeable difference whether I'm diving dry or wet. It rarely happens that I feel the urge when I'm diving at home in my drysuit - at least during the first hour - but I have issues holding it more than 45-60 minutes if I'm diving wet. And I don't think it's entirely due to hydrating more when I'm in a climate where a wetsuit is appropriate exposure protection.

 

[formernuke]

I don't dehydrate (therefore need to rehydrate) in a drysuit NEARLY as much as a wetsuit because the water isn't touching my skin, wicking moisture from my body. I can go multiple dives and intervals without needing to go, and only minimal gatorade drinking (maybe 1 12oz per interval).

That said, my suit does not have a valve, but Seaskin can put a 'Convenience Zipper' for you to use on the surface.

In a way I dehydrate more in the drysuit. Thats because of sweating on the surface while donning gear and getting in especially on warmer days,

 

[stuartv]

That's the second reason for your suit's suspenders. Secure the wrist rings behind the suspenders, and presto. No sleeves dragging on the floor. Or, if you get out of the top, tie the sleeves together around your waist.


During summer I get clammy enough just by suiting up and during the ride out to the site. At the least, I open the suit and get out of the top part to vent a bit of moisture between dives. Best option is to get out of it all and turn it inside out, and then cozy up in just the undersuit.

I try that. But, when I pull the suit down enough to pee with it on, it seems like the sleeves still want to pull out of the suspenders and flop down. They definitely won't stayed tied around my waist (and I don't think I could pee with them tied around my waist anyway).

Totally agree on taking the top down when it's warm out. Though I have to give some props here to the Seaskin Tech base layer and Seaskin 150gr undersuit. It does an amazing (to me, anyway) job of wicking moisture. I very rarely get that clammy feeling since I started using it. I have taken my suit off and found the inside of the suit itself to be dripping, and the exterior of the 150 to also be totally damp all over. But, inside, I was still feeling totally dry.

Really, though, my main point was when diving dry in cool or cold weather. That is when I don't even want to unzip my suit at all - so a pee valve is really nice. And, this past year, I did a lot more diving early in the year, when it was cool or cold out than I got to do this summer...