Start with 7mm or just get drysuit

[Omb]

Total beginner but based out of Stuttgart Germany. Plan to dive “locally” for next 2 years. Local means cheap flight locations of Malta, Canaries, Mallorca, Croatia, and Italy. Also want to check off Austria and Switzerland at least once.

Should I just bite the bullet and start with a drysuit? Specifically a Scubapro Exodry? I know I am going to end up with a wardrobe of suits as I progress. Just wondering what your thoughts are regarding skipping the 7mm all together and going straight to the crushed neoprene Exodry Suit.

I’m kinda leaning towards taking my unused 7mm back and swapping out for the Exodry. Anybody do their open water course with a drysuit?

Thoughts?

 

[Edward3c]

By default in the UK most new divers use a drysuit from the start.

 

[MrBigfins]

What are water temps that you will be diving? Here in Pa, a lot of divers prefer drysuit. I comfortably dive a 6/7/8 neotek to mid 40s. If temps drop below 45 f, I notice. I'm thinking of getting a thermalution heated undershirt for those rare occasions the temps drop below 45. Other people are less cold tolerant and demand a dry suit at those temps. So part of it is personal preference .

Air temps play a huge part in it as well. If air temps are low, dry seems to be the better option.

 

[Omb]

Water temps between 15 and 25 degrees for the most part.

I think I am going to just start out dry.

What about the teens? I have a 15 and a 17 year old. They have been in water, wetsuits and drysuits really all their life, but only on the surface doing water sports. My 17 year old likes to be warm and my 15 year old doesn’t care about the cold so much but does get cold after a while. Good idea to start them on a drysuit as well or should I keep things simple with them for a while? My daughter will certainly enjoy it less if she is cold

 

[Scuba-74]

Anybody do their open water course with a drysuit?

Thoughts?

PADI explicitly lists OWD as a prerequisite for the Dry Suit class: Dry Suit Diver | PADI:

"If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the Dry Suit Diver course."

Not sure about other agencies.

EDIT: you can easily do 15C in a wetsuit.

 

[SeaHorse81]

As someone who dove a 7mm suit for several years, I never looked back once I started diving dry. It's not just way warmer, it's also a lot easier.

 

[Edward3c]

PADI explicitly lists OWD as a prerequisite for the Dry Suit class: Dry Suit Diver | PADI:

"If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the Dry Suit Diver course."

Not sure about other agencies.

EDIT: you can easily do 15C in a wetsuit.

The PADI operators I know of in Scotland do the Open Water in drysuits. Why frighten off your customers with a horrible cold experience.

 

[Scuba-74]

The PADI operators I know of in Scotland do the Open Water in drysuits. Why frighten off your customers with a horrible cold experience.

I'll take your word for it. Here in the Northeast US, the water is not any warmer than in the UK (I don't think), and I haven't heard of anyone getting OW in a drysuit.

 

[Mike1967]

"If you’re at least 10 years old and certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the Dry Suit Diver course."

Yes but, where does it say you can't do OW in a drysuit?

you can easily do 15C in a wetsuit.

Easy for you maybe!

 

[Scuba-74]

Yes but, where does it say you can't do OW in a drysuit?

The part where it says that "if you are certified" then "you can enroll".

Easy for you maybe!

I dove 5C in 7mm suit. It's a bit chilly. 15C is practically warm water