Cold Water... What do I really need

[SolarStorm]

Ok, done some of the tropics stuff. Convinced my wife that trip out to the BC coast could be fun even if she doesnt dive.

Now comes the fun part, BUYING STUFF! :bounce4:

But before I go the store and buy everything they recommend, I would like to start with a list that isnt dependant upon financing the LDS. (Not that they dont give good advice, I just like more than one opinion)

I already have:

Fins, mask, snorkle

Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10 reg
Oceanic NEO Octo
Excursion BCD
Oceanic Atom 2 DC

I am looking at a drysuit. Someone told me that the water is cold in BC

I am not looking for military grade stuff, but not the cheap stuff too.

So what else do I need? IE what else goes with the drysuit to keep my buns warm? and if you know, does it come packaged or separate. Also anything you would look at if I found a good used deal? I am looking for a complete setup so that I dont need to rent anything other than a tank and weights.

 

[TSandM]

Well, if you are going to buy a dry suit, you will also need undergarments to go underneath it. What kind of undergarment you need depends in part on what kind of dry suit you buy.

Dry suits more or less come in three flavors: Neoprene, laminate, and compressed or crushed neoprene. Neoprene suits are warmer and often less expensive, but have the same buoyancy issues as thick neoprene wetsuits, and may not offer as good mobility as other suits.

Laminate suits can be bilam or trilaminate. They are thinner and lighter and dry faster than neoprene, and have no intrinsic insulating capability and no intrinsic buoyancy. They take the thickest undergarments, but also give you the flexibility to use thinner ones if you travel to warmer water. The price of laminate dry suits depends on the material (trilam > bilam) and the cut, and the accessories. An inexpensive bilam suit can often be found for less than $1000, whereas high end or custom suits can run around $3K.

Compressed or crushed neoprene suits tend to be expensive. They have some intrinsic insulating ability but less buoyancy swing than full neoprene suits. Depending on the material, they may have a little stretch to help with mobility. They are heavier and dry slower than laminate suits, but also tend to be tougher, which is good for folks who have to make difficult entries or are diving wrecks.

Some dry suits are sold in packages with the manufacturer's undergarments, and these are often very good buys.

A peculiar hybrid suit is the Whites Fusion -- it's a laminate suit with a Lycra or neoprene overlayer. The inner suit is cut oversized to afford great mobility, and the outer layer keeps the fabric lightly compressed to avoid ballooning. When I dove up at Whytecliffe in January, I was amazed at the number of Fusions I saw there -- they are clearly popular in the Vancouver area.

 

[SolarStorm]

Thanks TSandM. So when buying a drysuit, I am assuming I will need a hood, gloves and boots as well. Also while looking online I saw a neck seal? I take it that this is for differing sizes in necks and somehow attaches to the drysuit or hood.

Are there "dry gloves" that will also attach to the dry suit?

Do you see any issues with my current BCD or regs in cold water?

 

[reo]

SolarStorm,

One other thing to consider--training. Drysuits add an additional buoyancy source. You should take a drysuit training course prior to diving a drysuit. You'll learn how to manage buoyancy and recover from feet-first ascents.

Also, you may want to hire a local guide when you go to BC. They know the good places to dive and when to dive. Many sites in BC are great dives, but have very strong currents at times, making them undivable (not sure that's a word, but it conveys the meaning).

Ron

 

[SolarStorm]

Already been looking for the "guided" trips. Definately would not go unguided. doesnt have be a professional dive shop, but I am way to green to try it on my own. All the LDS here in town are offering trips and may tag along on one of those. Also been looking at the live aboards. They look way cool. My ideal trip would probably be diving from a sailboat for a week...

 

[TSandM]

I'm not familiar with your regs, or your BC; the only thing to think about with the BC is how you will carry your weights, because you will need quite a bit more for cold water dry suit diving than you need in warm.

Dry suits come with wrist and neck seals. They can be neoprene, or latex. Neoprene seals are warmer and a little kinder to the skin on your neck, but if properly fitted, they can be difficult to get on and off, and they may leak a little with neck movement. Neoprene wrist seals limit your options to use dry gloves.

Latex neck seals are thinner and stretchier, but much more fragile. They can give people a neck "burn" with multiple days of diving. They are easier to get on, and if properly sized, do not leak. Latex wrist seals make it easy to choose among a wide variety of dry glove systems.

In the majority of suits, the seals are permanently attached, and require a gluing job to replace. DUI uses something called Zip Seals, which allows changing seals out without such a process. To my knowledge, no other brand of suit offers this as an option, although SiTech is coming out with an aftermarket system which is similar.

Suits either come with some kind of attached footgear (boots or soft soles) or with a sock which requires a separate rock boot.

You will need a hood and gloves. Some dry suits come with a hood (my Diving Concepts ones did). There are a number of different dry glove systems available. Some permanently mount on the suit, and some mount on the seals. I am fond of the Viking Bayonet system, which is seal-mounted and very easy to install and remove.

Hope that helps. I concur about either getting some training, or doing some dives with an experienced mentor. Dry suits add a whole level of complexity to buoyancy control!

 

[a22shady]

I dive in NJ so we are colder waters also. a few things that I would recomend.

You said you are already looking at a drysuit. I personally like the Bare suits. they are excellent quality and very reliable have been around for a long time. When I was deciding it came fow to the Bare Trilam Hd-tech dry or the DUI Tls350. Both are top of the line suits. But with the Bare it has a lot of standar that DUI charges for and after trying them both on It was not worth it for me Spending an extra 800+ for the name. Also Bare has more Stock sizes.
Bare Drysuit

Next thing Hood/Gloves I would definetly wear. I have a bare Tech hood with zipper it's a 7/5m.
Tech Dry Hood

Gloves all last year I dove with wet gloves 5m Akona's they worked but hands got cold untill later in the season. if the water will be below 50-60F I would recomend Drygloves. If you decide against drygloves I like the Henderson hyperstretch 7m 5 finger gloves.
Henderson Gloves
Dry Glove system


BCD- I don't think you need a special BC between warm and cold water's but if your looking into them I dive with BP/w I use the Halcyon Eclipse
Halcyon Eclipse BCD

Reg's if the water is not going to be below 40-45F any good breathing reg combo should work. If the temp is going to be below that I would go with a diaphram type regulator or Sealed Piston type. The two I use are the Scubapro MK17/G250V which is a great reg and will hold up in the coldest waters. I also Dive with Atomic M1's.
Scubapro MK17/G250v
Atomic M1

 

[SolarStorm]

Thanks all, I now eagerly await the weekend to go shopping!

 

[stargost]

Hello SolarStorm,

Drysuit is great, but process of choosing is long. Best way is to try one. Pb is you cannot rent without the certification, and if going through a DrySuit training, you may ended up being told some process you will not eventually use (like controlling buoyancy with the drysuit which sucks !)
As TSandM mentioend, the choice of teh undergarment is as tricky as the suit...

Minor details, if you have some fins already, you may need new ones with a drysuit, as the boots wont fit...

If water is really cold, then the extra buoyancy of the undergarment will force you carry a lot of weight, so if you can only rent AL tank, maybe one thing to consider buying is a steel tank.
If you are tall enough, get a decent size one like LP95/HP100 or even higher... while this depends on the diving you do.
It is really helpful in cold water as you dont end up with 15lbs lead on each side of your belt, or even worse, having to add a weight belt on top of your weight integrated BC.

 

[Teamcasa]

I'll second TSandM's suggestion for the Fusion. However, I found the Whites Catalyst 360 a better fit for my body shape. (Big butt and thighs)

Drysuit diving is more challenging than wetsuit diving at first but learning how is well worth the effort. Plus, you need to be significantly more aware of cleaning, storage and maintenance issues.

Dive safe and have fun!