Current top drysuits for rec diving

[vioch]

Will be interesting to see how my buoyancy and weighting is with this vs my 3mm Henderson and 8mm NeoTek

It will depend on your undergarment and gas volume in your drysuit.
I for example don't use any lead with Weezle Extreme+ undergarment, steel backplate and steel doubles in +4C fresh water and add 4 kg for salt water. In warmer fresh waters with Weezle Compact I even have to switch to aluminium backplate.

when I had the valve completely open if I rolled so my left shoulder was up, air would dump, id start to slowly descend and I would have to re-inflate and try to regain my neutral buoyancy

It seems you have a lot of excess gas in your drysuit.
If you keep this bubble as low as described below, you will forget all buoyancy issues and reduce additional weights.

http://pdf.divedui.com/DUI_Manuals-Current/DUI-Drysuit_Manual-English.pdf (p.48)

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@vioch

This surprises me a little bit, as while air/gas tries to go up, pressure does push the dry suit away from the body, giving additional insulation. This is why some dry suit divers add extra weight.

PS. You live in my favorite city to visit. I've spend about 3 months there in total I think over 4 visits.

 

[HKGuns]

I completed my dry suit certification today, was a piece of cake.

I found it far easier to control buoyancy with the dry suit than with a wet suit and BCD.

PADI teaches to control buoyancy submerged with the dry suit and only use the BCD in an emergency and while surfaced.

My buoyancy was far more under control and I only needed 2 pounds of weight in each pocket. I also dove with my pony for the first time and didn't even notice it was there.

Interesting tidbit. I found that my heavier fins, Aqua Lung Rocket fins, worked better with the dry suit than my Scuba Pro Seawing Nova fins.

 

[Dark Wolf]

I completed my dry suit certification today, was a piece of cake.

I found it far easier to control buoyancy with the dry suit than with a wet suit and BCD.

PADI teaches to control buoyancy submerged with the dry suit and only use the BCD in an emergency and while surfaced.

My buoyancy was far more under control and I only needed 2 pounds of weight in each pocket. I also dove with my pony for the first time and didn't even notice it was there.

Interesting tidbit. I found that my heavier fins, Aqua Lung Rocket fins, worked better with the dry suit than my Scuba Pro Seawing Nova fins.

Congrats!!!

I had heard PADI had quit teaching bouyancy with drysuit, but I guess not. Regardless, I use my wing for bouyancy and only add enough air to offset squeeze.

DW

 

[Dominik_E]

Needs some flexibility I think. As others have said, thermal insulation is also at least to a point a function of the air in the suit.

 

[formernuke]

I'm having to switch back to bouyancy control with wing and using drysuit just to offset squeeze

 

[Dominik_E]

On original topic: Waterproof user here, can not say anything negative. Except price

 

[stuartv]

Needs some flexibility I think. As others have said, thermal insulation is also at least to a point a function of the air in the suit.

Yes. But, after you have enough air in there for the undergarments to achieve their full loft, any more air is not helping with insulation. It is just creating a bubble that will run up and down your spine and be harder to control than air in a BCD.

That is one of the reasons why when I teach drysuit, I teach to use the BCD for buoyancy. In my opinion, there is a "right" amount of air in your drysuit. Just enough to loft your undies and no more. If the right amount in your suit just coincidentally happens to also make you neutral, then you need more lead. Why? Because as you breathe down your tanks through the dive, you're going to get light and have to let air out of your suit - which will compromise the insulation it is providing.

When you get to the bottom, at the start of your dive, and your suit is inflated the right amount, you should still be negative by the amount of gas you're carrying. If you're diving a single AL80, you should be about 6# negative. If you're diving double 120s, you should be about 18# negative. And the correct way (again, in my opinion) to handle that is to inflate your BCD to get neutral.

 

[lexvil]

Yes. But, after you have enough air in there for the undergarments to achieve their full loft, any more air is not helping with insulation. It is just creating a bubble that will run up and down your spine and be harder to control than air in a BCD.

That is one of the reasons why when I teach drysuit, I teach to use the BCD for buoyancy. In my opinion, there is a "right" amount of air in your drysuit. Just enough to loft your undies and no more. If the right amount in your suit just coincidentally happens to also make you neutral, then you need more lead. Why? Because as you breathe down your tanks through the dive, you're going to get light and have to let air out of your suit - which will compromise the insulation it is providing.

When you get to the bottom, at the start of your dive, and your suit is inflated the right amount, you should still be negative by the amount of gas you're carrying. If you're diving a single AL80, you should be about 6# negative. If you're diving double 120s, you should be about 18# negative. And the correct way (again, in my opinion) to handle that is to inflate your BCD to get neutral.

Or not,

 

[stuartv]

Or not,

I used to date a woman who told me frequently, "you're entitled to your own stupid opinion." And I agree. I am!