Drysuit training necessary?

[Scuba_Noob]

I started my training with a drysuit in my OW class. I've always dove a drysuit locally.

But if you're already used to a wetsuit, you've probably developed some wetsuit habits. I would highly recommend the drysuit class for safety and comprehensiveness. You should not learn to use a drysuit yourself or from a non-instructor. Without training, needless errors/habits can occur and you might not be able to handle a drysuit emergency.

I had a friend who bought a drysuit without taking any training in one, though he did have 50+ dives. He thought his deflator valve was completely open, when it was completely closed, leading to an uncontrolled ascent (he was fine). Random crap can happen without proper training.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

This thread is interesting, considering that I did a solo drysuit dive for my first time today.

I had zero problems with it!......

Congrats, you outdid me. I left a trail of silt along the bottom the first time I dived dry and Robin pointed it out to me, did I feel like a fricken idiot.
A leak is a problem, minor, often either a zipper not completely done or a seal set in place where it pulls when you twist you neck/wrist.

Did you invert with plenty of gas in the suit so you had bubbles in your legs and test your ability to quickly regain a position where you can vent?
Did you practice attaching and detaching your inflation hose (the fill valve can jam open just like a BCD)?
Did you practice emergency venting (the d/s vents can clog also) via the neck seal?
Did you practice a full flood, these do happen (combine with above on the last dive of the day)?
Did you practice shallow (10') stops?
Did you check your trim (I was feet down, which cause my silt trail of shame)?

 

[PeterNBiddle]

I did DS & Nitrox with my OW (I'm not volunteering to dive Puget Sound in March in a wet suit, thank you very much).

I thought it was worth it and that my transition to wet-suit tropical diving was easier because of all the work we did moving bubbles around inside the dry suit.

 

[Mitchell Teeters]

I think one thing to consider is the suit you are diving as well. If you are diving a fusion you may have no problems. Fit is really important, but with limited experience a course may be in order. I didn't do a course but studied the hell out it and dove with a mentor as well. Good luck.

 

[macado]

It really depends on the person, I never bothered to take a drysuit class but I already had a decent amount of dives. Your mileage may vary. I would never tell anyone they need to take a class.

If you don't want to take a class, I would suggest finding a willing dive buddy to mentor you on drysuit basics. It's not rocket science but there are things you need to know. Start out doing some shallow easy less 25-30ft dives until you get comfortable. A buddy experienced with drysuits should be absolutely essentially if you want to learn on your own.

One other benefit to a drysuit class is being able to rent a drysuit if you plan on traveling somewhere and didn't bring yours along.

If you're buying a drysuit from your local dive shop see if they're willing to throw a drysuit course in, some of them do it for free you buy the drysuit from them.

 

[scuba5544]

There are many simple things that you need to know about diving dry. With that being said, they are fairly easy to learn. I took the class when I purchased my drysuit and found it to be helpful. However, when a friend of mine wanted to start going dry I told him not to take the class and that I would show him how to use the suit. After about an hour in the pool with his new suit he was more than capable of diving in it. If you do not have anyone to teach you, consider buying of the the training videos to help you learn about the suit. But, if your not comfortable in it, then by all means take the class.

 

[taucherguy]

Unless you have somebody experienced around you, I would take the class. This way you will reduce the learning curve. Also, I don't think anybody mentioned it, you will use your suit as your BC. Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[pezman]

I had the same question when I started drysuit diving, and ended up taking a course. I thought it was useful for the following reasons:

1) Care and repair theory - good to learn basic techniques to avoid damage to a $1500+ investment. Did you know that you should avoid storing a drysuit close to cars, for example?

2) Buoyancy practice is always helpful, and becomes increasingly important as you get into more complex dives. The drysuit course is a great opportunity to spend virtually a whole day on perfecting buoyancy - how often do you get to do that?

3) Emergency drills - good to know that you can identify and respond to the most common drysuit emergencies. Practice is way more important than theory - how often would you otherwise practice forward rolls, hose disconnection etc. outside a course?

Diving with a drysuit is in itself not difficult under normal circumstances, but it's good to be completely confident in your ability to get out of trouble when you need to.

 

[tempoffroad]

I did not take a class was is smart probably not. I did read a lot watch as many videos on it and then went for it. I ran through as many drills as I could think of except I didn't flood my suit. I don't find it hard to pick up and after a few dives I didn't really think much about it. I would have liked the class more for the storing and undergarments part than the diving part. I opened my exhaust all the way and just use the suit for squeeze. I do have more than 25-49 dives though so dive time helps also.

 

[tye1138]

I think its worth while taking the course. I use to teach it at a pond which wasn't too cold, so if anything happened, leaks etc.. it wasn't that big of a deal. I'd suit up and explain why I do what I do. There is an order of operations which is totally different then throwing on a wet suit and there are some "tricks of the trade" so to speak which help the process go smoother. We'd then hop in the water, very shallow and work on buoyancy. I kept an inflatable flag full of soft weights at the surface and I'd help the students figure out the weighting on the fly. Most of the time I got it right before getting in, but ya never know. Once they felt comfortable, we'd do some buoyancy and recovery drills at shallow depths so when they were upside down with their feet in the air, fins sticking out of the water, we could all get a chuckle.

It takes a while to get use to a drysuit for sure, but if you dive enough and understand buoyancy, the physical act of diving with a drysuit isn't an issue. Its air management in the suit and the recovery process which can be difficult to deal with. I've been caught off guard a few times with my buoyancy, using too much air to get some warmth whilst kneeling on the bottom doing drills during the OW course instruction. When ya get up and start swimming with the students, all of a sudden your air pocket moves and up ya go! LOL

Anyway, yea take the course, good stuff to learn!