Drysuit vs Wetsuit

[Gareth J]

As with the others, I would recommend a drysuit.

Apart from the comfort in the water, its the effect after/between. You are far more likely to do a second dive if you are using a drysuit, than if you are using a 7mm wetsuit. Between dives you can either fully de kit, or partially dekit. Add a warm layer/wind proof and warm up. Putting on a drysuit for a second dive is not a big issue, putting on a cold, wet wetsuit takes steel and determination, and that's assuming you can get your body temperature back up to something sensible.

Even in the red sea - I've seen people skip the evening dive because their wetsuit is cold and wet (in relative terms).

Gareth

PS There are a few threads running at the moment about drysuits, types, issues, undersuit clothing and techniques.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

A drysuit is a larger initial investment but it can actually save you in the long run. For the active diver (50-75 dives a year) unless you spend the money on a G231 rubbatex neoprene suit from someplace like Wetwear that does not compress as much as standard neoprene most divers will get 5 years or so before the suit starts to compress to the point where you are not getting the full insulation value. That G231 neoprene is not cheap. My 3 mil cave cut wetsuit was over 600.00
A well cared for drysuit, with regular maintenance can last 10-15 or more. My first suit (OS Systems) I had for 6 years was sold in 2011 so I could buy my HOG suit. It is still being used by a cave diver and the original zipper is doing fine.
My GF has thermal issues. No body fat to speak of. One of the first times we went diving it was 85 degrees outside. Water was close to 80. She was in a custom 7mm from Harvey's. Nice suit but after roughly 45 min in the water she needed to get inside my black GMC Envoy that had been sitting in the sun with the windows up to get her core temp up enough for the second dive.
Flash to one year later in her Edge drysuit. 3 dives in Gilboa Quarry with temps as low as 54 degrees and she was perfectly fine. The drysuit extended her local season from roughly 2 months to 7.
I pretty much dive dry year round unless the water is really warm. Anything under 72 I'm diving dry. I like not being chilled. I like getting out of the water and drying my hair and going.
I have had a 7 mil on once. Didn't like it. Too hard to get off and on. Stiff compared to my drysuits.

 

[Ojai Diver]

I'm not opposed to drysuits, but for most climes I do not believe they are mandatory. Would they be more comfortable in cold water? Sure, but that's a different question.

I'm a pretty slender guy, and I have always dove wet, down to 50 degrees F. (most recently in a Aquaflite full suit, by the way.) Cold after the dive? Pop $100 or so for a TrueWest parka.

Diving anywhere outside of the tropics frankly requires a certain hardiness that not everybody has. The water is cold, the gear is heavy. If you want with student loans pending to go for a drysuit, that's up to you. It just seems like a lot of money early in your diving career.

After all, drysuit or not, you may quit diving in the next 0-50 dives--many do.

 

[TMHeimer]

An instructor a few years ago recommended I get a drysuit and said he heard of one for $300 CAD. I've never been able to locate one for such a price. When this question is asked, I have found that a majority favour dry over wet. I guess diving wet is just my routine and I like routines. Each has it's advantages. A wetsuit never floods-- and I've witnessed a pretty chilly (not)dry diver with that in 35F water.

 

[stuartv]

for me? I would go straight to drysuit. It has the advantage of not impacting your wing lift requirements because it maintains a constant buoyancy with depth

Only true if you're willing to setup your rig with weight that you're willing to ditch in the event of a catastrophic dry suit failure. Potentially, a lot of ditchable weight. It needs to counterbalance the positive buoyancy of the suit that would be lost if, say, an improperly installed neck seal popped off or you got a big tear at depth.

I prefer to set up my rig so I wouldn't have to dump my weights in the event of a suit failure. So, my wing for drysuit use would definitely have more capacity than the wing I use for diving in a 3mm wetsuit.

 

[jseyfert3]

Only true if you're willing to setup your rig with weight that you're willing to ditch in the event of a catastrophic dry suit failure. Potentially, a lot of ditchable weight. It needs to counterbalance the positive buoyancy of the suit that would be lost if, say, an improperly installed neck seal popped off or you got a big tear at depth.

I prefer to set up my rig so I wouldn't have to dump my weights in the event of a suit failure. So, my wing for drysuit use would definitely have more capacity than the wing I use for diving in a 3mm wetsuit.

Since a drysuit with catastrophic failure would have no inherent buoyancy, someone like me probably couldn't ditch enough weight to be buoyant if that happened, after the weight of a BP/W and tank. In a swimsuit in the pool, with a jacket BCD and AL80, I can't remember if I sank with no weights or just a few pounds of weight. So with a BP/W I'd definitely be pretty negatively buoyant without a wetsuit, and the wing would have to sized to be big enough to make me positively buoyant, correct?

 

[Midwesterndvr]

If your willing to make the initial investment of a dry suit I say go for it. I have one semidry 7mm from fourth element and a dui clx. The wetsuit is great in the water but very warm out of it. There's also nothing like the pleasure of putting on a soaking wet wetsuit for another dive. With a dry suit I must say it is great on a fall or spring day to drop your wet gear and the only thing to dry is your hair. In the summer in Illinois I still like to use my wetsuit. Another thing with drysuits it's not only the cost of the suit but also undergarments.

 

[AJ]

Since a drysuit with catastrophic failure would have no inherent buoyancy, someone like me probably couldn't ditch enough weight to be buoyant if that happened, after the weight of a BP/W and tank.

The drysuit will loose buoyancy, but not all. You will still be able to get to the surface if weighted right. It's one of those fairytales that keeps on coming back.

 

[icechip]

While I realize you have to work at getting used to it, I did not like the few experiences I had trying out a drysuit. Plus, I found the purchase and upkeep costs prohibitive. So I went with a SEAC 7mm Masterdry semi-dry suit to extend my diving here in Maine waters. It's a good option at a good cost.

 

[Midwesterndvr]

I found that after I went from wet to dry I had to get larger fins to accommodate rockboots. I also went with a stiffer one due to a lot little extra drag.