i know...another gear question.

[msg]

Go dry. A high quality, thick wetsuit will not be cheap. You can get an inexpensive drysuit and enjoy your dives much more.

 

[jashaw]

those two arguing made me lol in class and look like an idiot earlier today! haha, it was classic.

I'll just have to see how often i'll be diving so see if it's worthwhile spending the cash rather than renting a few times. I have no idea how much i'll be diving, time will tell.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I will be doing about 95% of my diving in the great lakes and other lakes of michigan. Is it ABSOLUTELY necessary to have a dry suit? Or would a thick, high-quality wetsuit be good?

Also, what are some decent, entry-mid level gear for scuba? I already have fins, snorkel, mask.

Thanks,
Jason

As somebody else pointed out, personal tolerance goes a long way. One of the guys I dive with regularly is quite comfortable when we do multiple dives lasting ~an hour each in 39* water wearing a wetsuit. I could knock one long one out in a wetsuit in temps down to the mid 40*'s, but I was cold at the end and a second was a bit too much. With the wetsuit, I was comfortable only in a small temp range, outside of that I was too cold or too warm. This wasn't as much of an issue til I started getting some more experience and my dives started to get longer and a little deeper where I would usually hit at least one thermocline and was diving both earlier and later in the season. This was the point where I realized a dry suit was the right choice for me. It has the ability adjust to the right warmth for the dive by just adding or removing layers of undergarment.

If you are only going to dive in the warmest part of the season and in shallower waters, then a farmer john wetsuit will probably work fine for you and is a lot less expensive. If you are going to dive on some of the wrecks under 60', plan to stay down longer, or dive in the early/late season, then a drysuit may be a good choice for you. I would suggest going to a demo day and try diving a drysuit to see if you like it. If you do there are good suits that can be found for well under a grand.

 

[ScubaSteve]

One thing to consider jashaw......There is a member her on ScubaBoard that operate AquaSub Scuba in the GTA and they offer drysuit training as well as rent drysuits. It may be a good option for you to go in, see if you fit into a rental drysuit, and if you do, get trained in the nuances of diving a drysuit. This would allow you to rent a drysuit (and be safe) when the water is cold all while owning a wetsuit for the warmer water months.

I am all for buying the drysuit up front if you can afford it but if not, this is just another option for extending your season and increasing your comfort while diving.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/5114011-post4.html

 

[ScubaSteve]

I would suggest going to a demo day and try diving a drysuit to see if you like it. If you do there are good suits that can be found for well under a grand.

Another good option is the OUC's annual Swap Meet at the Olympium on April 17th.

 

[jashaw]

i'll have to check aquasub scuba out sometime. I'll also have to check out that swap meet, hopefully i can go.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Holy crap.....you are nowhere near the GTA....sorry :blush:. My bad. Perhaps Aquasub is not the solution (nor the show) because both are in Toronto. But, you can still see if there are any shops around you that rent drysuits.

Sorry for the confusion

 

[Crush]

Hi,

I would personally suggest that you consider diving a wetsuit until you are emotionally invested in getting a drysuit. When I got into scuba (only two years ago) I was overwhelmed by how much everything cost - had I bought a drysuit at that time, I would have gone for a cheaper one and I may or may not have enjoyed it relative to the money spent. Fast-forward one year, and I was firmly invested (intellectually and emotionally) in buying a drysuit - I had just spent a year figuring out that I can dive a wetsuit in really cold water, but I don't want to. So, I went out and dropped $2K on a DUI TLS 350 Signature. My very first dive, and I was hooked. My first night dive - THAT was worth $2K in itself.

Just my thoughts on suits, not on DCS.

 

[jashaw]

oh, i thought you meant GTA as in...Greater Thumb Area lol. I've never heard of my area being called that, but there is a first for everything.

 

[knight diver]

Try the dive shop in Flint, I'm a instructor for the facility we offer rentals and training to get you into started diving dry. Look on line at www.diveshopmi.com good luck!
Chris