Wetsuit drama.

[RJP]

(the drysuit) was also incredibly uncomfortable and pinched and squeezed around my legs until I ended up with these horrible red welts on my calves from where the drysuit material had pinched at my skin. I'd love to get a drysuit certification but that experience has put me off.

Find a new shop/instructor. Drysuits should be worn with an undergarment, which will keep the material of the suit from even touching your skin. This is fundamental.

 

[freewillie]

Due to time and scheduling constraints we had to do our pool swim and water tread the same day we started skills. That meant after our "fitness" test we had to put on our wetsuits. The reason our instructor didn't want to do both was trying to get into a dry wetsuit when we were already wet was almost impossible. It took a whole lot of sitting down, wriggling, shimmy, and sheer will to get our suits on.

Currently I do a lot of shore dives. I use lycra rash guards to help get into my current 7 mm wetsuit. I have both a pair of shorts and long sleeve top. I still find it easier to have someone help me with my zipper. That's the other reason to have a buddy, to get into our damn wetsuits!

There is a special spray called Wetsuit Snot just to help you get into your wetsuit. There are similar products with more appealing names as well. Shampoo or hair conditioner in various degrees dilution are cheaper alternatives.

Ive not tried but others have vouched for the plastic bag trick.

Good luck!

 

[diverrex]

Yeah it isn't just you. I've always said that if I hadn't already paid for my wife's OW course before she first tried on a 7mm suit she would have quit right there.

But it does get easier with practice and stretchy neoprene wetsuits are easier to get into than the harder neoprene kind that are often used as rental suits. And as someone else said a two piece suit is easier to get into and out of than a one piece.

 

[AfterDark]

Lycra rash guard suit with socks. I slip my wet suit on with zero problems wet or dry. I use a farmer john style 7mm suit.

 

[Frosty]

I don't have problems putting on my 7.0mm suit. My kids on the other hand struggle if they dont get "lubed up"
I literally spray them down and spray inside the suit with WARM watered down dish washing liquid so they are dripping wet and the suits slide on easier than mine does.
The side effect is that they are nice and cosy warm on a cold day.

 

[bergersau]

I'm female, 5'9 so quite tall. I was trying on the wetsuit and at one point I managed to shimmy the legs up a bit but it was super low down on the crotch. I asked my Instructor if this was normal and he said it was fine. I don't think he particularly cared about it, if I'm being honest. I made it clear I was having problems and nobody helped me. My Dad is an Advanced Open Water diver and he was super pissed off that I was left in such a state with this 7mm and wasn't given advice as to how to put it on.
I tried the drysuit course but I never finished it. I was given a leaky suit and it made it impossible to do the skills in the pool. I had no idea what was normal and what wasn't but I was pretty sure a drysuit wasn't meant to leak so much. I had litres of water flowing through the neck. It was taking me so long to get the skills right and I could tell everyone just wanted to go home so that made me feel awful about wasting the Instructors' time. I was determined to get it done but in the end I got so frustrated I ended up in tears and just couldn't carry on. When I exited the pool and tipped the drysuit up, what seemed like half the pool splashed out of it and onto the floor. How I even managed to move with that much water inside the suit I don't know. It was also incredibly uncomfortable and pinched and squeezed around my legs until I ended up with these horrible red welts on my calves from where the drysuit material had pinched at my skin. I'd love to get a drysuit certification but that experience has put me off.

From your description (And I realise that I only have one side the story) I don't have a high opinion of that operation.
Making sure a students gear fits and is in good order should be a high priority for an instructor.
Students struggle with the basics during instruction if they are having gear issues so making sure the gear is right is half the battle.
I'm a drysuit noob but..
Drysuits should be basically dry, though a little seepage (only a few millilitres - not litres) at the wrist or neck is not unusual. Litres of water entering at the neck means the seal was worn out, damaged or simply didn't fit you.
You shouldn't be bruised by suit compression either - a little is normal but adding air on decent should alleviate any excessive suit compression. I don't know if the neck seal issue had anything to do with that. If I were you I'd be asking to re-do the drysuit sessions at no cost next time they run the course and ensure you get suit with properly fitting seals.

 

[meagicano]

I use conditioner when I'm having trouble but I use only natural products. I don't want to introduce more chemicals into the waterways. People suggest all sorts of things but the natural products work for me.

Someone once suggested wearing pantyhose as well.

I tried on 16 wetsuits when I had to buy a new one last summer. There was a huge pile... It's hard as a female diver!

 

[chillyinCanada]

In days of old I wore pantyhose and used the plastic bags. Another trick is to get the suit up to calves properly and then walk into the water from shore, whereupon it can become much easier to pull up. Yes, the suit fills with water but that generally makes yanking it up less stressful due to the lessening of friction.

 

[Peter69_56]

What I find with my 6.5 mm is that when you try and get your feet in they stop at the heels. I then roll the wetsuit over my heel, and then I can pull it up further. Similar with the hands and I sometimes get help wit this. Plastic shopping bags work a treat too in sliding on easily. Don't loose heart, you aren't the only one having these problems, on a very hot day I do too. Often the other issue is too that the wetsuit is used and old and so stiffens somewhat. A new flexible one is much easier.

---------- Post added July 12th, 2013 at 08:12 PM ----------

Also when I bought my ScubaPro Novascotia semidry the neck seal was so tight it was claustrophobic for me. I got the LDS (and wetsuit manufacturer) to cut a V in it and add more seal material. It still seals well but is not so tight

 

[ladyfishdvr]

If I did not have a lycra dive skin I would be too exhausted getting the suit on to dive.