When to take a drysuit class?

[It's_The_Water]

I've been trying to decide when in my diving career would be a good time to take a drysuit class. I know that eventually I will want to go that route because of where I'm likely to/most interested in diving (Great Lakes/Puget Sound/New England). But I'm also concerned that the task loading to maintain buoyancy with a drysuit may be too much too soon, to say nothing of the cost of drysuits or the fact that when I dove last August and September I was ok in a two-piece 7mm wetsuit. (I also have to realistically factor in that I probably won't get in more than 2-3 dive trips this year (~10-15 dives if I play my cards right).)

So, with that background, what advice/personal experiences do people have to offer?

 

[ahava]

Once you feel comfortable with your bouyancy and have all the basics under control I think is a good time. Drysuits offer a slight new challenge with bouyancy.

 

[battles2a5]

Personally, I didn't see the need for a class and have no problems whatsoever w/ the transition. It's a bit more task loading but if you do it right, it's all intuitive. Keep just enough air in the suit to keep the squeeze off, vent early and often, and continue to use the BC to manage bouyancy. If you have enough air in the suit to cause major bouyancy issues you have too much. You will be squirelly for a couple of dives and you may need to adjust your rig for trim but that's about it. Just find a local diver w/ some ds experience to help you work through the issues and be done w/ it.

 

[SteveAD]

Diving in a drysuit is not so much difficult as it is different. Therefore a relatively experienced diver, trying a drysuit for the first time with no guidance, is likely to have a hard time with it, whereas an as yet uncertified open water student, with the proper orientation training, can get comfortable in a DS pretty quick.

I say do the training ASAP, this may well convince you to get into a suit sooner, and get you diving more often.

 

[Blackwood]

Diving in a drysuit is not so much difficult as it is different. Therefore a relatively experienced diver, trying a drysuit for the first time with no guidance, is likely to have a hard time with it, whereas an as yet uncertified open water student, with the proper orientation training, can get comfortable in a DS pretty quick.

I say do the training ASAP.

I agree 100%.

Better to learn than to re-learn.

 

[Jim Kerr]

Wait until you are ready to buy a drysuit. Most shops will throw in a drysuit certification course "free" when you buy the suit. Until then, work on your skills and just enjoy diving.

 

[fppf]

Yeah, get instruction when you buy your suit. Until then its a waste, you need practice to get good at it.

I would however suggest everyone get some type of training. Its different and you need to know what to do when everything goes wrong.

 

[300bar]

Wait until you are ready to buy a drysuit. Most shops will throw in a drysuit certification course "free" when you buy the suit. Until then, work on your skills and just enjoy diving.

I would like to reverse this,1 do the class and take the info and maybe different experiances(neopreen/trilam. with you when you go buy a drysuit.
When you buy it at the same store,most likely you'll get at least the course fee as a discount.

good luck with your choice.

 

[Gombessa]

I'm a huge fan of "learn early." Being in a drysuit for the first time is like being in your first confined water dive: it'll mess you up pretty good, so you'll feel like you're learning from scratch regardless of how good your buoyancy/control is in a wetsuit. I've always been "fine" in a 2-piece 7mm suit on dives, but the surface interval and getting ready for that second dive of the day was always a mental challenge, as was trying to stay awake after a long morning of diving.

If you dive a lot, a DS is a great investment. Just make sure you're gonna stick with diving before you buy it (I waited a year myself). In this sense, a class is a great way to try out drysuit diving, and get a few dives in to boot.

Caveat: I've never taken a class. I just borrowed a friend's drysuit and had a very experienced buddy guide me through a couple of dives and teach me the ins and outs. The rest is just practice and patience.

 

[Bob3]

Wait until you are ready to buy a drysuit. Most shops will throw in a drysuit certification course "free" when you buy the suit. Until then, work on your skills and just enjoy diving.

*ding ding ding* We have a winner~
If you're buying a suit from a shop, that's one of the reasons you'll be spending the extra $$ as opposed to buying from a good online source, who should be throwing in at least a training manual and/or DVD with the sale.
It's also real handy to have a buddy with a drysuit to assist & give pointers during your transition.
Training dives around piling were always one of my favorite places to take folks, it's easier to tie them down if ya have to.
(just kidding, of course)