Hi all -
I'm a recently certified diver - classroom & pool here with Fantasea, referrals at the Cayman Dive Lodge, 11 logged dives so far. I don't want to be a "vacation diver" because I've had too much fun and I don't want my skills to rot. That means local diving and to me, that means that my first major equipment purchase should be the exposure suit. Any disagreements so far? (I've already got mask, snorkel, & fins.)
So. What do you all use to stay warm around here? Is something like the Mares Isotherm semi-dry warm enough, even for Superior dives? Semi-dries are a new idea to me. Are they a good idea in general, or is it sorta like being semi-pregnant? I'd love to hear the pros and cons from someone who has one.
Or should I just to bite the bullet and shell out the $$$ for a drysuit?
hey Matt,
what kinda diving do you plan on doing? I'm a wetsuit proponent myself, but I got to admit.. I don't spend a
lot of time where the water is in the upper 30's or lower 40's for temp. If that's your game than a dry suit may be in order (is that freediverND speaking ;D, what have they done with the real freediverND??!!) but if you're going to be sticking to more of the summer type diving, dropping under the thermoclines for short stays, a good fitting wetsuit is awful nice. Preferrably a custom fit, and yes, something that is very near dry or semi-dry. Plus, if ever you have a mind to CONVERT
, you can't use a drysuit for freediving.
Fred
Matt,
Most avid local divers start with a 7mm wetsuit and graduate to a drysuit. A wetsuit provides decent amount of exposure protection at low cost. A drysuit provides maximum exposure protection and an extended local dive season but with a much higher cost -- depending on the type of suit.
I have owned a wet suit, semidry, and drysuit. I still own the semidry and drysuit. Both are good investments.
My recommendation is to invest in a good wetsuit or semidry for your first season of local diving. That way you can figure out if you really enjoy diving locally without making a big investment. You can check out the gear that your more experienced dive buddies are using.
The isotherm keeps some people completely dry and others completely wet. It depends on your physique. Regardless a semidry is warmer than a typical wetsuit. I personally don't feel they are warm enough for a cold day at Superior -- especially at depth when the suit is compressed.
Matt, I agree with jasondbaker. I suggest you hold off on the drysuit until you feel you dive enough to invest in a dry suit. I've seen many who have spent large amounts of $$$ only to quit diving or dive infrequently. My suggestion is purchase bp/wings and a good regulator first, and spend time diving local lakes and Crosby this summer.
I own the Mares Isotherm and really like it. I dove Superior once last year and my hands were what made me want to surface more than my body... I stay relatively dry in it, but obviously not as dry as I would in a drysuit. I'll be hanging on to mine for a few years until I'm convinced I got my money's worth out of it and graduate to a dry suit at that time.
Hi Matt,
This is what I would do. I would bite the bullet and buy a tri-lam drysuit and not waste money on a wet suit or semi dry. You can buy very nice used drysuits pretty cheap if you look. You will dive more often and longer if you are more comfortable in the water. With a tri-lam, you can even use it in fairly warm water.
Here's what you should do. Diving concepts is having a demo day this month at Square Lake, you should sign up and try one out. Also rent a wet suit and try that out in the cold water and compare it yourself (maybe another day). DUI also has a demo days weekend in Lake Wazee where you could try it out in deeper water.
I also agree with Nomads about investing in a good reg and BC that is suitable for both cold and warm water before buying an exposure suit.
Derrick
Now, now, Derrick, money is not wasted on a wetsuit (unless you get a poor fitting one, or one that costs an arm and a leg and shouldn't have).. a lot of folks dive wetsuits, just be sure to get one that fits, that will make all the difference in the world. And getting one that fits most likely means getting a tailor made. There are some reasonable ($$) tailor made suits out there that are fantastic. The water is not 40 degrees all the time..
Fred
I guess I would buy a wetsuit or semidry first if I wasn't sure I was going to be diving frequently. If you know for sure you are going to dive a lot and are going to want to have an extended dive season such as diving in early spring and late fall then I'd definately go with a drysuit. I purchased a wetsuit first and dove my first full year in that and then went to a drysuit. The wetsuit just isn't adequate for deep dives and Lake Superior diving in my opinion. If dives such as those are going to be infrequent then it might be worth tolerating. Personally, I'll probably still use my wetsuit some in the hotter part of the summer for local dives where the water can reach 70 degrees. Like Derrick said, with a trilam drysuit you can just wear a t-shirt and shorts underneath when it's warmer but I guess I would still think that would be awfully darn sweaty on a 90 degree day with 70 degree water. I think I'd rather still dive wet for days like that. Anything where the water is below 60 degrees and the air temp is cooler the drysuit is preferred.
here's a link to some very cold/deep wetsuits (there's also tropic/summer suits).. slide the page to the left for some high density neoprene that crushes less at depth. anyway, something to check into if you're getting serious about a wetsuit.
Freddy the eliossub proponent (gees, I got 4 of 'em
)
Full neoprene dry suits are a good option to look at as well. They are couple more bills than a nice wet suit. Postitives are they are very comfortable, flexable as far as the kinds of under garments you wanna wear (shorts to long johns depending upon the conditions), and reasonably priced. Negatives would be some over-all positive bouyancy of the suit which requires a bit more weight to be worn, and longevity. Eventually the suit is going to give out. It is not as rugged as crushed neoprene but a little more than Tri-laminate suit.
I owned a Harvey's full neoprene for several years. It was my first dry suit. I got a lot of dives outta that thing, from 80 degree summer ocean dives to MN -23 ice dives. Got my money's worth...Rock.