Why Dry Suit?

Why Not!!

I have spent many happy dives in a 3mm Shorty and never thought I would ever Dive in a cold country, But I started to realize what a waste it was not to dive in my own country and miss all those weeks waiting to go to sunny Climates.

So December 2007 the 13th to be exact I did my PADI Dry suit Specialty and dived in a lake in a dry suit, water temperature 4 degrees Fahrenheit, the visibility was stunning and the crispness of the water could be felt on your face, chilly hands but hey I was diving and a new world of diving opened up to me.

So what makes me an expert? What I can tell you is that I have done many dry suit dives for pleasure and as a Rescue diver on training courses. The first thing I would like to say about Dry suit diving is be prepared to feel like you have never dived before, I felt so strange with a few more things to think about, slightly uncomfortable, and managing your buoyancy in different ways, all added to a new experience and something different to the norm.

When buying a Dry suit look for and buy the best you can afford have it made to measure if you can it will really help with everything if it fits you personally well. Decide what seals you would like there are choices like Latex and Neoprene I find Latex for me works well but I know Neoprene can be a little more comfortable, Take advice from your supplier he really knows his suits and be able to advise you which way to go with the types of diving you want to do.

There are so many options some personal research into the different types of suit will reap dividends in the long run, I personally like Trilaminate suits with which you wear an under suit of varying weights and warmth to suit the environment you are diving in, so the long shot is that they are very flexible in the types of diving you can do and the temperature ranges you can tolerate.

Once you have decided what you are going to buy book yourself onto a course with your chosen training agency, please don’t be tempted to just dive and have a go there are many things to learn for safety and your enjoyment, of course you will also learn to care for your Dry suit which is so important with an expensive piece of kit that is looking after you, did you know the zip on Dry suit was developed by NASA for the space program?
Now you know you got to look after it, regular cleaning and lubricating with Bees wax will keep it in peak condition, it’s the most expensive part to replace.

I really hope I have inspired you to take a leap and try dry suit diving its different but I am so glad I did I know you will too.

Should you need any help or advice please doesn’t hesitate to contact me via Scuba Jedi.com, or for just a chat I can talk scuba all day.

Until the next time Dive safe my Scuba chums.

Nick Hopes

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