PADI Drysuit Diver
Background
Why dive dry? A good quality, well-fitting wetsuit which is relatively new will keep you moderately comfortable during your dive...provided you don't go deep and the water is not too cold. Unfortunately, there are a lot of "if's" in that statement! And it is precisely because of those conditionals that most of us who dive regularly in California waters dive in drysuits rather than in wetsuits. Consider the following:
- A neoprene wetsuit compresses with depth, and as it compresses it looses its thermal insulating ability. If you double the pressure on a wetsuit, the thickness is reduced by over 20%! Thus at 99 fsw, a wetsuit only has 63% of the thermal protection it had at the surface. In contrast, a drysuit provides the same amount of thermal protection at any depth. You will be just as warm at 100' as you are at the surface.
- Neoprene loses its thickness, and thus its insulating ability, over time. Repeated cycles of compression and decompression cause a degradation of the cell structure in the neoprene. It is these minute air cells which give the neoprene its insulating ability. For this reason, many people consider the useful life of a wetsuit to be no more than 200 dives. There is no corresponding deterioration of a drysuit's insulating ability with repeated use.
- When diving wet, it is vital that you remove the wetsuit between dives and put on warm clothing. If you don't, your body's heat regulation mechanism has to work overtime in order to maintain core temperature while you're standing around on a cold, windy day in a wet wetsuit. Then when you go out for a repetitive dive, you run the risk of hypothermia. And if you do take the wetsuit off between dives, as you should, then you must eventually face the task of putting that cold, wet wetsuit back on again before you get ready to dive again. None of this is an issue with a dry suit!
- With a wetsuit, you get thermal protection equal to the thickness, the fit, and the quality of the wetsuit. You cannot vary that degree of thermal protection. In a drysuit, you can change the undergarment you wear under it and add layers as necessary to provide whatever thermal protection you require. Ice diving can be just as comfortable as Catalina diving! You just add more layers.
Why do I need to take a course in order to use a drysuit? Using a drysuit requires special knowledge and special techniques which are not something you learn when diving with a wetsuit. If you are not properly trained in drysuit diving, there is a very real possibility of an uncontrolled, rapid ascent...and thus the risk of DCS or even AGE. The course is not a difficult one, and in fact could even be completed in one [very long] day or over two days. Without that training, though, you should not attempt drysuit diving. In fact, most reputable dive stores will not rent you a drysuit unless you can show proof of that training.
Can I rent a drysuit? Some dive shops do rent drysuits, though
most will require proof of training and/or experience before they will rent
one. At Aquarius Dive Shop, we have no plans to offer rental drysuits for general
use. However, we now have a complete size
run Diving
Concepts Z-Flex Cordura drysuits and undergarments in stock which are available for
rental ($65/day) while accompanied
by one of our instructors or divemasters. We want to give you the
opportunity to try one before buying and to learn to use a drysuit
properly. We can be extremely flexible in the arrangements we can make if you
are seriously
interested in a drysuit purchase. Come talk to us and let us show you what we can do!
What is involved in the Drysuit Diver Specialty Course? There are three parts to the course: knowledge development, confined water training, and open water training. There is a training manual which you will need to purchase and study before meeting with your instructor for a class session. That session will last approximately 3 hours, and during the session your instructor will answer your questions and ensure you have a thorough understanding of the material covered in the manual. During the confined water session, you will practice basic drysuit diving skills with your instructor. Besides mastering issues of buoyancy control and trim, you will practice emergency recovery procedures you will need to know if you ever experience a problem while diving. Finally, we will go out for two open water dives. Though these are intended as simply fun dives, you will demonstrate basic drysuit diving skills during them and will have a chance to practice drysuit diving techniques with your instructor.
Cost
Tuition for the Drysuit Diver Specialty course is $150. In addition, you will need to purchase the manual (available in the shop), and you will have to provide, or rent, all diving equipment).Schedule
Our next two Drysuit specialty courses will be held on:
- Friday, February 29 and Saturday, March 1
- Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23
If we do not have regularly scheduled Drysuit Diver Specialty courses, or these dates do not fit your schedule, we can arrange instruction on demand. Come tell us what you want to do and when you want to do it, and let us see if we can fill your needs. Our goal is to get more people diving and then to keep them diving! We believe that learning to drive dry and obtaining proper equipment is absolutely key to enjoying the splendor of California diving.
For complete information on Diving Concepts drysuits you can download a spec sheet by clicking on link below:
