A quick guide to drysuit diving - Part 1 of 2
Did you know Adreno has the biggest range of drysuit brands in the world? We've just stocked up on and our range includes the best brands on the market, such as Tusa, Apollo, WaterProof, Pinnacle, Beuchat, and Hollis. With the winter season well on its way we have already noticed an increase in our drysuit sales. Some scuba divers are calling us because they are interested in buying a drysuit, but don't know what to look out for. So in this blog we answer a few Frequently Asked Questions about drysuits.
Why do I need a drysuit?
You don't need to live in Antarctic conditions to need a drysuit. More and more people in Australia are discovering the advantages of drysuit diving, with the main advantage being that you can dive all-year-round, take advantage of the better vis you often get in winter, and discover many new dive sites where other divers can't go! For divers who spend a lot of time underwater, such as commercial divers and technical divers, or underwater photographers who are stationary for a long time, a drysuit is better than a wetsuit because you get colder during long dives.
Some people just get a 7-8mm wetsuit for the winter months, but in really cold conditions that doesn't do the job because your body loses temperature faster in water than in air. In a drysuit it is the air that gives you the much needed insulation and comfort.
Would I still need a BCD?
Diving in a drysuit your buoyancy is controlled by the suit. The air in your drysuit also functions to avoid a squeeze and gives you comfort as a warm layer between you and the drysuit. You will still use a BCD for on the surface though.
Because of the differences in adjusting your buoyancy in the water, you will need to practise diving with a drysuit before starting on your first cold water dive.
What do I need to get started with drysuit diving?
1. When wearing a drysuit for scuba diving you will need a lot more weight than with a wetsuit. All the air in the suit needs to be compensated for, so take extra weights!
2. Make sure you wear a base layer under your drysuit to prevent you from getting cold due to the dampness in the suit that arises from perspiration. Drysuits keep you warm enough, but as the water gets colder at depth and you get colder with time, you'll want the comfort of an undersuit and socks. At Adreno we sell a good selection of undergarments that give you a soft and comfortable underlayer.
Please realise that for every layer you add, your buoyancy changes, so you need to compensate that change with extra weights.
3. You don't HAVE to do a course for drysuit diving, but it is definitely safer to do so and some of the better dive sites with tour operators require you to have a Drysuit diving Certification Card. You can obtain such a card by doing a 2-day drysuit course. PADI offers this specialty course, which combines self study with an instructor review and some guided dives in confined and open water. If you are interested in this course, you can call our store on 07 3391 2299 and we put you in touch with instructor John Gransbury from Professional Dive Services in Brisbane.
We will also be giving away a FREE course for one lucky candidate very soon, so keep following this blog spot and our Facebook page!
What can go wrong exactly with drysuit diving?
Drysuit diving is as safe as wetsuit diving, but there are just a few things that you have to look out for if you have only dived in a wetsuit before. Later this week we'll post another blog about diving in drysuits and discuss this safety topic separately. In that blog we'll also reveal to you how you can WIN a PADI-accredited FREE drysuit instruction course with Professional Dive Services in Brisbane.
NBPart 2 of this informative series is now online and can be found here
