Dry Suit Scuba Diving no more chattering teeth!

There is nothing worse than being cold when you are in the water. At least if you are cold when you are on land and dry you can put another layer of clothes on to warm you up, but not when you are underwater.

Dry suit scuba diving is not just for the professionals or die-hards, if you want thermal protection whilst scuba diving and I mean uncompromising warmth, then a drysuit is just what you need.

Drysuits tend to be put in the category of technical diving by most recreational scuba divers and as such are not considered when purchasing a scuba wetsuit. Don't discount the purchase of a drysuit, dry suit scuba diving is more variable than you would have believed.

When would I need a Dry Suit Scuba Diving?

There are a lot of times when scuba diving with a drysuit makes a great deal of sense and lets face it anything that will increase our underwater warmth, will make our diving all the more enjoyable and will keep you coming back.

Okay if you can see yourself doing a lot of the following kind of scuba diving, then it may be time for you to think real hard about buying a dry suit:

Deep Diving - In any kind of water, by that I mean water temperature.

Long Duration Dives - Once again in any kind of water.

Underwater Photography - Stationery for long periods of time trying to capture the perfect shot.

Underwater Research - Not using much energy.

Daily Repetitive Dives - Getting in and out of a wet wetsuit will chill you faster than you believe possible.

Let's take a step back - What is a Drysuit?

A dry suit is exactly as it sounds, a suit that you wear underwater that keeps you dry.

Unlike a wetsuit which traps water between the wetsuit and your skin, a dry suit traps air between the drysuit and your skin and by trapping air and not water, it keeps you dry.

A dry suit is able to keep you dry by having watertight seals at the neck, wrists and ankles, although some drysuits have complete boots as part of the drysuit, so your feet and ankles are never exposed to water.

Types of Drysuits?

Dry suit scuba diving is constantly evolving, keeping up with technological advances is no mean feat. New materials are created making drysuits more tougher than before whilst being lighter in weight.

Drysuits all perform the one task, keeping you dry when scuba diving, the main difference between them is the types of materials used to manufacture them. Some of the main types of materials used to make drysuits are:

Neoprene Foam Drysuits

Crushed Neoprene Drysuits

Coated Fabric Drysuits

Vulcanized Rubber Drysuits

Drysuit Features

The main features of a drysuit, beside the type of materials used to make them, are:

Neck Seal
Usually either neoprene or latex.

Wrist Seal
Usually either neoprene or latex.

Drysuit Undergarments
Arguably the most important feature of a drysuit is the undergarments, it is what keeps you warm.

Drysuit Valves - Inflation/Deflation
Allows you to make adjustments to the buoyancy of your drysuit.

Dry Suit Zippers
Most important for easy access in and out of your drysuit.

There are other features, or should I say options, you can include on your drysuit:

Drysuit Hood

Drysuit Pockets

Drysuit Boots

These are the main features to consider when dry suit scuba diving.

Diving with a Dry Suit

Dry suit scuba diving is very unique, it needs lots of practise and instruction by someone who knows what they are doing, or in other words a scuba instructor. Do take the use of a dry suit seriously, if you do not problems will await you. Have a look at them here.

Drysuit Maintenance

This is important to get right every time you finish a dive and I mean after every dive. If you have dumped your drysuit in your kit tub after your dive make sure you get it out when you get home and properly look after it.

Don't leave it lying around for a couple of days before you decide to do anything with it. Take the time to do it right as soon as you get home, I know it is a hassle, but you are parting with a lot of money when you purchase a drysuit so you will want to look after it, won't you?

If you do not look after it your dry suit scuba diving will not last that long, well only until you have to purchase another dry suit, after all it is only money, right!

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