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Old 05/20/2004, 02:26 PM
sea dog 6 sea dog 6 is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Avilton Maryland
Posts: 15
Thumbs up Cold dive gear

Congrats on your Certification! The NW is a great dive area...

The wet suit vs warm suit debate is a matter of personal preference of course. Here's some food for thought...
On Wetsuits
1. Warm is relative... if you are tired, (ie, multiple dives) you have likely already burned the calories necesary to warm the surrounding layer of water in your wet suit. You'll grow uncomfortable much quicker. You can pre heat this layer of water by pouring heated water into your suit prior to the 2nd dive.
2. In a wetsuit, surge is a factor... the entering of new water in a non custom cut wetsuit. Seal features of new designs are great. Custom fit suits are not that much more expensive, IMHO a worthwhile expense for a NW diver. Check Harvey's for example. Made in Kent WA by the way.
3. A proper hood design makes temps much more bearable by ten degrees at least.

On Dry Suits
1. Training
2. Training
3. Training
(did I mention............. training?)
4. New seals are uncomfortable until trimmed and stretched... you can store them with forms in the neck and wrists.
5. Thermal protection comes from insulating garment underneath.
6. Air management is critical in the suit, and is used to prevent pinch and maintain loft of undergarment, not for boyancy trimfunctions... wear that BC... its better at the job.
7. pricey... and air mgmt valves and zipper requires maintainance that is often overlooked, beware of used drysuits.

I dive both, often. This winter I was under 10" of ice in both wetsuits and drysuits. Take your pick. Wetsuits are easier to move in, and put on/off, and IMHO more comfortable for one tank days, two at most, plus you can layer the neoprene. Drysuits are uncomfortable, hard to don/doff but allow longer dive periods.

Have fun, the NW is great diving......... more reports please!
PS: investigate/consider cold certified regulators
Seadog 6
out there sippin air