h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm considering buying a dry suit, cos the water round the UK is cold.
Is there anyone out there with any tips to share, because it's got to be right first time at the kind of expense of a dry suit.

That and any tips on learning to dive as I'll be doing that next month.

I got my suit form divers warehouse (cheack thire web site http://members.aol.com/diveware/maing.htm) as they do discounts for awe student club here in Newcastle. Mines compressed neoprene and has done 60+ dives so far and is showing very little singes of wear, though do get a key zip (or piss zip) as I wish I had!

Fishboy

Ithink that last point is the one to remember

I never dove in water cold enough to warrant one of these, so I'm pretty useless on dry suit info. But as for learning... find a PADI instructor. They're the best. And typically, you want to look for someone who is going to take you into a pool for the first couple of trips to get you comfortable with breathing underwater before you make the oceanic plunge. It depends on how comfortable you are in water, though. My instruction for my basic certification took me straight into the ocean, and breathing underwater and having visibility of only 5 feet (my instructor didn't choose his site and conditions very well for ANY of the instructional dives, he was kinda an idiot) was disconcerting, to say the least. Still, because I was in water all my life, it only took me a few minutes to get comfortable with the breathing thing. Some of the others in the class weren't so lucky.

I've signed up with a dive shop round the corner from where I work to do the PADI open water course. There are going to be pool sessions then the open water dives, probably in an flooded quarry somewhere. I think I should be OK, but you never can tell till you try. I was told by someone at the canoe club I go to that I should be OK as I'll be used to things like being upsidedown with water up my nose

You won't have to worry about water up your nose if your mask fits... the rest is pretty true. Too bad you'll be in a dry suit, though... you'll miss out on such pleasures as venting your exhaust bubbles down the front of your suit, and initiation into the 40 Foot Club (underwater version of the Mile High Club).

I've not got the dry suit yet. It'll be a while before I can aford one. As for the other possible pleasures I'm sure that if I can get into diving (and there are quite a few people who have told me that I will ) I'll get to experience them .

I haven't yet found a female qualified to assist me in the initiation procedures to the 40 Foot Club, but I'm not done looking yet.

Ah well keep looking, and find somewhere warm to try

whether in cold water or warm water (from where I dive 65 degrees farenheit is warm) a dry suit is a wonderful thing. to get a wonderful fit. your waist is not baggy, your shoulders is loose and your feet fit comfortably into the boots. What type should you look for? dont be pressured one bit by that dive shop where you like the guy or gal selling the suit. Shop around extensively. Even if A and B shops sell the same type suit, go to both of them like you have not heard all about suits. See what both of them say about the suit. My first dry suit experience went something like this. August I ordered the suit with the knowledge that it will be specifically fitted to me, and it will take 1.5 months to arrive. 1 year later! the suit came in and didn't fit in the mid section. I was told that that is the way a dry suit fits. Horse malarky. it should be comfortable, unlike a wet suit which is very snug and you look like you should be in a underarm deodorant comercial stating you are sure. it was sent back with a time of 2 weeks return. 2 months later as promised, my suit was finally in! I can now go on a lobster hunt with some friends in my new suit! I was excited. However, I found that after 35 minutes at a depth of roughly 15 to 25 feet, my own feet were killing me. I exited the water limping and swearing that my feet don't normally expand to uncontrolable discomfort in normal shoes. I found that (it should be tight) is not the statement that you want to hear. It most definetly should not be tight. I recommend a shoe that you can wiggle your toes in while you are wearing thick socks for warmth. I then proceded to call the manufacturer and discuss my options. After a 2 week long discussion of my options, I gave the dive shop my own options that I find were quite suitable to me. Give me my money back or give me my money back. To this, I was offered another type of suit. I researched the suit, found that it was a wonderful suit, and was reasonably priced at the same amount as the one I previously purchased. (one side note) Do not buy a dry suit that does not also come with undergarments. Andi's dry suits is the manufacturer on the last suit whereas Whites MFG was the first one I tried to purchase. I did not like the Whites suit at all and found the MFG quite rude to me on the phone. One thing I did like about the Andi's suit was that there are an extreme amount of redundant measurements to ensure you at least get a somewhat close fit. Another is that you try on the boots prior to purchasing the suit that you are looking at. This is in no means an advertisement for the suit I purchased, as I am not a salesperson for thier suits, but I found that I was pleased when after the promised 2 week turn around I got a call stating that they needed to do another measurement because the one I originally had was off by ten inches compared to another of thier redundant measurements. Now when the suit finally arrived 2 months later as previously promised (note I have yet to recieve one on time and assume that when I am told 2 weeks turnaroud to expect 2 months) the suit actually fit. Why a dry suit now that I have one that fits and I am comfortable with it? well for one obious reason, you do not freeze your ninnies off when you dive at our normal 40 - 50 degrees in water. other than that, I have found a major difference between a dry suit and a wet suit (other than the water factor) which is that bouyancy is quite different. In a wet suit as stated in the originall article, the sponge effect in neoprene adds bouyancy at lesser depths and when you reach greater depty the bouancy declines. This can be, but not a problem as you learn more and more about bouancy, hard to manage when you are diving on reefs where you have to constantly rise and fall according to the structure of the rock. However in a dry suit, as you rise, the valve controlling the air in your suit releases the air. Although you may have to put more in as you drop back down, it is in my honest opinion better than forcing yourself down to maintain a neutral state. This however is not a problem at greater depths but at 10 - 20 feet, it is just a pain. You can learn to deal with that pain I assure you and in no means think a wet suit is inferior to a dry suit. I prefer a dry suit. So, where was I? yes, try on several suits. ask if they have rentals you can use. Also ask yourself, Will I be diving in salt water primarily or fresh water? What is the difference? well if you try out anything in the pools some dive shops have don't expect your sea adventure to be anything like that experience. As everyone knows that has done any real diving, "our" hobby can be expensive. A dry suit is by no means the most expensive thing that you can buy for diving, however it is also by no means the most inexpensive. What I am getting at, rent the dry suit before you buy. Do this several times if you can. Get to know what it feels like. Then rent, or in some cases use your own wet suit. To me the comparison was like drinking water versus drinking Scotch. Where drinking water is quite refreshing, drinking scotch brings on a whole different pleasure for me. I do not suggest that you get hammered before diving however. I do not even suggest that drinking and diving should no more be suited to each other as drinking and driving. Both are quite hazardous. But the bottom line is try it before you buy it, and as stated above, go to several stores and get the opinion, as everyone has one, of the different dive shops in your local area.

I hope that my rambling helped you in some fashion.

I am quite pleased with my suit. And, yes, I did get undergarments with my suit. Although they did not come with them originally, I put up a big enough fuss and was awarded a full set including socks.

Have a good dive and remember it is very important that you never hold your breath when you see a shark go by you. Why? cause most people first think (oh damn that is a dangerous thing. don't move don't breathe and he won't notice me) first of all he already knows you are there. They are not stupid. second of all most people when they hold thier breath they breathe in. This will cause you to rise. and as you rise your lungs will eventually expand and you can burst a lung if you forget to start breathing again.

That said, have a good night or day, when ever you read this

I eventually did get one - a made to measure membrane suit. When it did arrive it fitted nicely as I hoped it would. I got an undersuit and boots seperately as I knew which sort I wanted (weazle, fantastic undersuits ). Having dived it, it's great