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Scuba Diving Dry in Arizona - It's a Dry Heat

John Flanders, Phoenix Scuba Diving Examiner
September 7, 2009
jflanders@academyofscuba.com

As the summer rolls to an end around the country, the Phoenix area is still scoring 100 degree days. Unlike most cities around the United States, summer doesn’t come to an end on Labor Day weekend. In fact, it is common to have 100 degree days well into the month of October. And, when those cool days come, it is a welcome relief to most residents in the valley of the sun.

However, for us Scuba divers, Labor Day is a signal to start thinking about the cooler water that will soon follow. Diving in the Phoenix area is a year round activity. In fact, most divers prefer the winter months as the water is clearer, more dive sites are available (due to lake conditions), and there are less boaters on the water. The trade-off: water temperatures get significantly cooler in the winter months.

While the west coast water temperatures may be pushing low 50s and even high 40s in the winter time, the lakes around Phoenix, Arizona range in the mid 50s to low 60s. This leaves a lot of Phoenix divers shivering for warmer waters. However, for many hearty divers, they are suiting up in a heavy 7mm wetsuit with hood and gloves or, some divers, desiring to stay longer and head to deeper colder realms of the local lakes, may be in a drysuit.

Drysuits work on the premise of sealing off your body from the cold water, using an air tight suit. Neoprene or latex seals on a diver’s neck and wrists, keep water out of the suit. Underneath the suit, a diver wears thermal protection to keep him or her warm. Of course, this air space must be managed. When a diver gets in the water, pressure is applied to the outside of the suit and starts to collapse on the diver. At some depth, this can be a crippling squeeze. Divers have a valve on their suit, usually mounted on the chest, which has a low pressure inflator hose attached to it from his or her Scuba tank. To keep the squeeze to a minimum, a diver can add air to (1) reduce the suit’s squeeze, and (2) the air acts as an insulating source.

Air is a much better insulator than water. A body in a wetsuit conducts heat 20 times faster that a body in a drysuit. This type of heat loss can cause a diver discomfort, leading to a premature end to a dive or, worse, can be a cause of hypothermia. Of course, like your lungs, mask, ears and BCD, a drysuit becomes an additional air space to manage.

As a diver, managing air spaces is vitally important. Managing your ear and mask air space is as easy as blowing into your mask or equalizing your ears. Managing the air space in your lungs is done by following the number one rule of Scuba diving - never hold your breath. Managing your BCD and a drysuit is key to proper buoyancy. Proper buoyancy means that you are in complete control of yourself underwater. You generally remain neutrally buoyant preventing uncontrolled ascents and bouncing off the bottom which can cause impaired visibility or damage aquatic life.

"Simply put, the biggest benefit for drysuit divers is staying warmer longer underwater," says Tim Moore, a local Phoenix instructor. "While the benefits are significant and obvious, you have to weigh those advantages with the cost and training issues," Moore continued.

There are two types of drysuits. The most common dry suit is a tri-laminate shell with latex seals. Known as "tri lam", this type of drysuit has incredible flexibility and uses ranging from tropical caves to ice diving. The tri laminate shell has little insulation to it. However, it comfortably allows you to put an insulating barrier underneath it. The thicknesses vary depending on water temperature. The other drysuit type is neoprene drysuits. The sizes range from 1mm to 7mm. These tend to be less flexible. However, neoprene acts as the insulator. Thus, multiple barriers are not necessary. In some cases, such as with a 7mm drysuit, a bathing suit and tee-shirt is all that is needed underneath. Costs can vary wildly on a drysuit. A low end neoprene drysuit can cost as little as a high end wetsuit. However, a high end tri laminate drysuit can run a couple thousand dollars.

While materials are the predominant factor in determining price, drysuit options can certainly spike the cost of new suit. Options for drysuits include a variety of accessories including zip seals, zipper location, valve location, thigh pockets, built in shoes, suspenders, and of course, the suit’s colors. Options, at the time of ordering, seem expensive. However, drysuits tend to last a lot longer than wetsuits. So, your options aren’t the place to skimp. Buy what you want, as you should only have to buy a drysuit once.

Off the Rack or Custom Fit?

While many shops around town have "off the rack" drysuits available for sale, fit is the absolute most important factor to buying a drysuit. A poorly fitting drysuit can cause a loss of flexibility, air management issues, and discomfort. Not many of us are a perfect off the rack fit. A little too tight in one area and a little too loose in another is very significant while diving.

I strongly advise choosing a custom fit option for your drysuit. Your local dive shop can measure you and determine exactly what you need to order your drysuit.

Training Considerations

Unlike a wetsuit, you can’t just jump in the lake and dive a drysuit. Even a seasoned diver will find his or her first several dives clumsy and uncomfortable. It is imperative at this early stage that new drysuit divers get properly trained. Most dive shops in Phoenix offer drysuit classes. Prices range from $100 to $150 including a certification card upon successful completion. A drysuit class usually has a little self study and classroom work. This is where you will learn the characteristics of a drysuit. Classroom lecture is followed by a 1 to 2 hour pool session or shallow water session so you can "dial in" the mechanics and special skills necessary to dive a drysuit. After a pool session, drysuit divers are taken out into the open water and complete two training dives with a qualified specialty instructor.

Once you are certified as a drysuit specialty diver, practice is essential. It is generally recommended that new drysuit divers spend a significant time, with a qualified buddy, practicing the skills learned in their drysuit course. Special attention should be placed on slow ascents and safety stops. After a couple of dozen dives, it is common to hear divers say they prefer diving dry. It’s also common to hear new drysuit divers question why they did this in the first place. When you find yourself in that position, keep practicing.

Diving dry is a financial, time consuming, and educational commitment. This commitment offers numerous rewards and allows divers to maximize their dive season. No longer is a diver restricted to warm waters or being cold and uncomfortable in cold water. Whether it’s a deep wreck, a long cave penetration, or that mid winter need for blowing bubbles, drysuit diving is a safe way to keep warm.

Dive safe and have fun!