Becoming a drysuit diver is well worth your while if you dive in colder waters, or would like to — even if you’re mostly a warm-water diver who gets chilled easily. Unlike a wetsuit, a drysuit will keep you insulated from the exterior water which will, even in shockingly cold water, keep you warm.
Becoming a PADI Dry Suit Diver
Drysuit diving allows you to dive in more challenging locations, as well as extend your diving season. Wearing the proper cold-water diving attire, makes it far easier to withstand the elements, and you’ll enjoy the typically better visibility offered during the winter months, particularly at inland diving locations like caves, sinkholes, lakes and quarries.
Earn Credit for College
The PADI Dry Suit Diver course will introduce you to drysuits, and prepare you for the unique challenges of diving in a cold-water environment. Individuals may be able to receive credit for college after completing the course.
You’ll be studying:
• Basic repair, storage and maintenance of your drysuit, as well learning about the various kinds of suits in order to make an informed decision when buying your drysuit
• Options for undergarments (overall-type attire or fleece that’s worn underneath a drysuit)
• The skills of drysuit buoyancy control
Practical skills you’ll master within the course:
• Entry techniques
• Buoyancy check
• Fin pivot
• Excess-gas-in-feet emergency roll drill
• Stuck-exhaust-valve emergency drill
• Exit techniques, as well as storage, maintenance and removal of the drysuit
• Safety checks and drysuit familiarization
• Techniques for entry
• Check for bubbles
• Techniques for descent
• Hover
• Stuck inflator emergency drill
• Ascent procedure, including replacing and removing the weight belt and scuba unit on the surface
Diving dry is not only helpful, but also necessary when diving several kinds of sites, such as ice diving and altitude diving. Most technical divers wear a drysuit during nearly every dive because of the amount of time that’s spent underwater. If you’ve ever considered learning about drysuit diving, now is the time.
