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Hi All:
I have a little time so I thought that I would throw my 2 cents in.
Having learned how to dive in the Great Lakes and having experienced ice
diving in a wetsuit first hand, I can say that the drysuit is the way to go.
There are a couple problems associated with teaching brand new divers in a
drysuit.
1. It increases the task loading on the student. New students have a
hard time controlling buoyancy without magnifying the problem with a
drysuit. The simpler you keep the training of brand new students the less
likely an accident will occur. I have seen a few inexperienced drysuit
divers go up a downline feet first. This is bad enough if you know how to
dive, and it is not an uncommon problem for the inexperienced drysuit diver.
2. Cost! For a brand new diver the cost of buying new equipment is
considered pretty steep. The instructor is asked by a young man or woman
with limited means, "How much will the equipment cost?", and they are told
about $1200-$1500 to start, and they shudder. They scrimp and save and
finally come up with the bucks to get started. If they were told that a
drysuit is a requirement to dive in the Great Lakes and it costs an
additional $1200 dollars it would slim down the ranks of northern divers
considerably.
When I started diving in Green Bay my instructor wore a drysuit, and I
wore a wetsuit. I could not justify the expense of a drysuit until I started
doing some commercial diving which paid for it. I did a lot of diving in the
Great Lakes with a 7mm Farmer John. I was told that a drysuit would provide
more comfort, but I did not feel the need to buy one because I was not all
that uncomfortable in my wetsuit. Yes, I got cold from time to time, but all
that meant was that it was time to come up.
In my mind, unless you have more than a few bucks in the bank (and a
very supportive spouse), diving in a wetsuit is a right of passage, and a
drysuit is a luxury that one hopes to be able to get someday.
Have a Great Day,
bye,
George
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