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 wet suit 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 dry suit.
Jeff Varner, owner of AZ Divers on 40th Street and Bell, says “many of his divers have switched over to diving dry, because it’s simply more comfortable in cold water“. Varner continued to say, “that this is the time of year, before the water gets cold, when divers come in and start asking about dry suit classes and purchases“.
Dry suits 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 wrist, 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 dry suit. This type of heat loss can cause diver discomfort causing a premature end to a dive or, worse, can be a cause of hypothermia. Of course, like your lungs, mask, ears and BCD, a dry suit 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 dry suit 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 dry suit 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 dry suits. The most common dry suit is a tri-laminate shell with latex seals. Known as “tri lam”, this type of dry suit 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 dry suit type is neoprene dry suits. 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 dry suit, a bathing suit and tee-shirt is all that is needed underneath. Costs can vary wildly on a dry suit. A low end neoprene dry suit can cost as little as a high end wet suit. However, a high end tri laminate dry suit can run a couple of thousand of dollars.
While materials are the predominant factor in determining price, dry suit options can certainly spike the cost of new suit. Options for dry suits include a variety of accessories include 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, dry suits tend to last a lot longer than wet suits. So, you options aren’t the place to skimp. Buy what you want, as you should only have to buy a dry suit once.
Off the Rack or Custom Fit?
While many shops around town have “off the rack” dry suits available for sale. Fit is the absolutely most important factor to buying a dry suit. A poorly fitting dry suit can cause a loss of flexibility, air management issues, and discomfort. Not many of us are a perfect off the rack fit. A little to tight in one area and a little too loose in another is very significant while diving.
I strongly advise to choose a custom fit option for your dry suit. Your local dive shop can measure you and determine exactly what you need to order your dry suit.
Training Considerations
Unlike a wet suit, you can’t just jump in the lake and dive a dry suit. Even a seasoned diver will find his or her first several dives clumsy and uncomfortable. It is imperative at this early stage that new dry suit divers get properly trained. Most dive shops, in Phoenix, offer dry suit classes. Prices range from $100 to $150 including a certification card upon successful completion. A dry suit class usually has a little self study and classroom work. This is where you will learn the characteristics of a dry suit. Classroom lecture is followed by a 1 to 2 hour pool session or shallow water session so you can ‘dial in’ in the mechanics and special skills necessary to dive a dry suit. After a pool session, dry suit divers are taken out into the open water and complete two training dives with an a qualified specialty instructor.
Once you are certified as a dry suit specialty diver, practice is essential. It is generally recommended that new dry suit divers spend a significant time, with a qualified buddy, practicing the skills learned in their dry suit course. Special attention should be placed on slow ascents and safety stops. After a couple of dozen dives, it is common for to hear divers say they prefer diving dry. It’s also common to hear new dry suit 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 offer 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, dry suit diving is a safe way to keep warm.
Visit the author at http:///www.academyofscuba.com
(ArticlesBase ID #1207770)
John C. Flanders, Jr., a seasoned and well traveled diver for over 20 years, is a recognized leader in both the dive and business communities.
Mr. Flanders is an SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer, NAUI Instructor Trainer and a PADI Master Instructor. Mr. Flanders is a SeaSigns Instructor Examiner and the Director of International Training. Mr. Flanders is also trains divers in over 50 different specialties, technical diving and public safety diving. As an Instructor Trainer for both Emergency First Response and Divers Alert Network Courses, he assists in training instructors to teach these valuable safety courses.
John has published numerous articles and manuals for the dive industry and is a frequent contributor to Diverwire, an industry leading portal for Scuba Divers.
In over 20 years of diving John has explored almost every ocean and/or sea in the world off the coasts of 6 continents. He is an avid cave and wreck diver. He also enjoys hiking, kayaking, rock climbing,camping, golfing, sky diving, reading and writing.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/scuba-diving-dry-in-arizona-its-a-dry-heat-1207770.html
Its time to bust some myths related to Dry Suits and give you a great understanding of what they are.
Dry suits keep you warm - FALSE!
The dry suit itself will not actually keep you warm, warmth is gained by what you wear underneath your dry suit. Typically people wear fleece or other garments to keep themselves warm.
A dry suit can cause you to have an uncontrolled ascent - UNLIKELY
Technically it is possible but quite unlikely, with proper training on the correct use of a wetsuit this should not happen.
A dry suit will cause you dive 'feet up' - FALSE
Air will raise to the highest point in the confined space inside the dry suit, but with the correct training divers are taught on controlling this. There are also products to assist in this such as gaiters.
Dry suits are difficult to put on and remove - FALSE
Dry suits are no different to wearing a full wetsuit and with practice this will be simple, learn from others on the simple methods and tips.
Neoprene makes better neck/wrist seals - FALSE
Neoprene seals are durable, they are much hard to get in and out of. When diving at depth neoprene compresses and will not provide as good thermal insulation as other materials. Using a high quality latex seal is the preferred material for most divers who use dry suits, as they are more comfortable and if looked after right will last for years.
Dry suits are not suitable for beginners - FALSE
This is not correct, if your trained from day one using a dry suit will come naturally and you will have no issue. Dry suits are used by a wide range of divers from professional to beginners and are used based on environment rather than skill level.
If my dry suit gets a hole and floods, I'll be pulled to the bottom - FALSE
This is not true as by using Archimedes's Principle, when the dry suit takes on water you will only loose a small amount of your total volume, your body/tank/etc will still displace plenty of water, meaning you'll be close to neutrally buoyant.
A dry suit is not really dry, its semi-dry - FALSE
There is really no such thing as a semi dry suit, you are either in a wetsuit or a dry suit. A dry suit is meant to keep you totally dry, only if its poor fitting will water enter.
Dry suits require you to wear a lot more weight, and cause drag - FALSE
The drag caused by a well fitted, modern wetsuit is almost negligible against the drag cause by all the rest of the diving gear being worn. The amount of weight will depend on the specific thermal requirements needed (i.e. how the undergarments etc).
Dry suits are only for extremely cold water - FALSE
A dry suit is for thermal protection, you can adjust its amount of thermal protection based on what undergarments you wear. So therefore it can be worn in a range on water temperatures.
Simon James has been diving for 15 years and is an authority in the field so take a look at this website called M2 Nocturnal Lights and SLX 300 Nocturnal led dive lights
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/myths-busted-about-dry-suits-978701.html
June 1, 2009 - After the Show
By John Flanders
Cool mornings, cloudy days and big crowds marked the Scuba Show weekend in Long Beach (www.scubashow.com). I can’t think of too many ways I would rather spend a weekend than looking at all the cool new products and talking Scuba diving. OK, perhaps I would rather be Scuba diving. But, this was a good second.
A lot of folks used the weekend to spend one day in the water in Catalina or Laguna and then one day at the show. A great combination! For the most part, there were a lot of happy divers enjoying what they love the most - Scuba.
There were many ‘highlights’ to the 76,000 square foot Exhibit. The over 200 vendors were very positive and uplifting. Occasionally, you could hear some whispered conversations about the state of the industry or the economy, however most folks felt that things were improving.
Of course, while it is always a pleasure to see old friends and visit the booths , the real excitement of the show is going from booth to booth and seeing all the new Scuba gear and hearing about all the exotic destinations that want you to come visit them. We had a lot of folks from the Academy of Scuba, in Phoenix AZ, at the show (customers and staff). And, after two days of browsing through every booth in the convention hall, I could write about each and every one of them, I wanted to take a second and write about the more interesting conversations and unique products we had and visited.
One of our first visits on Saturday morning was to the Divers’ Platform Booth. Harry Wood, president of the Divers’ Platform, was smiling and larger than life. He had all his platforms out on display with an impressive stand that truly demonstrated the capabilities of this amazing product. The Divers’ Platform is more than a buoy or dive-flag. The Divers’ Platform is a surface workhorse for the diver or the dive professional. And, Harry keeps innovating more and more utility including his bailout bottle and 30 foot hose. For those of us who like good old American ingenuity and construction, the Divers’ Platform is a great tool. I own two of them. http://www.thediversplatform.com
We spent a lot of time at the Bonica Precision Booth (http://www.bonicadive.com). I have been using the Bonica HD camera for over a year. Nice unit, low cost makes it a eye catcher, in my book. The had their light rigs on display and spent a lot of time talking about how instructors are using it in their Underwater Videography Course. It was worth the stop and the great discussion. They even handed me a nice CD filled with files specific to instructors.
As always, it was great to see our friends at Atomic Aquatics (http://www.atomicaquatics.com) and talk leading edge regulators. They had their ST-1 on display and we got a good look at that. And, we spoke quite a lot about their fins and the great success they having with them. Nothing earth shattering, but always a good experience and learn something new.
Bonaire was well represented at the show, with the Bonaire Tourism Association, Captain Don’s, Buddy Dive, the Divi and more. (http://www.ilovebonaire.com) If you are looking to go to Bonaire, it seems like there are a lot of great deals between now and October 1. I spent a fair amount of time speaking with the folks from Captain Don’s (Bonaire and Curacao). Captain Don’s has an Inter-Island special on a two week stay, on both Islands, they pick up the inter-island air fare. Further, they said there are programs where the government is offering airline incentives. Of course, you would want to contact Captain Don’s directly about these programs. I am sure there are conditions and expiration dates.
It was obvious that the airline baggage restrictions were creating entrepreneurial opportunities. One company, Dive Caddy (http://www.divecaddy.com) has come up with a unique solution to this problem. The Dive Caddy allows divers to put all of their gear in a simple roll-up bag that can be used as a carry-on item. There is a video demo on their site.
One of my favorite stops at every dive show is by the DeepSeaSupply (http://www.deepseasupply.com) Booth. Tobin, the company’s president, always has a good little give-away. This year was no different. His innovative product of the show was his Power Inflator Service Tool. I took some time and went through all his gear offerings. And, as usual, the innovation and high quality continues to be signature mark for DeepSeaSupply.
There must have been four or five rebreather manufacturers represented at the show. And, the folks at Extreme Scuba, were touting their specialization in the field. All the rebreather booths seemed to have a gravitational pull to them. Not sure if it was just curiosity or if their truly is this much interest in rebreathers. My guess is we are a lot closer to mainstream adoption than most folks think. The one rebreather manufacturer that caught my attention was the Nautilus (http://www.divenautilus.com). They are fairly new to the block and I don’t think they have set their retail price. I do think, however, they will be priced below the competition and they have a quality that is second to none in this field. In speaking the with the founders, their unit is comprised of the highest quality manufacturing process and design. Their use of fiberoptics is impressive and their container design is truly unique. I am looking forward to learning more about the Nautilus.
The Roddenberry Dive Team was on site with “celebrity divers” and merchandise. Their booth was pretty active. I did get a glimpse at their Dry Suits. The ones that look like Star Trek uniforms and noticed they have a membership. Anyone interested in an “away mission” specialty should check out http://www.roddenberrydiveteam.com
Speaking of celebrities, the folks at DiverWire (http://www.diverwire.com) had record setting Breath Hold Diver Jana Strain at their booth. Jana is a very impressive Free Diver. Smart, articulate and judging by the line of guys there … attractive. Jana was autographing photos of her Free Diving. Looking at her early successes, I would guess that Jana has a bright future ahead of her.
It’s been a while since last diving the incredible walls of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. We spent a little time reminiscing at the Cane Bay Dive Shop (http://www.canebayscuba.com). Cane Bay Dive sits across the street from a beautiful beach. From there you can catch one of their boats or shore dive what seems like an endless wall. Within minutes, you are scurried off to incredible dive sites like North Star or Two Palms. The Reef’s crest is a comfortable 35 feet and the wall continues into the deep abuss at depths where advanced Trimix divers dare not too follow. After the dive, there is a great little restaurant and bar within a stone’s throw of the rinse tanks. St. Croix is great diving and Cane Bay are great folks.
Every once in a while you would see a buzz of people hanging out by the Blue Steel booth (http://www.bluesteelllc.com). They had their high quality steel tanks out on display. They also had a fair amount of valves and manifolds with them. Glad I wasn’t the one helping them carry everything into the convention center. As we spoke with their staff, we wildly impressed to see at the innovation and creativity they are coming up with to customize solutions for all types of divers.
With all the equipment, travel, art and other vendors on display, we could spend hours telling you about every booth we visited. There we over 30 seminars and presentations. Experts like Marty Snyderman, Dale Sheckler and Bruce Watkins were on hand to help divers become better. A great time in a fun little Southern California town.
My advice is take some time next year and spend it with a bunch of divers in Long Beach, CA.
###
PADI Master Instructor, NAUI Instructor Trainer, SDI Instructor Trainer, Technical Dive Instructor, DAN Instructor, SeaSigns Instructor Examniner
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/scuba-diving-articles/scuba-show-2009-long-beach-ca-debrief-956300.html
Dry Suit
Toying with winter kick off times to suit fans
HORNETS are experimenting with an early "winter" kick-off for their game against Hunslet at Spotland tomorrow.
For More Dry Suit Info Click On The Blue Links Below
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