Dive gear setup for Irish waters

sodbuster77

Hi guys

I am considering diving in Ireland for the first time. I have my open water cert but have only ever dived while on holidays abroad. I don't own any kit bar mask and fins so I'm looking for recommendations as to what sort of wet/dry or semi dry suits to buy.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

locum-motion

Get yourself down to ScubaDiveWest in Co. Galway.
They'll hire gear to you to try out etc.

sodbuster77

locum-motion wrote: »

Get yourself down to ScubaDiveWest in Co. Galway.
They'll hire gear to you to try out etc.

Cheers but I'll probably be diving mainly around Dublin to start with.

markdebarra

Hi there. Ya I would agree with locum-motion, get youself out in the water on a dive and sort out the gear later.

There is a good few dive centres in Dublin to rent out kit and dive with. Off hand you have ocean divers, Dive Inn and Feelgood Scuba.

Basically a semi-dry (5mm or 7mm fullsuit with a 5mm shorty) or a drysuit (neoprene or membrane) is the way to go.
Bear in mind you would need extra training for a drysuit.

Catmologen

Best to get a drysuit, theres usually some 2nd hand bargains on here.

http://www.divegear.ie/index.php?category=For+Sale&sub_category=Dry+Suits+and+Undersuits&sid=25232a521e059431120ed47ed9e85e47

fozz10

semi dry if your not a cold person otherwise drysuit all the way

seadeuce

Just remember that you need to get training to use a dry suit. You can't put it on and dive as you would with a wet/semi-dry suit.

Safety first as always :-)

Seadeuce

fozz10

seadeuce wrote: »

Just remember that you need to get training to use a dry suit. You can't put it on and dive as you would with a wet/semi-dry suit.

Safety first as always :-)

Seadeuce

without meaning to start an argument here. i agree that its not something to just jump straight in to 30m with without getting used to first. but a course is for drysuit diving is one of the biggest scams there is. every diver knows someone with one just ask the basics and do 9r10 dives in very shallow water above 10 meters or so. at the time in the club i was in 4 of us bought drysuits no one done a course its madness. do a good few dives with someone who dives dry and stay shallow tiill its second nature. you get more used to it with practice nothing else. there is a few basics but i think its nearly a couple of hundred euros for the course which is laughable at best.

seadeuce

Not seeking an argument either.
I said TRAINING was needed, not a course.
Best training is one-on-one by an instructor who wears a dry suit. In a club situation this training is free, no need to pay for a course.

Courses don't make divers; practice under experienced supervision will always get the job done.

On re-reading the above I think we're on the same page.

Seadeuce

longshanks

You're probably better off starting in a semi drysuit and moving on to a dry if and when you get more experienced.
That seems to be the route most of the lads I know took. I'd agree with what has been posted above regarding switching from semi dry to dry, in that when you do make the switch do a few shallow dives with some of your clubs more experienced divers or instructors. And don't feel embarrassed to ask questions.
I dived from March to October the last couple of years in a semi dry and had no bother with cold, but some of the lads I dive with only ever dive dry.

Also, I have a couple of spare BCD's here if you were lookin to buy one.

fozz10

agreed to both

im the wanderer

MY son and I have dived of the west of donegal maybe 70 dives, My son, now n instructor, has moved on to a dry suit, I stay with my semi dry ( 7mm) suit, basic rules to follow.. dive with someone with a lot of experience, expect strong currents.. limit your self to less than 10 m dives until your happy with the temperature/ equipment/ and the dive spot..

Pawwed Rig

OP as others have suggested try dives with rental equipment first. If you have 20 dives or more in Irish water then I would think about buying a dry suit/semi. The kit is expensive and you want to be sure it is something you will continue with into the future rather than having a lovely new suit sitting in a closet getting moldy at home.

Generally in Ireland the west and south coast are better than the east coast although I have had some excellent dives up around Dalkey.

My recommendation for what it is worth would be to sign up for the advanced open water course. This will allow you to get used to Irish water under supervised conditions and it is one of the better courses that PADI offer.

superlite

To be honest I find semi dry suits more comfortable and give you more freedom of movement in the water, dry suits seldom keep you 100% dry anyway.youll use a dry suit in a similar way to your BCD add gas going deeper to prevent the life getting squeezed out of you and control your buoyancy. Coming back up you'll dump gas to control your ascent. The main dangers using a dry bag will becoming inverted, ie legs up head &shoulders down and heading for the surface like a Polaris missile, rapid ascent.
You won't need as much weight with a semi and won't have to bother with ankle weights either. You'll also have one less hose of your reg, which I have seen fail also. Although it is a little bit nicer to change out of a dry bag on a horrible day.
You also won't need an under suit with a semi and there cheaper than dry bags.
Hope this helps

fozz10

superlite wrote: »

To be honest I find semi dry suits more comfortable and give you more freedom of movement in the water, dry suits seldom keep you 100% dry anyway.youll use a dry suit in a similar way to your BCD add gas going deeper to prevent the life getting squeezed out of you and control your buoyancy. Coming back up you'll dump gas to control your ascent. The main dangers using a dry bag will becoming inverted, ie legs up head &shoulders down and heading for the surface like a Polaris missile, rapid ascent.
You won't need as much weight with a semi and won't have to bother with ankle weights either. You'll also have one less hose of your reg, which I have seen fail also. Although it is a little bit nicer to change out of a dry bag on a horrible day.
You also won't need an under suit with a semi and there cheaper than dry bags.
Hope this helps

RE drysuit. to be honest i wouldnt call them main dangers. there virtually non existant problems once you do get used to it. id say people who dive regular and i mean 30 -100 dives a year here probably none use semi drys. if you only do 10 or so dives a year semi is probably best option as you couldnt justify the drysuit money. and a proper drysuit that fits good which is the norm WILL keep you dry.

superlite

fozz10 wrote: »

RE drysuit. to be honest i wouldnt call them main dangers. there virtually non existant problems once you do get used to it. id say people who dive regular and i mean 30 -100 dives a year here probably none use semi drys. if you only do 10 or so dives a year semi is probably best option as you couldnt justify the drysuit money. and a proper drysuit that fits good which is the norm WILL keep you dry.

Hi Fozz,
I would have to disagree, I would call an uncontrolled rapid ascent due to positive buoyancy while inverted in a dry suit dangerous. I understand that experienced divers who use dry bags day in day out are well capable of controlling their buoyancy. But to dismiss the possibility as virtually non existent is a bit cavalier . After all how can we reduce the risk of incident if we are not willing to accept the probability of cause and effect.awareness is the best tool for prevention.

Catmologen

superlite wrote: »

Hi Fozz,
I would have to disagree, I would call an uncontrolled rapid ascent due to positive buoyancy while inverted in a dry suit dangerous. I understand that experienced divers who use dry bags day in day out are well capable of controlling their buoyancy. But to dismiss the possibility as virtually non existent is a bit cavalier . After all how can we reduce the risk of incident if we are not willing to accept the probability of cause and effect.awareness is the best tool for prevention.

How about a bcd/wing failure at depth? You'll be glad of the redundant buoyancy a drysuit provides then As with anything, learn to use it properly and the risk is minimal.

superlite

Catmologen wrote: »

How about a bcd/wing failure at depth? You'll be glad of the redundant buoyancy a drysuit provides then As with anything, learn to use it properly and the risk is minimal.

Yes, I agree, there are many positive features of using a dry suit ,there are many ways to minimise risk and being competent with your equipment is a start.But the risk is real.with scuba diving to reach 100% redundancy would involve carrying quite a bit

gobnaitolunacy

Drysuit FTW. Esp. if you do more than one dive in a day, beats hanging around like a frozen article in a wet semi dry or getting back into a cold, soggy thing after having your tea. Most ppl start out in semi drys alright, but 99% don't go back once they get used to the comfort of a drysuit except if diving in warmer waters or as a back-up if the drysuit stuffs up. Whether you go for a neoprene or a membrane dry suit is personal preferance as there are pros and cons to both. I went for a neoprene so if it got flooded I'd still have (some) insulation. If cost is an issue and you're an occasional diver, semi dry is fine but take a windcheater/wooly hat with you if you're hanging about after a dive or if you're on a boat dive as the wind chill can get to you.

Usual standard setup for the rest, torch would be v.useful article esp. if you want to look at stuff in crevices as the ambient light here isn't great even at shallow depths. Doesnt have to be an expensive one. €50-70 should get you a half decent torch.

If being picked up by boat, SMB and a reel are getting to be standard in dive clubs now, makes you easier to spot. Also a whistle is no bad idea. Remember, you need a lifejacket now on the smaller boats even if you wear a drysuit, its the law. Dive centres should provide you with one, but if you're guest diving with a club, you're better off buying your own.

If you're putting wet gear back in your car, a big plastic box or barrel will save your car from turning into a rust bucket. Not a fishing crate as they have holes in the bottom!

locum-motion

Superlite; Are you deliberately using the term 'dry bags' as some sort of derogatory pseudo-nickname for dry suits? Or does your autocorrect work in some kind of weird way?

gobnaitolunacy

locum-motion wrote: »

Superlite; Are you deliberately using the term 'dry bags' as some sort of derogatory pseudo-nickname for dry suits? Or does your autocorrect work in some kind of weird way?

Maybe he meant 'bag suit'? Usually used to refer to a membrane dry suit due to its baggier appearance compared to a neoprene dry suit.

superlite

locum-motion wrote: »

Superlite; Are you deliberately using the term 'dry bags' as some sort of derogatory pseudo-nickname for dry suits? Or does your autocorrect work in some kind of weird way?

It's just a term that's been around for the last 20 years or so, probably due to the bag like structure. I fail to see the derogatory aspect of the term dry bag, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe you could enlighten me

locum-motion

superlite wrote: »

It's just a term that's been around for the last 20 years or so, probably due to the bag like structure. I fail to see the derogatory aspect of the term dry bag, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe you could enlighten me

Hmmm. I've never heard it.
As to why I thought it was derogatory; I dunno. It was an impression I got at first reading. Looking back now, I can't see why, though.