Newbie cold-water diver

CruelCoin

Allo lads.

I am a PADI OWSI trained diver who's never done any cold water diving, and looking to get into it.

Do you guys have any advice on wetsuits suitable for diving here?
Not really interested in dry-suit diving as not willing to relearn diving techniques, plus i have a fairly acrobatic diving style that i picked up in New Zealand (Bastard crays be sneaky) which would not really suit dry-suits.

Cheers for any and all info lads.

locum-motion

With respect, this exact same question gets asked one or two times a year here, so if you use the search function you'll probably find several posts that answer your question.

As regarding your underwater contortions from huckering crays, well you won't need to worry about that in Irish water; it's strictly forbidden to take anything other than photos.

twowheelsonly

If you're adamant about look for a 7(ish)mm Semi-Dry suit. Same as a wetsuit but with better cuff/ankle/hood seals basically.

I'd still say go with the Drysuit though. For the minimal amount of New Skills that you have to learn (which should be well mastered by the end of your 2nd drysuit dive) it's more than worth it.
Wetsuits are fine but you can forget about a 2nd dive in a day if it's any way cold. The discomfort just isn't worth it. Or maybe that's just me getting soft
I only used a wetsuit for my first 10 years BTW. Drysuits were things that millionaires in Amerikay and Canada used.

yankinlk

You won't need to re learn much if you buy a good fitting suit. Don't go for a suit tat holds a lot of air and you will fell the same buoyancy. Compressed neoprene for the win.

And leave them crays where ya find em. If you have to eat them talk to a local fisherman and support the local economy he might sell you a few before they ship em off to France.

CruelCoin

locum-motion wrote: »

With respect, this exact same question gets asked one or two times a year here, so if you use the search function you'll probably find several posts that answer your question.

As regarding your underwater contortions from huckering crays, well you won't need to worry about that in Irish water; it's strictly forbidden to take anything other than photos.

Oh, i know that, but i do the same acrobatics in other "no touchy" waters like the Red Sea.

Staying in the serene drysuit pose wouldn't sit with me.

CruelCoin

yankinlk wrote: »

You won't need to re learn much if you buy a good fitting suit. Don't go for a suit tat holds a lot of air and you will fell the same buoyancy. Compressed neoprene for the win.

And leave them crays where ya find em. If you have to eat them talk to a local fisherman and support the local economy he might sell you a few before they ship em off to France.

"wistful sigh", I just love the harvest the earth style of diving in New Zealand, real eye opener.

Scallop diving is particularly brilliant.

yankinlk

Sadly....
http://www.seafriends.org.nz/indepth/shellfish_collapse.htm

CruelCoin

yankinlk wrote: »

Sadly....
http://www.seafriends.org.nz/indepth/shellfish_collapse.htm

Sadly indeed.

You'd get to a bed, only to find someone had been through it already.

Still fun as hell though.

One of the main invasive species, known there as "Kinna" (type of urchin) happens to be delicious, so everyone wins.