Scuba Diving Article
Scuba Suit - Wet or Dry?
When most people hear the word Scuba Suit they automatically thing of the "Wet Suit". And lay people think that the Wet Suit gets its name because it is worn in the water and therefore it gets wet. But there are actually two types of Scuba Diving Suit the Wet Suit and the Dry Suit and which one you were depends on the water temperature and other conditions you will be diving under.
The purpose of the scuba suit is to provide thermal protection in the water. Even in tropical waters, as you dive deep the water temperature can decrease rapidly. People are more familiar with the wets suit because most recreational diving is done in warm waters, where the wet suit is worn as much for sun protection and protection from little stinging critters like sea lice, as it is for warmth. A wets suit keeps your body warm by trapping a thin layer of water between the suit and your body. Your body temperature warms the water and the warmed water then forms an insulating layer. Usually mad from neoprene a kind of rubber, a wet suit needs to fit snuggly to work, a loose fitting wet suit will leak water and lose its insulating properties. Wets suits come in a torso length, that can keep a scuba diver warm in waters temperatures ranging form around 78 degrees to 90 degrees. A full body wet suit can be worn form 68 degrees to 85 degrees.
If you are going to dive in conditions any colder then that like consistently below 70 degrees, or in very polluted water, then a dry suit is recommended. A dry suit seals tight around the neck, wrist and ankles, and it is called a dry suit (although of course it gets "wet") because it insulates by trapping a layer of air, not water between you and the suit. It keeps you warmer then a wet suit because air is a better insulator then water. Also since the dry suit seals water out completely, it does keep you "dry" and you can wear a layer of warm clothes, even street cloths under a dry suit. Think of all those secret agent movies where the hero emerges from beneath the waves, unzips his scuba suit to reveal a perfectly pressed tux beneath, that is practically possible with a dry suit. Dry suits can restrict movement somewhat more then wet suits, since the trapped insulating air becomes compressed as you descend, the deeper you dive the more rigid the suit becomes. Dealing with buoyancy is different when wearing a dry suit then a wet suit, while you still wear a BC as a back up and as floatation device for the surface - buoyancy control underwater is done by inflating and deflating a valve on the dry suit itself. Using a dry suit for the first time therefore requires some additional training. Separate hoods, booties, and gloves are worn with either a wet or dry suit.
So the choice of what type of scuba diving suit to wear really depends on what type of water conditions you are diving in, or if you are planning on crashing a cocktail party on a yacht docked in Sydney Harbor.
