in scuba diving?
whats the difference between a wet suit and a dry suit?
which is best?
a wet suit lets water in which forms a thin layer of water between the skin & the suit & is generally used in warmer waters.
a dry suit( lets no water in) is used in colder waters & is also used by deep sea divers.
March 11th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
a wet suit lets water in which forms a thin layer of water between the skin & the suit & is generally used in warmer waters.
a dry suit( lets no water in) is used in colder waters & is also used by deep sea divers.
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March 11th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
it depends on where and how long and the conditions you will be diing under… drysuits depending on the thickness can be ideal and warmer then you might think also a skin suit or rash gaurt can be used under either if your going to be diving cold waters, and a drysuit is just a bit warmer cause it keeps you dry so neither is better but if you can elaborate on the conditions of the dive then it depends but i would recomend a dry suit only for extremem cold cause wet suits are great for depth cold and cold waters just as much as dry suits. it all depends!!! good luck!!!
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March 11th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
wet suit is better, since your going underwater it won’t irritate at all & easier to put on
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March 11th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
See previous posts for definition of wet and dry suits, there is also another option, a semi-dry suit. It has tighter seals around the neck (dry suit seals), ankles and wrists. Also the zip allows less water to leak in and out. The whole idea of a wetsuit is that some water gets in and stays there – with tighter seals around the neck/ankles/wrists and the zip – there is less water movement in and out, so they provide more warmth than traditional wetsuits.
Which is best depends on many things – if you want to post details, we could better advise. However, THE most important thing of all is fit! Try some on and take professional advice, wetsuits should fit like a second skin – if they are loose, water will just flow through and you lose heat quickly.
Dry suits come in neoprene and membrane versions. Membrane dry suits are made of a thinner material, which doesn’t provide much insulation – you have to wear an insulated undersuit, however, it is often easier to move in these. Neoprene suits provide insulation and are thicker (movement is restricted more), so insulated undersuits are not always needed, depending upon thickness. A disadvantage of dry suits is that it adds another air space, which has to be equalised just like your mask/ears via a valve connected to your tank and releasing air (usually via wrist valve, you raise your arm to ascend and the air comse out). This can make controlling buoyancy and controlling ascent rates more difficult for beginners.
Wet suits are made of a neoprene material, which one you choose comes down again to use, there are generally three types – shorties (short arms/legs), full, and two piece (long-johns+jacket which gives you the option to wear the jacket for colder temperatures/longer dives). Thickness also plays a part – the thinner the wetsuit, the less insulation.
Suit selection will depend on where you dive, the depths you go to, how long you stay down AND how often you dive. I used to work in the tropics, where the water is considered very warm. Students dived comfortably in 3mm shorty wetsuits, where as I had to wear a 5mm semi-dry (as did nearly all instructors at the school I was at) in the same conditions. When diving every day, you begin to feel the cold real quick and the more you dive, the more compressed the neoprene becomes over time (losing insulation).
Good luck!
Dorian.
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March 11th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
A wet suit is good for more moderate water temperatures at shallower depths (water pressure will squeeze the buoyancy out of a wetsuit if you go too deep), and it works by letting in a thin skin of water between the suit and the wearer. The water is then warmed by the body heat of the diver.
A dry suit, on the other hand, keeps the wearer dry, as the name implies. Usually, the diver will wear long underwear or something similar under the dry suit to keep him or her warm. These are generally used in cold water (such as ice diving) or on deep dives (below 130 feet).
As for which is best, it really is a matter of the depth and the water temperature of the dive. The wetsuit tends to be MUCH cheaper, by the way. A dry suit tends to run around $1000.
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