Overheard a guy at the dock say he ditched his drysuit for a wetsuit on a 45 degree job in Alaska and I called him crazy at first

Last week I was loading gear at the Port of Anacortes and overheard this older diver telling a new guy he stopped using his drysuit for shallow pipeline work in 45 degree water. He said the drysuit made him slow and he felt safer being able to feel the cold creeping in rather than getting complacent. It stuck with me because I always figured dry was the only way below 50. I still think he's nuts but it made me question if I'm overdoing it for certain jobs. Has anyone else made that switch for cold water?

2 comments

2 Comments

david70316d ago

Ha, I made the same switch for winter surf launches in New England a few years back. 45 degree water and I'm in a 5/4 wetsuit with boots and gloves, no drysuit. Honestly, the mobility is way better for ladder climbs and hauling gear. I feel like I can react faster if something goes wrong, even if I get a little colder quicker. You just learn to work faster and keep moving, and it's not like you're staying in for hours on shallow jobs anyway.

jenny19816d ago

Bet you move faster on the ladder too, @david703.