Taff107

( pbee forgets to mention that you won't actually be able to see anything!)

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

if i can dive(master) in to this subject diving in the uk is totally different to diving abroad i learned to dive in the cayman islands nice vis and warm water. the uk is freezing cold water all year round and poor vis apart from 3-6 months of the year but that is why we brits are some of the best divers in the world as we dive in crap the reason we keep diving is for the love of the sport keep the diving up as it gets more fun the more experienced you get, and the more experienced you get the more adventurous you get i fancy doing a spot of cave diving next

The Zohan

I have a PADI open water licence (basic one) but have not had the time to do anything with it yet, got it about this time last year.

I must progrees my diving, i love it but have not pursued it yet

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

membrane is better as you arrive at the dive site wearing a ser of thermals, then you put your drysuit on, neoprene you have to virtually strip down


class im sure stoney cove is the quarry where loads of people die diving as they think they are more experienced than they are but you are not that type of person are you

Taff107

Tried cave diving once and once only! It freaked me out a bit, knowing that if there was a problem, going to the surface may not be an option. Also, it can bring out claustrophobia in any man!

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

understand the pros and cons , but i really fancy having ago of this one, just remember lots of deep breathing and youll be ok

zilch

Steve, did my course in OZ so cannot comment, but i thought Stoney was one of the dive centres where people in the UK did their Open water elements..hence my question...

Cheers

Jim

bonkers

Got my NAUI open water certification last year - good diving in the Pacific Northwest (with lots of octopii... allegedly) but damn cold here too and I'll be dropping money on a kayak (canoe) before I would a drysuit so I don't dive much. There was also an incident with the underside of a ferry but that put me off dive buddies who don't take it seriously rather than the sport itself.

Bonkers.

Daz34

I would get a crushed neoprene one which is about 2mm thick. It has all the advantages of a membrane which have been stated, but if far tougher.

Look at DUI suits

Daz34

Stoney is perfectly safe & incidents get highlighted just because of the huge volume of divers that go there.

bonkers

Neoprene is also easier to repair if I recall correctly.

Bonkers.

BexTait

Is it true that the neoprene drysuits restrict movement more than the membrane ones, because I've heard that somewhere. And as for the undersuit for the membrane suit, does it have to be a specific one, or could I use my silk thermals which I have from skiing?
Bex

bonkers

A neoprene wetsuit of the type you're likely to wear in England is 6 or 7mm and that is somewhat limiting of movement - not enough to be unsafe obviously.

A drysuit I'm less sure about because it's supposed to be baggier than a wetsuit but if you're going to spend that much anyway, you should be buying crushed neoprene which is much thinner for the same insulation - 2 or 3mm of crushed neoprene is the equivalent of 6 or 7mm of non-crushed. (Regular neoprene compresses at depth and crushed neoprene is simply pre-compressed)

Bonkers.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

not that ive dived in one but id say neoprene drysuits would have less restriction than membrane ones due to not having to wear thermals underneath plus due to the way a mebrane suit compresses under pressure

also you can try your skiing thermals and see what you think 1 st but IMHO i think you would be freezing wearing them with a membrane suit

Simon C

Neoprene suits are more restrictive than membrane suits, unless you go for something like a custom O3 (lots of money). As for an undersuit, have a look at the weezle extreme, very warm, but not bulky. An absolute gem at 35 mtrs.

HTH
Simon

BexTait

Thanks for all your help, i'll probably go for a custom made membrane drysuit.
Bex

Brendan Hughes

Another Koh Tao qualified - year and a half ago, just next to Buddha View.

TBH quite unimpressed with the island, concrete and rubbish everywhere IMHO.