semi-dry?

[dogwatch]

Is Pinnacle Polar a good / best choice or is there something else out there to consider?

Thanks

[BillBowden]

Semi-dry = wet

I find I am MUCH warmer in a dry suit with a slight leak, than in any kind of wetsuit. Just my experience.

[Angie Reim]

Yeah. My Atlan neoprene dry-suit (which leaks) is still warmer than my semi-dry.

[Rich]

Is Pinnacle Polar a good / best choice or is there something else out there to consider?

Thanks

I use a Sea Elite (Atlan) 7/5 semi dry (@$200) on a daily basis and I'm toasty for about a year and a half.....'course I take mine deep also which probably reduces it's shelf life :wink:

Safe diving,

Rich

[Signal 20]

if you dont have the money for a drysuit or just dont like diving dry the Sea Elite 7/5 is a great suit. very tough and durable and I think its very warm.

[Genesis]

Never seen anyone complain about the Polar not being warm.

However, you can always make a drysuit warmer with more underwear. What you got is what you got with a semi-dry.....

[Dwain]

I wear a Pinnacle Polar Semi-dry... I'm warm for my deco.

[Cindy]

I use a scuba pro semi dry for caving and sump diving. I can get by because the water is shallow and even at 58 degrees I can stand it. I can do that for about 30 min. of deco but if I have to deco for any longer than that I have to go to a dry suit. The chance of DCS is just too high if you are shivering and trying to deco for more time than that. Also I have found that the fine tuning for really carefull bouyancy control is better if I have a dry suit. Right now for really small stuff when not sump diving I use a harness with my dry suit is my primary source of inflation. It depends on what I am trying to get done in a cave as too what kind of suit I use. Cindy Butler

[Jason B.]

Do you guys just use a lift bag for redundant buoyancy or double bladders, or what? I thought wetsuits and big steel doubles was a no no.
New to diving doubles (3 dives in them) so be easy on me.

Jason

[Cindy]

Hey Jason, I have had this conversation before and I don't mind. Just a quick story, Duncan Price and I were diving and came up at a sink in sink in Peacock. Both of us were in dry suits and diving side mount HP 100s with no wings. We were accosted (I mean verbelly attacked) by a cave diving instructor in a wet suit with wings for his bouyancy and all three of his students geared the same way. He was very angry at our lack of two sources of inflation. Duncan calmly pointed out that not only did he have only one source of inflation but he was teaching that to his students! Again it depends on the dive and the situation, if I dive someplace that is deep or use stages then of course I use wings. With HP 100s I am neutrally bouyant witih a dry suit. I do have doubles also for scootering and use wings and a dry suit, for really deep scary stuff I use both and add a lift bag. Thankfully I have been diving long enough now and have enough experience that I can dive a cave and tailor my gear for that dive. Duncan and I were near a sink and using that configuration to practive swapping our tanks for an emergency. It worked fine by the way. Being female it costs me a fortune to dive. Not only do I have a dry suit for sump diving and travel I also have wet suits that fit me for fat and skinny days. I doubt you will be doing much sump diving for a bit. I would try to get enough money for a dry suit. You will be warmer and safer. Cindy Butler

[John L.]

I have a Scubamax 7 mil semi-dry, and I love it. It's a spin-off copy of Atlan with the built in hood, front shoulder to shoulder zip. I have been toasty on dives as long as 120 minutes. I have no compaints, and it's around $180.00.

[Cindy]

It's not the swimming that makes you cold in a wet suit, it's the deco. Scootering in a wet suit is pretty chilly also. Come dive a river cave with a 90 min deco and not shiver... I will agree you have steel what ever you have handing from your tanks then! :lol: Cindy

[Rich]

Do you guys just use a lift bag for redundant buoyancy or double bladders, or what? I thought wetsuits and big steel doubles was a no no.
New to diving doubles (3 dives in them) so be easy on me.

Jason

It's only a no no if you care what people think :-D

I don't use redundant buoyancy in the shallower caves but if I'm diving the deeper stuff like Eagles or Diepolder I stack 2 wings or go dry.....It really depends what you like and what you're comfy with. Hope this helps :D

Safe diving,

Rich

[crazyduck]

Great postings everyone!
I have found that “stops” is what tends to get me.

If you are looking at semi dries I would get into the suit and see how it feels. Sometimes people do not like the zipper across the back shoulders because of the lack of reach. Conversely, is the same when the zipper is across your front. After owning both types of zippers I simply prefer it across the front better ability for me to stretch. Buit in hood is a big help too.

The semi dry will make a big difference based on the seals and water movement. I tend to “feel” the cold against the suit when hanging at stops. So 52 degrees twenty minutes I start to “feel” the cold against the suit. Plus, the under garments make a difference.

I wear a fleece wind shirt and that helps a little. You could try “under armor” or a “short pyle fleece pullover.” You want to restrict the water movement. Plus, you can use heating packs. Be warned that once the heating packs start to cool there is a natural difference between that and what your body can produce- making you feel chilled.

Sorry but after many years of chasing the perfect semi-dry I bought a drysuit.

Regards, Andrew

[John L.]

Another trick is to save urination until deco!

[crazyduck]

Another trick is to save urination until deco!

Only friends, Pee on their friends ! :-D

Also don't drink down stream!

Andrew

[NitroxWarrior]

hope ur talkin' about in a wetsuit, otherwise you may need to invest in a pee valve...

[crazyduck]

Funny you should say that....

I was thinking of a new drinking game.

We take a two liter water bag and run basic hosing to make it look like a pee valve and bolt and offer caver divers a FREE drink at the social.
Wonder how many takers you would get?

Andrew

[NitroxWarrior]

hahaha thats pretty funny. fill 'er up with lemonade :D !!