Cold water diving is fun! but being cold while diving is not! There are two kinds of suits that can be used while diving here in BC:
Wetsuits (May-September): The wetsuits we use here are a two piece 7mm farmer john/jacket style wetsuit. Wetsuits keep you warm by trapping a layer of water between your skin and the suit. Your body heats up the water and the neoprene acts as an insulator to keep it warm. Because of the way wetsuits work, it is important that they fit you properly (tight!).
Drysuits: Drysuits keep you dry but what you where underneath of them is what keeps you warm. The drysuits we use are made of a trilaminate material that have a latex seal around your neck and wrists, and built in boots. You’ll need to wear warm layers underneath such as fleece, wool, etc. in order to stay warm.
The water can be quite chilly here, especially between October – April, during these months we require our divers to be in a drysuit, however the rest of the months it is your choice!
In order to dive in a drysuit, you will need to complete a drysuit orientation. You will do some additional pool training which will teach you how to use a drysuit in a confined water setting, and how to handle the changes in buoyancy. These are scheduled weekly and can be completed after your class/pool sessions.
Drysuit Orientation – $99.95 - Includes additional pool training, and drysuit rental for your ocean training.