I sail in cold Maine waters and share the boat with other family members. Occasionally one of us needs to go overboard to check the prop, and I'm considering getting a drysuit rather than a wetsuit for this. It looks like a drysuit is easier to get on and off and, more importantly, seems to be able to be used by different sized people, at least to an extent. I don't have any experience with drysuits, however, so any general comments are appreciated. Also, is it possible to go down, say, 5' under the surface or are they too buoyant to do even shallow dives without a weight? Thanks.
Pros : Everything you indicated.
Cons: if you have to go below water you have to wear a lot of weight. If you go down head first all the air will rush to your feet. Now you have to wear ankle weights. If not it will be difficult to be upright again. Wet suits are pain to get in but surely work. Try wearing plastic shopping bags to your feet and hands makes it easier to slip through the arms and legs of the wet suit.
My 2 cents worth.
Wow - those are some cons. Glad I asked. Thanks.
Dry suits aren't one size fit all. If properly fitted and the proper undergarments are worn they are much more effective than wet suits. Neck and arm seals much be tight or water will rush in. If diving, either a good burp or lots of weight is needed to get the balloon under the water.
I agree with Ken in that dry suits are not one size fits all. Often the gaskets around the neck and wrist and ankles are trimmed to fit the wearer. They can be too tight for a large person and too small for a small person. The first time I tried on one that was the correct size for my body I could hardly breath until the neck gasket was properly trimmed. I also found that I needed to trim the wrist gaskets as I began to get tendonitis after several uses.
Thanks for the info. Fortunately, my family is fairly close to the same size. It's interesting to hear that a "burp" could get past the balloon floatation. Sounds like drysuits might be worth serious consideration.
Dry suits ARE the way to go. Also, a local dive shop can give a quick class about useage. If inverted, bend your knees. That will allow you to use your arms to swim your body up to surface. Once there, straighten legs to remove bubble. Don't ask how I know.