Dry Suit Diving Speciality CourseAll diving with Scapa Scuba is done in dry suits. Divers rarely brave these waters in anything less as dry suits keep you warm and dry. Don't get cold or wet when diving again - instead, learn to dive in a dry suit!
Many divers coming to Scapa Scuba have never dived in a dry suit - let alone in water temperatures under 20°C! Some students wonder how we can offer warm & comfortable diving in these temperate waters - many having developed their own inaccurate visions of what diving in Orkney will be like.
PRECONCEPTIONS ABOUT DIVING IN ORKNEY!
- Learning to dive in a dry suit will be difficult and we will do boring training dives only
- The water must be freezing cold
- The visibility is just a couple of metres at best
- Dry suits never work - how can you not get wet diving?!
- Learning to dive in a dry suit is easy and fun! With Scapa Scuba all training dives are all completed at the Churchill Barriers on the blockship wrecks that were sunk to protect the British Naval Fleet in Scapa Flow during WWI and WWII. The wrecks are fascinating, great to explore and covered in marine life. With a maximum depth here of 12 metres and sheltered conditions, we have the ideal site to teach you dry suit diving.
- Water temperatures in Orkney range from a mild 7°C to a warm 14°C. When you dive in a dry suit you keep warm whatever the temperature as water does not come in contact with your body
- The unpolluted water in Orkney is amazingly clear with visibility can reach 20m+ in Burra Sound.
- Dry suits provide great insulation and trap a warm layer of air between you and your suit. Robust cuff and neck seals prevent any water from entering this space.
So why learn dry suit diving?
Dry suits keep you dry - Water conducts heat 20 times faster than air. For the average diver, water needs to be warmer than 27°C to be comfortable diving without use of an exposure suit. Water this warm only occurs in tropical regions, so to dive in any other location requires insulation provided by an exposure suit - be it a wet, a semi-dry or indeed a full dry suit.
Dry suits keep you warm - Some of the best dive sites are in cold water such as the world famous wrecks of Scapa Flow. Temperatures encountered in these environments could cause problems from cold if correct protective equipment is not used.
Dry suits will increase your dive time - Dry suits are used by all divers in Orkney as they are extremely good insulators. The suit itself gives insulation as well as trapping air between your body and the suit which gives a further layer of insulation reducing the effects of the cold by keeping the body dry. By slowing down the normal cooling process, an exposure suit maximises the body's efforts to maintain its core temperature, thus extending your dive time.
So whether you have never dived in a dry suit before, or simply want to improve/refresh your dry suit diving technique the PADI Dry suit speciality course comes highly recommended to you.
The PADI Dry suit speciality course:
With guidance from one of Scapa Scuba's experienced instructors, you will practise and perfect the techniques involved in dry suit diving, making you a more capable and confident diver.
What will I learn on the Speciality course?
- During the course you will be taught various skills and techniques to familiarise yourself with the art of Drysuit
diving. These skills include; how to respond to a free flowing inflator valve, how to achieve neutral buoyancy, how to hold
a hover position, what to do if your suit floods, how to find your correct weighting, how to do a safety stop without using
a line etc. All eventualities of Drysuit diving are covered and rehearsed until you feel confident and comfortable in your
Drysuit.
You will also learn how dry suits work.
- Unlike wet suits, dry suits are a much looser fit. You can wear layers of clothing under the suit for extra warmth. Typically divers wear warm socks, a T-shirt (or thin thermal vest) a sweatshirt (nothing with a hood or collar) a pair of tracksuit bottoms/leggings or a specialised diving undersuit underneath their dry suit.
- The suit itself has seals at the neck and wrists with robust boots attached at the feet, these combine to make a watertight seal between your body and the water.
- Because it is sealed, the suit creates an air space around your body giving you another means to control your buoyancy and an air space that needs to be equalised. The suit comes with an inlet valve (to add air) and a dump valve (to get rid of excess air).
Another advantage of doing the PADI Dry Suit Speciality course is that you will gain an Internationally recognised certification card showing your competence as a dry suit diver. This card can be shown to other dive organisations that will acknowledge your achievement and proficiency in Dry Suit diving and have no hesitation when hiring kit or taking you diving.
With safety in mind, one of Scapa Scuba's policies is not to take inexperienced dry suit divers into Scapa Flow. By completing the Drysuit speciality course you are opening the door to diving the world famous wrecks and marine life of Scapa Flow.
Duration - 1 day, consisting of 1 confined and 2 open water dives.
Course cost £150/£255*. Prerequisites - PADI Open Water diver or equivalent.
*Denotes bespoke course with guaranteed 1-1 instructor supervision.
* For those who decide not to do the recommended certification course, we can offer basic tuition on dry suit diving while students enjoy 2 guided wreck dives. This will give the student no form of certification but a good experience in dry suit diving.
Duration - 1 day comprising 1 or 2 open water dives.
Cost £100 for 2 dives, £50 for 1 dive.
Prerequisites - PADI Open Water diver or equivalent.
If after completing the Drysuit Speciality course or the 2nd uncertified dive option in a Scapa Scuba suit and you decide to order your very own made to measure dry suit, then we will offer you a 10% discount on whichever style you choose. This special offer is valid for 1 calendar month after completing the course. With the onsite facilities at Scapa Scuba a range of different colours, pockets, styles, thicknesses (7, 5 or 3mm neoprene) and entry methods to choose from. Customise the suit you want! Please feel free to ask for more details.
