Northwest Diving Institute Certified Since 1972
Where the Pacific Northwest learns to dive!

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Northwest Diving Institute

Description

Why dive dry – simply to stay warm. No one said diving had to be cold or wet. Diving dry is the difference between withstanding the 40°F (4°C) temperature of some waters to enjoy watching a three-inch scallop’s bead like eyes spangle the edges of a brightly colored mantle. It is the difference in witnessing the powerful jaws and massive grinding teeth in a mouth of a wolf eel, hovering-by as a giant octopus propels itself by jetting water past its eight sucker-covered arms, or simply not diving at all. More often than not, in colder waters, dry suit diving can be the difference between experiencing multiple dives in one day or making one chilly wet suit dive and listening to others tell you about what you’ve missed on the dives you were just too cold to make.

With this in mind, the philosophy of this course is to focus on comfort diving in a dry suit. Thus, the goal of this course is to show divers how to consider all factors when comfort diving in a dry suit. The course covers everything from choices of dry suit materials, techniques for controlling buoyancy above and underwater, dressing into and out of a dry suit, to maintenance and repair concerns. Divers learn to use the most effective and efficient means to extend their underwater adventure into cold water – without getting cold or wet.

The best way to learn how to dive in a dry suit is by doing it. The course philosophy, therefore, emphasizes comfort diving in a dry suit. Divers will apply the knowledge they gain by reading the PADI Dry Suit Diver Manual first in a confined water session, and then on two open water dives.

This course must be taken in conjunction with an Open Water or Advanced Open Water class for which you will receive credit for the first required open water dry suit dive by doing your four Open Water certifications dives in a dry suit (open water) or the first dry suit adventure dive (advanced open water). Then, you will complete a second dry suit dive immediately following your last (Advanced) Open Water class dive for your dry suit certification.

Type

Recreational (Specialty/Distinctive)

Cost

$75.00 per person with the purchase of required student materials, otherwise add $7.50.

Prerequisites

Certified as a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or have a qualifying certification from another training organization, and be at least 10 years old.

Documents Required

Proof of certification and Continuing Education Administrative Document, plus a physician's statement (if you have a medical condition that would affect your ability to dive).

Medical Clearance

All students participating in PADI confined and open water dives are required to have a current Medical Statement on file. If you answer YES to any of the listed conditions, you will also need to obtain physician's approval prior to the first water session. It is the student's responsibility to obtain proper medical clearance prior to diving and we cannot make exceptions.

Gear Provided

Dry suit, liner, booties, tanks, regulator with dry suit inflator, BCD and weights.

Gear Required

Mask, snorkel, fins, hood and gloves.

Optimum Weighting

Not sure how much weight you need for this class? Click here to estimate your optimum weighting.

Gear Recommended

Dry suit zipper wax and talcum powder.

Materials Required

PADI Dry Suit Diver Specialty Manual

Materials Recommended

PADI Dry Suit Diver video.

Instructor

Alex Schumer

Format

Weekend

Comments

This class can only be taken in conjunction with an Open Water class. Please see your instructor for details.

Scheduled Class Sessions

Date	Time	Type	Location	Activity	Comments
Sun Aug 26, 2012	11:00 AM	Open Water	Cove Two-Alki Beach	Dry Suit Upgrade Dive	We'll take a surface interval and complete the second dry suit dive required for certification.

If you have additional questions about this class, please call us at (425) 502-7886 or send us an email.

The Northwest Diving Institute, a Washington state-licensed, PADI-certified scuba diving center, is the dive center for all your recreational, professional and technical scuba diving classes, lessons and equipment needs. Certified since 1972, our highly trained staff can take you from basic Open Water to Professional Instructor, on both open circuit and closed circuit systems, and in backmount and sidemount systems. We offer a full line of high-quality scuba diving equipment, lessons, rentals, educational materials, dive trips and air fills (including nitrox and trimix) at highly competitive prices.