I stopped using a drysuit for warm water inspections...

I used to always throw on a drysuit for every single job, even if the water was pushing 80 degrees. But after a 4 hour shift on a dam intake in Georgia last July, I was drowning in sweat and getting dehydrated fast. Switched to a wetsuit with a thin rash guard underneath and now I can move way better and actually stay cooled off. Has anyone else ditched the drysuit for certain jobs or am I the only one who got tired of cooking?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark_mitchell1mo ago

A buddy of mine who does bridge inspections down in Florida swears by the same setup, actually. He told me he switched after a particularly nasty day in a drysuit where he almost passed out from the heat. Said he started using a 3mm wetsuit with just a neoprene vest underneath (you know, for a little core warmth when the current shifts). The mobility difference is huge, especially when you're crawling through tight spaces around intakes or penstocks. I'd imagine that Georgia humidity is no joke, either, that's a whole different kind of nasty.

elliot_taylor1mo ago

Yeah @mark_mitchell hit the nail on the head for me. That Florida buddy's setup sounds dead on for Georgia too. The humidity here is brutal, makes a drysuit feel like a sauna you can't escape. I've seen guys peel off after two hours looking like they just ran a marathon. A 3mm with a vest gives you that core warmth when the water temps drop, but you don't boil alive when you're out of the water checking seams or climbing around culverts. Plus the mobility is night and day when you're reaching into tight spots around pumps or underwater grates.