Took me 15 years to admit drysuits were worth the money

Back when I started out in the Gulf of Mexico in the late 90s, I swore by my old wet suit. Thought drysuits were just a gimmick for rich recreational divers. Then I took a job on a bridge inspection in the Columbia River in December of 2008. Water temp was 38 degrees and I was shivering after 20 minutes in my 7mm. Buddy let me try his DUI drysuit for one dive and I lasted 4 hours without a complaint. Bought my own the next week and never looked back. Anyone else hold out on a piece of gear for years before finally switching?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadem891mo ago

Jumped headfirst into drysuits right after that same sort of wake up call. It's wild how we'll suffer through something for years just because we're stubborn or don't want to admit the expensive thing actually works better. That's the same reason people use the same cheap tools their whole life, or keep wearing boots that ruin their feet, or put up with a mattress that kills their back. Cost and pride just make us slow to change even when the fix is right there. Once you finally do switch, you just get annoyed at your past self for wasting all that time being cold and miserable.

oscar7431mo agoMost Upvoted

Gotta ask, was it the price tag or the idea of admitting you were wrong that made you wait so long? Because I feel like for me it's always some weird mix of both, and I can't tell which one's worse.