Why learn drysuit?
Unlike wetsuits, drysuits maintain a layer of air in between you and the water. This protective layer of air keeps you much warmer than a wetsuit and is what allows people to dive in coldest places in the world. Inside a drysuit you wear normal thermal clothing, for example mountaineering thermals (or if you’re our president, jeans), to maintain body heat, and absorb any water that does leak through. Drysuits change how you manage your buoyancy, as you must add air at depth and dump it on ascent in addition to your BCD. For this reason it is important to be properly trained in their use.
With the exception of peak summer, most UK divers consider a drysuit a necessity. For most of the year it is too dangerous to dive without one. All club diving is done in drysuits, with the exception of our annual abroad trip.
Who can sign up for drysuit training?
You must be (or plan to be) a club member who already holds a SCUBA qualification, either with BSAC or another agency (PADI/SSI/SDI) at Open Water level or higher. If you are planning to do Ocean or Sports Diver, you do not need to sign up for separate drysuit training.
You must be able to swim 200 metres without stopping (8 lengths of a standard pool) and be able to pass a diving medical.
When can I sign-up?
Sign-ups are now open until the 5th Oct, although the course may fill before then. The sign up form can be found at the bottom of this page, all who complete this are applying for a space in term 1 on a first come first served basis. Doing drysuit in term 1 prevents you from doing Sports Diver until at least term 2, unless you make specific arrangements with exec.
We have very limited spaces in our term 1 cohort, so if there is sufficient interest we may also run training at the start of term 2.
When/where is training?
Our drysuit course is scheduled so there is the possibility of being qualified in time for our term 1 fun trip to the Farne islands at the end of week 3. The course consists of 1 theory lesson, held sometime in week 2 in a classroom on campus, followed by a pool session on Thursday the 16th Oct, and Open Water training on either the 18th or 19th Oct. If you do not wish to attend the Farne islands, you can complete the open water element on the 8th Nov, or possibly other dates later in the term. Alternate dates may also be available for pool training.
Open water training will take place at Stoney Cove, a quarry close to campus that is the UK’s national dive centre.
What is the cost?
Firstly, you need to be a member of the club. This costs £6 + Students’ Union Sports Federation Fee (£24) and On-campus Warwick Sport Club Pass (£82). These fees are set by our Students Union but must only be paid once per academic year and allow you to join any sports club. If you are qualified with any agency other than BSAC, you will also have to pay for a years membership in order to be insured to dive/train with us. For students this is £39.
The cost of the training is £85. This covers entry to Stoney for yourself + your instructor, full kit hire, and the cost of the qualification pack itself.
Sign-up for drysuit training here