Here's an easy one (I think)

[fishchaser]

Thought I'd jump in on this one.  Almost exactly one year ago I had this same dilema.  Wet or Dry.  $600 or $1200.  (Henderson Goldcore 7mm + warmer or Bare Trilam drysuit)

Here's the way I looked at it.  I just spent about $2000 on all the other gear I needed.  Wisconsin is cold (as compared to the caribbean) and I could get by with the 7mm, but my diving season would probably be shorter than diving dry.  So, I could use that $2000 worth of gear for 2-3 months of the year, or spend a bit more on the drysuit and extend my diving season by several more months.  So I got much more use out of my other gear by spending a little more money.  Also, I figured that if I dove wet, and didn't like it, I'd be less likely to dive more frequent, and the other $2000 on gear is wasted sitting in a closet.  I'm all about saving money, but to spend $2600 and dive 2-3 months a year, or spend $3200 and dive 6 months a year....while it's more money, the drysuit is much more value.  And, as many people have mentioned, if you buy a wetsuit first, then go dry, you will have wasted that $400 on the wetsuit, as it will be difficult to recover much of that money, and it's too thick for diving in the caribbean (I bought a full 3/2 for that).

If you're not too sure about the hobby and spending that much money, I'd also reiterate with Omicron said "Instead of decidiing now, you may just want to try and find a rental that fits "pretty good"."  See if you get cold.  If you do, buy dry.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun!

Chad