1st Drysuit Advice

[altaskier]

My advice:

Skip the purchase of your first drysuit. Save yourself a ton of money and hassle by purchasing your SECOND drysuit first.

I can relate. I did my drysuit course, and then did a four dive day in a DUI neoprene suit, and another 2 dive day in a Whites Fusion. The whole drysuit thing was so new to me at the time that I couldn't really compare the two suits. A bunch of friends have Fusions, so that's what I bought, and I've been happy with it.

 

[victorzamora]

Maybe even Hollis FX100 Biodry.

Stay away. I worked at a Hollis dealer and got one for cheap. VERY few dives before it totally died. Very few of us ever had dry dives on it.

I'm now diving a Pinnacle Black Ice (bad batch of zippers, getting repaired now) and it's almost too warm for 70F water. I had a slight leak through the zipper (getting replaced) and was still warm on the dives. I'm not in love with the Neoprene neck seal, but the rest of the suit I can safely say I'm a big fan of so far (only a few dives). A buddy dives a Seac drysuit that's the same as the Scubapro Everydry 4, and he's in love with it and recommended it. Only reason I got the Black Ice was due to the front zip.

You'll notice quickly, however, that drysuits aren't just about warmth. The comfort of getting out of the water in dry clothes trumps any other benefit in my book. When the surface is chilly, a drysuit is the ONLY way to go!

Semi-dry wetsuits are simply very nice wetsuits in that they have tighter seals than a standard wetsuit. It's mostly marketing. Semi-dry suits are just wetsuits.

 

[scubatoys]

I am a huge fan of the Waterproof D9 for $1299.95 for warm water. It is one of the lightest weight suits will ever lay your hands on and the quality is top notch. For warm water it is the perfect suit. For cold water just make sure to wear the sufficient amount of undergarments and you are good to go. For the price there isn't anything out there that will compare for the same quality and versatility. It is the breathable material so even wearing it on the surface is comfortable.

Joey,