Bought used dry suit. Now what?

[watch_the_bubbles]

Hello.

I bought a BodyGlove EPIC dry suit. I have never dived with a dry suit and want to know what I should do next.

I am planning to do the dry suit speciality via a PADI dive school, but in terms of making sure the suit is fit for purpose?

When I tried it on, the neck seal was incredibly tight, how do I fix that?

Do I need to get the suit pressure tested?

How do I ensure the suit is 100% waterproof? Put it on and get in the bath??

If anyone can recommend me a LDS in the NW/Central London areas, I would be grateful.

 

[alewar]

I'm not sure I understood your first question, as for the others:

You'll have to cut off some of the rings in your neck seal. I haven't done it yet, but there are lots of threads about that here.
I would just don the suit and go diving in some shallow place to see if it's waterproof.

 

[pisoiu]

My first dive with my pre-owned dry suit was in the bath. It is the easiest way to detect any leaks before going into pool/sea and spending a lot more time just to find out something is wrong. Just wear some clothes which will indicate a wet spot easily, put the suit and jump into the water. You should also be carefull with the neck seal. If it is too tight, you may loose consciousness when doing some effort. Have a good buddy close to you at first dives.

 

[watch_the_bubbles]

Apologies for the ambiguity, and the typo in title, *used!
Yes, the neck seal is tight enough, so will cut a few circles at a time till it's comfy. I will go ahead and try it in the bath thereafter.

Alewar, I've never used a dry suit before so I wouldn't want to just jump in and try. I understand that buoyancy is a very different thing with a dry suit. As I said, I intend to take training, but first need to establish if suit is safe/functional and ready!

Thank you for your comments.

 

[TSandM]

Be very careful with trimming a seal -- if you have never used a dry suit before, you probably don't know how tight is right. Seals need to be pretty snug, both to avoid leakage and because they relax over time. I'd get some help from someone who is dry suit savvy, whether it's from a shop or a buddy, before you cut anything.

Agree with the bathtub test. We test ours in the hot tub

 

[Akimbo]

For a test, you can also don the suit and inflate it like the Michelin Man or Pillsbury Doughboy. Then have a friend spray diluted soap and water all over. Air leaks will bubble like crazy.

I would definitely enlist or hire the assistance of a very experienced person to help size the seals. Mistakes are expensive so take very conservative cuts working toward the “just right” fit. As you get close, you might leave it on the tight side until you get a chance to dive the suit.

The neck is the most important because too tight can cause some serious problems, the least of which is inducing sea sickness. Try the diluted soap spray in the seals to make them easier to don and doff… you will be doing it a lot at first.

 

[skullmancan]

you want to make sure you have enough space under the dry suit for undergarments to keep you warm and plenty of extra weight due to the fact that the undergarments will make you more boyant i would recomend wool socks i purchaced a drysuit myself and took my cert threw pdic also with a drysuit more than likely you will need fins they weigh more i learned the hard way that you will use more energy with fins that have more flex in them just tryen to move with more riged fins you wont use as much energy and be able to move under water with ease

 

[watch_the_bubbles]

Be very careful with trimming a seal -- if you have never used a dry suit before, you probably don't know how tight is right. Seals need to be pretty snug, both to avoid leakage and because they relax over time. I'd get some help from someone who is dry suit savvy, whether it's from a shop or a buddy, before you cut anything.

Agree with the bathtub test. We test ours in the hot tub

I understand this, but this seal is tight enough to make me feel the lack of circulation within seconds of putting it on. I'm starting to suspect the guy got a new seal put on but never used it. I think I will post a pic on this thread later. I'm looking for someone with drysuit experience, hence my asking for a LDS rec in my area

For a test, you can also don the suit and inflate it like the Michelin Man or Pillsbury Doughboy. Then have a friend spray diluted soap and water all over. Air leaks will bubble like crazy.

I would definitely enlist or hire the assistance of a very experienced person to help size the seals. Mistakes are expensive so take very conservative cuts working toward the “just right” fit. As you get close, you might leave it on the tight side until you get a chance to dive the suit.

The neck is the most important because too tight can cause some serious problems, the least of which is inducing sea sickness. Try the diluted soap spray in the seals to make them easier to don and doff… you will be doing it a lot at first.

That is a great idea, I have the means to inflate suit, will do once neck seal is sorted out. I'm actually not having a big problem with the seals, despite having heard the same many times before.

you want to make sure you have enough space under the dry suit for undergarments to keep you warm and plenty of extra weight due to the fact that the undergarments will make you more boyant i would recomend wool socks i purchaced a drysuit myself and took my cert threw pdic also with a drysuit more than likely you will need fins they weigh more i learned the hard way that you will use more energy with fins that have more flex in them just tryen to move with more riged fins you wont use as much energy and be able to move under water with ease

My deal came with a really nice looking 100gm undersuit, and some socks too, so I tried everything on! For fins I've got Mares Avanti Quattros.

Thanks all. Anyone know a decent dive shop around NW/W/N/London, UK??

 

[watch_the_bubbles]