Bruce Justinen
Contributor
Recently this article was published in one of the dive magazines. I have seen a lot of questions here about drysuits, so I thought this information might be helpful to someone. I have been diving drysuits for more than 25 years with over 4,000 dives in drysuits and I have been involved in designing many suits over the years.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Of course, it goes without saying that this article represents my views and I am sure that some might disagree with me but they would be wrong... OK, just kidding. Let me know if this was useful.
TodayÃÔ Dry Suit Purchasing the Right One for your Dive Needs
By Bruce Justinen, Owner of Seasoft Scuba
One of the most important purchasing decisions made by cold-water divers will be choosing which drysuit to buy. In the old days, it was an either/or type of choice. A diver bought a six or seven MM neoprene drysuit or a vulcanized rubber suit and both had their ÅÊssues? In 2008, we have a lot more choices, which can make choosing a new drysuit both fun and interesting.
Traditional Neoprene Drysuits
A six or seven MM neoprene drysuit can still be found after all these years. These suits are tough, relatively inexpensive and warm, but also can be awkward, bulky and somewhat heavy. These drysuits are usually sold as an entry-level drysuit for those who are just beginning their dive adventures.
Vulcanized Rubber Drysuits
Vulcanized rubber drysuits are usually sold as a Å©az-mat suit. These suits do not stretch, so they are cut big and blousy. If they werenÃÕ, divers would not be able to bend over and put on fins. This design creates huge amounts of drag and that will decrease your bottom time to some degree. Vulcanized rubber drysuits are very tough and used in situations where fuel or other dangerous chemicals might be present, thus the Å©az-mat label. For regular diving however, most divers find them uncomfortable, clumsy, heavy and awkward. There is also no thermal protection, so a heavy undergarment is required again adding to the ÅÃulk of your dive.
Shell Drysuits
Shell suits, sometimes referred to as bag suits or Tri-lam suits, are drysuits made from a waterproof cloth material, usually nylon, that is either glued or radio frequency welded (RFW). These suits are generally dry, fairly tough, lightweight, but still very blousy with a large amount of drag in the water that will reduce your bottom time. Some divers find these drysuits to be difficult to dive because of the extreme air migration inside the suit. Also, there is no thermal protection so a thick undergarment is required.
Crushed Neoprene Drysuits
Crushed neoprene suits are very expensive and once were at the top of the food chain for drysuits. These suits are made from neoprene that has been physically crushed by pressure. This pressure fractures the air-cells and ÅÇuses the neoprene into a very, very tough material. However, because the air has escaped through the crushing process, there is no thermal protection and virtually all of the elasticity of the neoprene is gone. This makes these suits both less comfortable and bulky. These drysuits need to be made very loose fitting due to the lack of elasticity and again this increases drag. These suits are resistant to pressure though, and they tend to last for a larger number of dives.
Compressed Neoprene Drysuits
Compressed neoprene drysuits are said to be the fastest growing segment of the drysuit business. They are really tough because they are ÅÄhemically compressed. This type of neoprene is characterized by using a mixture of ingredients that causes the air-cells in this type of neoprene to compress or ÅÔhrink as they cool. This makes the neoprene very tough and resistant to normal compression when diving.
The notable thing about this type of suit is that because the air-cells have not been fractured, this type of drysuit still has thermal protection. It also still has a degree of elasticity that allows for a closer, more comfortable fit, which means less drag. These drysuits tend to have a very long dive life as well.
Super Lightweight Drysuits
A new type of drysuit has recently been introduced and appears to be fast becoming a dive favorite, the lightweight neoprene drysuit. These drysuits, usually 3-4 mm thick, are designed to mimic the best qualities of a lightweight wetsuit but have the benefits afforded to drysuits. These suits are close fitting, relatively inexpensive and according to many divers, very, very comfortable. Typically they are not as tough as shell suits or the thicker neoprene drysuits and they also normally require an undergarment, though usually not as thick as those used with shell suits. Close fitting, they have very little drag so they can extend your bottom time over the suits with more bulk and, of course, less drag means more efficient movement through the water which requires less effort, thus less air.
Whatever dry suit you choose, make sure it fits you properly, and that you are aware of the pros and cons of the suit you are considering. Your local dive store can provide you with further information and assistance.
Authors Note:
Bruce Justinen is the owner of Seasoft Scuba. Bruce is an avid diver and his company has been growing at a steady rate over the last twenty-five years.
Ū have a SEASOFT 3000 Ti drysuit. This is a 3 MM compressed neoprene drysuit with wonderful tennis shoe type booties and a very comfortable pattern that allows me great freedom of movement. Not only am I warmer than I ever was in the several shell suits I used to use, but I get an average of 10 more minutes of bottom time because I am warmer, faster and have greatly reduced the drag of the suit.
Next month we will talk about seals, valves, zippers, and pee valves, I am sure you can hardly wait.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Of course, it goes without saying that this article represents my views and I am sure that some might disagree with me but they would be wrong... OK, just kidding. Let me know if this was useful.
TodayÃÔ Dry Suit Purchasing the Right One for your Dive Needs
By Bruce Justinen, Owner of Seasoft Scuba
One of the most important purchasing decisions made by cold-water divers will be choosing which drysuit to buy. In the old days, it was an either/or type of choice. A diver bought a six or seven MM neoprene drysuit or a vulcanized rubber suit and both had their ÅÊssues? In 2008, we have a lot more choices, which can make choosing a new drysuit both fun and interesting.
Traditional Neoprene Drysuits
A six or seven MM neoprene drysuit can still be found after all these years. These suits are tough, relatively inexpensive and warm, but also can be awkward, bulky and somewhat heavy. These drysuits are usually sold as an entry-level drysuit for those who are just beginning their dive adventures.
Vulcanized Rubber Drysuits
Vulcanized rubber drysuits are usually sold as a Å©az-mat suit. These suits do not stretch, so they are cut big and blousy. If they werenÃÕ, divers would not be able to bend over and put on fins. This design creates huge amounts of drag and that will decrease your bottom time to some degree. Vulcanized rubber drysuits are very tough and used in situations where fuel or other dangerous chemicals might be present, thus the Å©az-mat label. For regular diving however, most divers find them uncomfortable, clumsy, heavy and awkward. There is also no thermal protection, so a heavy undergarment is required again adding to the ÅÃulk of your dive.
Shell Drysuits
Shell suits, sometimes referred to as bag suits or Tri-lam suits, are drysuits made from a waterproof cloth material, usually nylon, that is either glued or radio frequency welded (RFW). These suits are generally dry, fairly tough, lightweight, but still very blousy with a large amount of drag in the water that will reduce your bottom time. Some divers find these drysuits to be difficult to dive because of the extreme air migration inside the suit. Also, there is no thermal protection so a thick undergarment is required.
Crushed Neoprene Drysuits
Crushed neoprene suits are very expensive and once were at the top of the food chain for drysuits. These suits are made from neoprene that has been physically crushed by pressure. This pressure fractures the air-cells and ÅÇuses the neoprene into a very, very tough material. However, because the air has escaped through the crushing process, there is no thermal protection and virtually all of the elasticity of the neoprene is gone. This makes these suits both less comfortable and bulky. These drysuits need to be made very loose fitting due to the lack of elasticity and again this increases drag. These suits are resistant to pressure though, and they tend to last for a larger number of dives.
Compressed Neoprene Drysuits
Compressed neoprene drysuits are said to be the fastest growing segment of the drysuit business. They are really tough because they are ÅÄhemically compressed. This type of neoprene is characterized by using a mixture of ingredients that causes the air-cells in this type of neoprene to compress or ÅÔhrink as they cool. This makes the neoprene very tough and resistant to normal compression when diving.
The notable thing about this type of suit is that because the air-cells have not been fractured, this type of drysuit still has thermal protection. It also still has a degree of elasticity that allows for a closer, more comfortable fit, which means less drag. These drysuits tend to have a very long dive life as well.
Super Lightweight Drysuits
A new type of drysuit has recently been introduced and appears to be fast becoming a dive favorite, the lightweight neoprene drysuit. These drysuits, usually 3-4 mm thick, are designed to mimic the best qualities of a lightweight wetsuit but have the benefits afforded to drysuits. These suits are close fitting, relatively inexpensive and according to many divers, very, very comfortable. Typically they are not as tough as shell suits or the thicker neoprene drysuits and they also normally require an undergarment, though usually not as thick as those used with shell suits. Close fitting, they have very little drag so they can extend your bottom time over the suits with more bulk and, of course, less drag means more efficient movement through the water which requires less effort, thus less air.
Whatever dry suit you choose, make sure it fits you properly, and that you are aware of the pros and cons of the suit you are considering. Your local dive store can provide you with further information and assistance.
Authors Note:
Bruce Justinen is the owner of Seasoft Scuba. Bruce is an avid diver and his company has been growing at a steady rate over the last twenty-five years.
Ū have a SEASOFT 3000 Ti drysuit. This is a 3 MM compressed neoprene drysuit with wonderful tennis shoe type booties and a very comfortable pattern that allows me great freedom of movement. Not only am I warmer than I ever was in the several shell suits I used to use, but I get an average of 10 more minutes of bottom time because I am warmer, faster and have greatly reduced the drag of the suit.
Next month we will talk about seals, valves, zippers, and pee valves, I am sure you can hardly wait.
