Dry Suit Seals

[nldiver1984]

In May I start my confined dives for my OW course. I was told by my LDS that I need to buy dry suit neck and wrist seals which they sell for $70. I found latex universal seals on Ebay for around $40. Would the seals the LDS is referring to be any different than just buying standard seals? I was told I could re-use them with other suits. This wouldn't be possible with standard seals correct?

 

[TSandM]

If the LDS is using DUI suits, you have to have their seals. If they are using suits with the SiTech ring system, you can use any seals.

 

[PfcAJ]

I don't know the answer to your question (I think some drysuits have different diameter cuffs and neck holes), but you CAN use non-DUI seals on a DUI suit. I know this because both of my suits have non-DUI seals on them because I don't like DUI seals.

For DUI Zip-seals, however, they are proprietary.

 

[Imla]

But seriously... BUY the seals for your drysuit for your OW course??
It is pretty standard to get mask, snorkel and fins... But seals for drysuit? What if you don't want that kind of drysuit when you are done with the course??

This sounds really odd to me.

 

[Peter_C]

Sounds to me like they are using the Si-Tech replaceable seal system and since everyone has different sized wrists and necks, they are asking you to purchase a set to cut to your size. Almost reasonable...but why don't they stock multiple sizes and include them with the suit for no extra charge instead of trying to make a buck or $$.

Ask what kind of seal system they are using on the drysuits?? If it is the Si-Tech system and you think your future drysuit will use them I would recommend buying silicon seals. They will be very close to $80 or so for a set, but probably not from your LDS. Tell them you own your own set and that is that.

When you do buy your own drysuit I would recommend the Si-Tech seal system so you can change seals in the field yourself. After all they do fail at the most inopportune time.

 

[nldiver1984]

But seriously... BUY the seals for your drysuit for your OW course??
It is pretty standard to get mask, snorkel and fins... But seals for drysuit? What if you don't want that kind of drysuit when you are done with the course??

This sounds really odd to me.

I was told I could re-use them at the end of the course. I'm not sure what type of seals they are using but it's probably not for DUI suits as they are quite expensive.

 

[TSandM]

Shops are faced with a dilemma when it comes to renting dry suits. Seals DO get damaged, and they're the biggest headache and expense to replace. By making the students buy the seals, the shop leaves the student with something he can use in the future, if he doesn't damage them, and the shop can provide the suits very inexpensively, because their biggest cost and time hassle has been dealt with. We've actually been trying to get our LDS to do this, so that we can get students out diving after their classes without them either having to pay a couple thousand dollars for a dry suit right off, or nearly $100 a day in rental.

 

[nldiver1984]

My LDS told me that they use rings on their suits that the seals attach to. I can use any latex/silicone seal for this, correct?

 

[TSandM]

Again, it depends on the brand of the suit. DUI uses a proprietary system called Zipseals, where the suit and the seals are machined to fit together. You can't use any old seals on a DUI Zip system. Whites uses the SiTech ring system, which permits the use of any seal, latex or silicone. You need to ask the shop what kind of system they have, or at least what kind of dry suit. To my knowledge (and I could be wrong) DUI is the only brand that uses a proprietary user-replaceable seal.

 

[Peter_C]

As the OP mentioned $70 doesn't even cover the wrist seals let alone the neck seals for the DUI system. Therefore they must be using Si-Tech.