Drysuit wear and tear in MX caves

[Underwater Tourist]

I dive with a wetsuit in MX, but will be getting a drysuit eventually as my dives get longer.

I also like diving slightly tighter areas, nothing super extreme like you can’t turn around or completely sandwiched, but you still end up rubbing the cave a little.

My question for people who dive similar places in MX, how is the wear and tear on the suit? Is there any reason to consider a neoprene suit for durability?

I actually wasn’t reading much about neoprene dry suits as I never considered them before, so if there are any other pros/cons to using one in MX I would happy to hear them

 

[rddvet]

I've had no issues. There is one particular cave with a tight saltwater section full of that nasty, sharp limestone that grabs and cuts everything. I can't remember the cave right now, I'd have to go to my wetnotes. But either way I was paranoid I was going to tear my trilam suit going through it. Not an issue at all. Unless you're doing serious advanced sm style dives regularly I think its a nonissue. I've got multiple buddies that live in mexico and dive much more and much tigher cave than me with no issues with their trilams.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

I've had no issues. There is one particular cave with a tight saltwater section full of that nasty, sharp limestone that grabs and cuts everything. I can't remember the cave right now, I'd have to go to my wetnotes. But either way I was paranoid I was going to tear my trilam suit going through it. Not an issue at all. Unless you're doing serious advanced sm style dives regularly I think its a nonissue. I've got multiple buddies that live in mexico and dive much more and much tigher cave than me with no issues with their trilams.

That’s was my understanding also, especially considering that a lot of local instructors dive trilam and not neoprene, but figured I would ask

 

[berndo]

... that a lot of local instructors dive trilam and not neoprene, but figured I would ask

A lot of the so called tec divers and instructors today have never used a crush neopren, they're just buying based on misinformation that's been handed down and is prevalent on the internet. Crush neos are very common in cave diving and cave exploring in Europe and elsewhere... just not among the people that post picture online all the time. SF tech for instance is very common in cave diving and all their suits are made form neoprene.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

A lot of the so called tec divers and instructors today have never used a crush neopren, they're just buying based on misinformation that's been handed down and is prevalent on the internet. Crush neos are very common in cave diving and cave exploring in Europe and elsewhere... just not among the people that post picture online all the time. SF tech for instance is very common in cave diving and all their suits are made form neoprene.

I believe it’s used more often in places that have deeper caves and require deco, so fabric durability of your suit becomes more important. Not the case for MX tho

 

[berndo]

I'm not sure what your believe is based on.
There are warm and shallow caves in Europe and other places too.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I had a crushed BARE neoprene dry suit that lasted me several years and several hundred dives. Five years I'd guess....

 

[rjack321]

I dive with a wetsuit in MX, but will be getting a drysuit eventually as my dives get longer.

I also like diving slightly tighter areas, nothing super extreme like you can’t turn around or completely sandwiched, but you still end up rubbing the cave a little.

My question for people who dive similar places in MX, how is the wear and tear on the suit? Is there any reason to consider a neoprene suit for durability?

I actually wasn’t reading much about neoprene dry suits as I never considered them before, so if there are any other pros/cons to using one in MX I would happy to hear them

Just get a trilam suit. Tourist MX dives are 1) not particularly hard on suits and 2) neoprene is too bloody heavy to travel with.

If you were aiming to dive the Ottawa River caves I'd have a different suggestion.

 

[berndo]

2) neoprene is too bloody heavy to travel with.

They do need more space but depending on the type of suit there is maybe only 1 kg in difference... since you have to bring more or thicker undergarment for a trilam, it's pretty much a wash, IMHO.
The Rofos 450 I have doesn't pack much smaller than most 2mm neos, I reckon. A Rofos 360 type suit would pack smaller though.

 

[oya]

A lot of the so called tec divers and instructors today have never used a crush neopren, they're just buying based on misinformation that's been handed down and is prevalent on the internet. Crush neos are very common in cave diving and cave exploring in Europe and elsewhere... just not among the people that post picture online all the time. SF tech for instance is very common in cave diving and all their suits are made form neoprene.

I wish you all the joy in the world being the only person in the area (unless there is another tourist or two who really wanted to pack one into their luggage, too, because I can't think of a single local who uses one) arguing with the weight of a crushed neoprene suit in the middle of the Yucatan summer.

To the original poster:
I put something in the range of 3-500 dives per year on my trilam suits (Historically Santis eLites, but more recently Otter Atlantics). As an active local instructor I'm in a drysuit probably at least 2/3rds of the days of any given year. I need to retire suits when the fabric itself starts delaminating; I'm generally getting about 2 years (so around 800-1000 dives) per suit.

Bear in mind that many of these dives are with my flashlight off and crawling into areas that are the least expected places for me to cause problems for students, or are tight, tight sidemount cave just because it's fun... so I'm scraping and grinding pretty consistently.

i have yet to actually puncture through or tear either a Santi or an Otter. I'm sure it'll happen at some point, but several thousand dives in and it hasn't happened yet.