
This is Eric Wilson in his DUI CF200SE drysuit that has serial #65.
Hi DUI,
My name is Eric Wilson and I am the proud owner of a DUI CF200SE drysuit, serial #65, bought in March 1988 at the Crystal Palace Dive show (London, England) of that year. This photo was recently taken on the west coast of Scotland where I dive every year.
Why did I buy this drysuit? The salesman convinced me it was the best suit on the market at the time by using the point of a dive knife and scoring across the neoprene fabric without leaving a mark!! I recall at the time my dive buddies had bought Viking or Avon drysuits and were forever mending them when they got caught on a sharp edge so a suit that stood up to the demonstration given was extremely attractive. Even more convincing is that after 22 years and some 700+ dives in cold British waters the suit is still going strong albeit on its 3rd zip and several changes of neck and wrist seals. The value for money is superb as my dive buddies have bought 2 or 3 (or more) suits in the intervening years and the DUI has never let me down. Its flexibility and toughness have been a pleasure to use and several times on wreck diving I have been convinced that I would have a hole after been slammed into the sharp metal by Atlantic swell on the Otranto (Islay) or the Tapti (Coll) or just caught myself on a sharp edge. However I have never yet even had a small hole.
The suit has been to Scapa flow three times for a week’s live aboard diving on the WW1 wrecks, to the West coast of Scotland at least once every year, where we have a house on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, year as well as dives in Islay, Skye, Angelsey and around the North East coast of England where I live.
I hope that the suit will continue to last for many years yet and one of my ambitions would be to dive with the suit in its natural home in California in the giant kelp forests to see the otters, although hopefully to avoid the great white sharks.
Eric J Wilson
North Yorkshire, England