First dive in fusion. Dampness question

[Wheatondiver]

I dove my fusion bullet for the first time on Sunday. I noticed that the undergarments were damp after both the first and second dives. I did not feel any water leaking in. Did not see any air leaking out of the seals when I inflated the suit. I was sweating alot by the time I got to the water. Temps were in the 90s and very sunny. Surface was 84. Bottom was 43 - 50. I even noticed during the surface swim that I had sweat dripping down my face inside my mask. The seals felt comfortable - not too tight, not too loose. I am about average 5'8", 170 lbs. Suit is L/XL. Seals have not been trimmed. After the undergarments have dried, they smell a bit more like sweat than quarry water.

Do I have a leak? Seals too loose? Did I sweat that much?

 

[knowone]

P15s?

 

[chaOs85]

My guess is sweat. If you undergarment does its job when you sweat there will be moisture between the undergarments outerlayer and the suit.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I was wondering the same thing also. I believe it is just condensation but I never had any in my Nex-Gen using the same undergarments. It would be nice to here from other people about this phenomenon.

 

[ajduplessis]

P15s?? Maybe it is a "leak" then??

If it was sweat, the undergarments would have dampness everywhere. Is this the case? If so you might want to dive without the undergarment and use a t-shirt and shorts.

If it seems like you only sweat in some areas you have a leak or "leak".

I am not familiar with the fusion sizes, but a L/XL seems a bit big for 5.8” 170lb.

 

[FWADIVER]

probably sweating, which undergarments were you wearing? Pretty much no way around it on a hot day like that other than to dive wet instead.

 

[Wheatondiver]

Thanks for the info. As for size, the chart indicates that this is the correct suit (I am on the lower end). The undergarments (M2) were damp pretty much all over, but I noticed it on the lower arms (from elbows down) when I squeezed them. All the legs were damp with the feet wet by the time I walked back to my area.

Would shorts and and t-shirt be enough in 43 - 50 degree water with the bullet, which has 2mil cover?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Yes, condensation will occur on the inside of the bilam material. This can cause the outside of the undergarment to become slightly damp. The inside of the undergarment will certainly become damp if you were sweating.

You may have experienced a minor leak through the wrist seals. If you have prominent wrist tendons, trimmed the seals too much, or the untrimmed seals are too large (yes, seals come in different sizes), this will be a common occurrence. If you determine that you are leaking through one or both wrist seals, a solution is to move to a dryglove system. Hopefully, you took advantage of the $99 "upgrade" to the replaceable seal system (Seal-Lock Technology; SLT) that Whites is now offering with its Fusion suits. I believe that there are drygloves on the market that lock onto the suitside rings of the SLT system. Contact Whites customer service in case you're interested in this.

Yes, the L/XL Fusion size is the appropriate size for you. Based on your height and weight, you probably wouldn't fit very well into the S/M size.

Shorts and a T-shirt are not enough of an "undergarment" for water in the mid-to-high 40s °F. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

On a hot day, it's critical to minimize time spent at the surface or on land in a zipped up drysuit. It's both a comfort and safety issue. Get all of your gear set up and pre-dive checks done prior to donning the drysuit. Coordinate zipping up your drysuit with everyone else on your dive team. It can be very helpful to set everything up in the shade (natural or a tent-like sunshade) so that you can stay out of the hot sun while gearing up.

During the surface swim on shore dives, I prefer to kick out on my back. I generally keep my mask around my neck until we hit the drop-in site. If I put the mask on during the surface swim, the inside of the mask gets all steamy. I find it annoying. YMMV.

 

[deepair]

I would also guess sweat/condensation. The garments are designed to suck up the moisture. I am soaking wet this time of year when I put on my Waterproof neoprene Drysuit to dive the "hole at Bluestone"! 46 degrees and I wear a thinsulate top and shorts. I am still soaking wet when I get out and it is definitely sweat!

 

[merxlin]

I agree it is probably sweat. I often notice what seems like moisture on the outside of my undergarments, but exposure to the air usually dries it out fairly quickly. On a hot day I am starting to keep cold water around to dump on my head while waiting to get in. Try wearing technical fabric undergarments (no cotton!) under your thermal layer. That seems to help.