Getting out of semi-dry suit + diveskin vs rash guard under?

[DDS-VA]

Hi everyone,

I have the Aqualung 7mm Iceland Women's Semi-Dry Suit Medium (see it for example here). I tried it on and it was really great. Getting it off was awful. I got stuck at tacking my head out and actually hurt my cervical spine in the process. I think it was a combination of panicking, sweating and the suit being new and tight. I felt like my head was coming off with the suit.

I am sure there's some process of getting these suits off that have horizontal zippers on the backside. I'd love some advice for how you manage it.

Also - the person I saw wearing one had a diveskin or rash guard under it to make getting in and out smoother. I am thinking that might help. But there's so many different options and I am not sure what the difference between a scuba diveskin and a rash guard is and what I should get.

Thank you,

Daita

 

[TravisD]

I use a full skin/rashguard under my Hollis Neotek semi-dry to make it easier to get off. I also tend to ask a buddy or other innocent bystander to tug on the wrist cuff so I can pull one arm out (this is after I've ducked and pulled my head out of the hood - though to be fair, the NeoTek zipper is on the front, not the back...). Once I get an arm free I can do the rest easily.

 

[BoltSnap]

Hollis Neotek semi-dry to make it easier to get off. I also tend to ask a buddy or other innocent bystander to tug on the wrist cuff so I can pull one arm out (this is after I've ducked and pulled my head out of the hood - though to be fair, the NeoTek zipper is on the front, not the back...).

I'm still trying to learn how to do it myself without help with the 4/3 version of this suit. I wish that the front zipper were an inch or two longer (at least I think that would help).

Great warm and comfortable suit.

 

[DDS-VA]

Thanks Travis! It looks like I didn't post the link to the suite in the first message, here it is https://www.scuba.com/p-udri7swmd/aqualung-7mm-iceland-women-s-semi-dry-suit-medium. The zipper in the back is my issue. Not only is it difficult to open and close on my own - this isn't the problem for me as I will always dive together with my husband or daughter and they can do that for me. The biggest problem is getting my head out. I bent my neck as far down as I could so the material comes over my head. There was a moment there when I thought I'll have to cut the suit. I admit that I panicked when I felt my head stuck and no way to get out of it. So I took a moment to recompose myself and to try calmer and it eventually came off.

What skin/rashguard do you use? Is one type better than another? I think I'd want something with a hood so my head can slip out easier.

Thank you,

Daita

 

[TravisD]

I can't say if one is better or not - I have a lycra Henderson skin, that has thumb and foot loops to keep it from riding up. As with all dive gear, the one that fits you is usually the best choice. not the brand.

One thing to keep in mind though is that a skin under a semi-dry might let a little more water in, since it can get in the way of any wrist or ankle seals (the smooth-skin type) but I find that even with the skin, the suit still works fine. I'd rather be able to doff/don the suit and sacrifice a tiny bit of warmth. If its' that cold to make a difference I'm diving dry...