Give me your dry suit wisdom

[boulderjohn]

If you are going to get into technical diving, your true experiences will not be in the Blue Hole but in nearby Rock Lake. It isn't much different, though--it will be a few degrees colder in the winter. The coldest I have experienced there is about 58°. It' mainly just a heck of a lot bigger and a heck of a lot deeper. There is, however, no facility for warming up there--the site is pretty much a big, deep swimming hole in the prairie.

You need to be under the supervision of one of the tech instructors with permission to dive there. I will be there doing a trimix class in November, and I will be quite tied up during those days, but I come there with some frequency. Join us some time and you will see a variety of dry suit options and hear a variety of opinions, depending upon who shows up to dive then. Send me a private message and we can make arrangements.

 

[boulderjohn]

The PADI Dry suit book said silicone seals don't last as long, but I would be willing to replace more often to get best comfort

The first silicone dry suit seals were a bit on the fragile side and tended to tear easily. I lost several to that problem. They are much better now. I have not had a neck seal tear through normal use in years. (I did have one snag on a hook as I walked by, though.) The silicone neck seal I have on now is just as comfortable as when I put it on 1.5 years ago--good as new.

 

[OMANDIVER]

The first silicone dry suit seals were a bit on the fragile side and tended to tear easily. I lost several to that problem. They are much better now. I have not had a neck seal tear through normal use in years. (I did have one snag on a hook as I walked by, though.) The silicone neck seal I have on now is just as comfortable as when I put it on 1.5 years ago--good as new.

Agreed, i have never torn a Waterproof or SiTech silicon wrist or neck seal. One wrist seal got looser with time and i just replaced. Great to be able to change these seals yourself quickly with minimum hassle.

 

[Johanan]

Search results for "Which dry suit?"

Search results for "Best dry suit".

Etc...

 

[Dsix36]

The most important advice for drysuit diving is extremely simple and something that you will never forget once you do it. I will try to impart my wisdom and experience to you in an effort to help you avoid having to learn this the hard way. Never, I repeat, never try to remove your drysuit without disconnecting your pee valve first.

 

[Lorenzoid]

My wisdom contribution is, if at all possible, get in-person assistance from an experienced dealer. Seeing a dealer in person also allows you to look at and try on options. The dealer knows how to measure you. Ordering online based on measurements you did yourself and options you chose online can be a crap shoot.

 

[KevinNM]

I agree with Lorenzoid. I bought a suit in Abq and it never quite fit. I bought a second suit at Extreme Exposure in Florida and got measured by the Santi national rep (it helped that I took a class from his boss...). The suit is great. Though I did end up first getting a suit with an attached hood, had to send that back.

There are lots of good drysuits out there, but some proportion of all drysuits will be lemons. Top manufactures will take care of you when that happens. The most common dry suits I seen with tech divers has been DUI FLX Extreme and the Santi eMotion suits. But there are other brands that a lot of people like.

But if you are measured wrong it doesn't matter how great the suit quality is if it is physically impossible for you to do a valve drill. Find someone who sells a lot of the suit you want to buy and go there and get measured in person. But the time you buy undergarments, a class, p valve, get pockets attached etc you are probably looking a more than $3000 bucks and a multi-month wait for the suit. So don't cheap out by trying to measure at home or finding someone who offers you "a deal" on the suit over the Internet.

If you really can't do that then I'd suggest you try the aqualung fusion, as it is very forgiving of sizing issues. There is a limit, but it is harder to mess it up and get stuck with a suit that doesn't fit. It's also pretty reasonably priced.

If you can borrow/rent and dive a suit to see if it is the right size and works that would also be great. Used suits can be a great deal if you can ensure they fit, a little too small you will find in cold water that you can to reach your valves with the midlayer you want for the cold.

And blue hole works great with a 4th element arctic or Santi flex 190. A 4th element Xeotherm as a midlayer will be ok, but after an hour I suspect you'll be getting cold. The Bare SB midlayer is really warm, but bulky and floaty.

 

[WarrenZ]

I like my fusion so much more than my bare nex gen. One thing that's worth adding to whatever suit you get are pockets and a field replaceable seal system I like the SiTech rings as long as you have a spare seal you are back in business in minutes after an oops.

 

[mattia_v]

Query: anyone have any experience with Sealskin or Othree? Custom UK made drysuits that seem too cheap to be true (600-1200 dollars); stark contrast with most of the pricing on suits mentioned in this thread, but seem to have been around for a long while...

 

[Marie13]

OP, if you're in the US, check out USIA. The Techniflex can be had for around $1400 base price. Pockets are included (can be extra on DUI suits), and a custom suit is only $150 extra. I'm very happy with mine.