Hollis Neotek Semi-Dry or Aqualung SolAfx?

[Papasmurf89]

Hi guys,

Have the option to get either of these suits. Which would you recommend? This will be for diving in Monterey Bay, CA. Water can be as low as 44F here but I believe is usually around 50F. I do get cold fairly easily.

Thanks.

 

[bumcikaz]

Go dry if u get cold easy

 

[Papasmurf89]

I'm involved in marine research and dive a lot around rocky reefs. As such, tearing is a concern of mine when it comes to drysuits. I know cordura drysuits are pretty bullet proof but unfortunately I don't have $4,000 lying around to spend. Someday.

 

[Incident]

Hi Papasmurf,
I cannot comment on the Aqualung, but I tried both the Hollis and the BARE Velocity. For me, I ended up with the BARE.

The reasons:
I liked the fit of the BARE better than the Hollis, but this is obviously a personal matter.
I thought the seals on the BARE were much more effective than the Hollis. The Hollis has these little extra rings around the forearm and upper calf area that are designed to block out water. The BARE has a pretty effective double seal around the wrists and ankles, which block out the water a lot better (in my experience anyway).
I did like the pockets on the Hollis, but those can be added to any suit.

I thought the BARE did a much better job at keeping water circulation to a minimum. So much so in fact that it sometimes almost felt as though the suit was squeezing me at depth due to locking out all water circulation. Very warm and very comfortable.

Pricing is pretty close to the same on both suits.

Hope this helps!

 

[C Dub]

I've own the Hollis. It is very nice, and warm, especially for the price. Can't comment on the AL....

 

[elgoog]

I have the SolaFx and have done handful of dives in it so far in Monterey (lowest temp recorded was 54F) and found it to be very comfortable. I do layer a full Lavacore base layer underneath it which helps quite a bit in terms of warmth and also in getting the suit on. Water flow through the suit was quite low due to the neck dam and the seals are pretty good too (after a dive, there's noticeable accumulation at the wrist and calf seals when you're back on land). Compared to the 2pc 7mm rental wetsuits, it's waaay better.
If you get a chance to try it somewhere, I highly recommend a diveskin or some base layer otherwise donning/doffing is pretty difficult. Depending on where you live, Diver Dan's in San Jose stocks them so you can try out the sizing. I was lucky enough that it fit me well without any major empty pockets.
I don't have a lot of experience with drysuits but I've dived in the Whites Fusion and it seems pretty durable with the Bullet skin. Those are a lot less than $4k and the advantage for you would be that the skin is replaceable in case you damage it on something.

Best,
elgoog