How often does a drysuit leak?

[Crock]

I know it depends on how you take care of it. Every time I see someone with a drysuit they are always fixing a leak or a problem with it. Is it worth it for a drysuit or is it just preference? I am very comfortable with a 14mm wetsuit keeps me warm.

 

[DCBC]

If you're comfortable with a wet suit, there's no need to change. Although the waters in Ontario are cold, they are generally not that bad (GTA is home for me). If you find yourself ice diving or diving in cold ocean, or for long periods of time, you most likely will want to opt for a dry suit.

A properly fitting dry suit shouldn't leak; although some leakage on a long dive can be common. Dry suits used on deep dives also have an added advantage of providing redundant buoyancy.

 

[Scott]

The only time mine leaks is when I'm on a SoCal boat, there's time for one more dive and I get in a hurry and rush through my normal routine.

With a proper fitting wetsuit, especially 14mm (wow that's thick) you could very easlily be as warm or warmer than someone in a dry suit.

 

[Tanked]

After 4 years of use. Approximately 200 dives. I just started that my left foot has been wet. The water up here has been rather warm lately so I haven't notices it until I take the suit off. It's only a small amount of water so I'm not that worried.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

With any good-quality, new drysuit...as long as you maintain the zipper and inflater/exhaust valves properly and replace the neck/wrist seals when you need to...you should be able to get several hundred trouble-free "dry" dives in. So long as you purchase the drysuit from a reputable company, the warranty should take care of any annoying leak issues.

People with skinny wrists and prominent tendons may have issues with a little moisture coming in whenever the wrist joint is bent. That's what happened to me. I added a dryglove system and problem solved.

Buying a used drysuit can be a crapshoot. People sell their drysuits for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, one of the many reasons...is the suit leaks.

Stick with the wetsuit if you're comfortable diving in it. For me, owning a drysuit has provided more opportunities to dive. I do a lot more night dives and repetitive dives in a great deal of comfort. Before I had the drysuit, I always had a more difficult time warming back up after a dive.

 

[a22shady]

I have had my drysuit for little over a year now. 50+ dives on it and No leaks. There has been 1 or 2 dives I left my one wrist low on my wrist and at the end of the dive the top2 inches or so of my shirt got a little wet. Not dripping but wet from bending my wrist to much. But overall I am dry/Warm and usually I am wearing my dry gloves hence why on those 2 dives I got little wetness forgot to pull the wrist seal up

 

[spectrum]

I know it depends on how you take care of it. Every time I see someone with a drysuit they are always fixing a leak or a problem with it. Is it worth it for a drysuit or is it just preference? I am very comfortable with a 14mm wetsuit keeps me warm.

If you are comfortable in your wetsuit then leave well enough alone.

A lot of the soggy drysuit divers own the wetness to human error. It's real easy to have a garment cuff or collar get under a seal and then it becomes a wick. Some have offending tendons that will let water pass if the move the wrong way. Things like that will happen from time to time. In my experience I have not seen punctures in my or buddies suit but of course it does happen. A dry diver with a minor leak often does not even find out until they are changing down afterward. Good underwear deals well with moisture.

At the end of the day the simplicity of a wetsuit is a wonderful thing. The buoyancy behavior is predictable and it will never let you down with something like a leak. It's a very forgiving way to dive and you can replace a suit for the price of a drysuit zipper replacement.

For many the drysuit is attractive on the surface. It's common to get chilled in a wetsuit during a surface interval or for the final cleanup to be a chilling adventure. With a drysuit that all goes away. I recently went from a neoprene drysuit to a trilaminate suit and have been using it more. My energy level and general comfort after 2 dives is significantly better than if I had made the same dives comfortably wet.

As far as the diving experience I will take diving wet over dry anytime.

Pete

 

[PfcAJ]

It really depends on what kind of diving you do and how you take care of your stuff.

If you're banging on wrecks or pushing through tight caves, you will most likely develop little leaks here and there over time. Its no biggie, and its expected. Patch them as they form. I almost always get a little trickle of water up my wrists because I have pronounced tendons when I flex my arm. Once again, its expected. To help with this, I bottle seals and pull them up your arm a bit. Zippers should be kept waxed, and exhaust valves get replaced when they get finicky. Once again, no biggie.

Personally, a drysuit is worth every penny and every little bit of hassle.

 

[TSandM]

My dear friend NW Grateful Diver says, "All dry suits become wet suits, and then you get them fixed."

There are a lot of things on a dry suit that have to work perfectly for you to have a really dry dive -- the seals, the inflator valve, the dump valve, the zipper. In my experience, a large number of dives have problems with one thing or another, but it's usually just a damp issue, not a soaking wet thing. But I dive the dickens out of my suits, in a variety of conditions.

 

[AfterDark]

The usage of the word dry is misleading. "Mostly dry most of the time" would be more accurate.. I use both here, January in NE you want a dry suit. My 7mm farmer and 7mm jacket = 14mm around my torso but even with my 2mm hooded vest added I can't last long. I have wet spots here and there with my dry suit like others described but never soaking wet.

I'm a LOT more comfortable after an hour+ in 35-40F water with my dry suit than with my wet suit hands down.