Peeing in a semi-dry wetsuit

[scubadada]

I always have to pee in my wetsuits, 3, 5, 7 mm full suits with or without a 5/3 mm hooded vest. I probably should not go to a semi-dry. I use Mirazyme after every day of diving and smell fresh and clear

 

[Altamira]

I'm getting back into diving after several decades and even retook an OW course. I also bought a Bare Reactive Full 5mm semi-dry suit. I had it down to 60' and 57 degrees and thought it was pretty comfortable, but I need to add a hood or something for a little more warmth. I think it's an excellent suit. But my real question is, do you pee in your semi-dry suits? I was disgusted at the end of my dives to find that it never washes out, and in fact moves to my booties! Are you just holding it? Or are you just living with it? I've never had a wet suit that I had this problem with before.

I am confused by your description of your Bare 5mm Reactive Semi-Dry Suit. I also own a Bare 5mm Reactive, but never saw it marketed as a semi-dry suit, and do not see anything on Bare's website other than a Bare 8/7 Velocity Semi-Dry. Could you clarify? I find both my 3 & 5 mm Reactives very warm, and admittedly, pee in both, but not when on the boat. However, I do drink a lot of water, don't eat asparagus before dives, and thoroughly flush the suit before getting out of the water. If there ever was an odor, my wife, with her hyper acute olfactory senses, would let me know immediately. She must have been a top notch sniffer dog in a previous existence.

 

[Kendall Raine]

It's not that I mind peeing in the suit. It's just yuch when I'm getting out of the lake and taking it off and having to rinse me and the suit before getting in the car, all compounded if the air temp is cold.

Open it in the water and flush it and you a bit, then come back once you dekit and really wash it/you and booties out. All good. DO NOT leave it unwashed for a week in your rental car in the Yucatán sun.

 

[Moonhowler]

I am confused by your description of your Bare 5mm Reactive Semi-Dry Suit. I also own a Bare 5mm Reactive, but never saw it marketed as a semi-dry suit, and do not see anything on Bare's website other than a Bare 8/7 Velocity Semi-Dry. Could you clarify? I find both my 3 & 5 mm Reactives very warm, and admittedly, pee in both, but not when on the boat. However, I do drink a lot of water, don't eat asparagus before dives, and thoroughly flush the suit before getting out of the water. If there ever was an odor, my wife, with her hyper acute olfactory senses, would let me know immediately. She must have been a top notch sniffer dog in a previous existence.

I'm probably mistaken about the 5mm Reactive being a semi-dry suit. What IS a semi-dry suit then?

 

[Kendall Raine]

I'm probably mistaken about the 5mm Reactive being a semi-dry suit. What IS a semi-dry suit then?

A semi dry suit is a dry suit. A semi dry wetsuit is a wet suit.

 

[Altamira]

I'm probably mistaken about the 5mm Reactive being a semi-dry suit. What IS a semi-dry suit then?

I am not really certain, but perhaps because the 5mm Reactive has a substantial extra cuff in the legs and wrists, and the neck seal is pretty good, limiting water flow in/out, it qualifies as semi-dry wetsuit. I just never heard it marketed as such, and to me it is just a well designed wetsuit that does a good job of doing what a wetsuit should do.

 

[Altamira]

A semi dry suit is a dry suit. A semi dry wetsuit is a wet suit.

Never having used a dry suit, this sounds reasonable and logical to me.

 

[Still Kicking]

I'm probably mistaken about the 5mm Reactive being a semi-dry suit. What IS a semi-dry suit then?

Semi dry wetsuit has baffles or seals that limit water flow at the face or neck, wrist and ankles. These are not water tight like drysuit seals but do help to reduce water exchange, which increases warmth.

Many semi dry wetsuits have an attached hood with a face seal and a chest zipper. Take a look at the Aqualung Solaflex for example.

Unlike a drysuit, a semi dry wetsuit does not have valves and is not pressurized.

 

[BoltSnap]

A "semi-dry" has better seals but water still gets in but much less than a wetsuit. The semi-dry has a waterproof zipper, or close to it. The reactive isn't called a semi-dry but it is very close to it.

 

[Kendall Raine]

Never having used a dry suit, this sounds reasonable and logical to me.

Put another way if your dry suit is completely dry try it in the water.