Review Seaskin Nova drysuit review - ladies' POV

[vickasaurusrex]

After putting in about ~50 cold water dives on my Seaskin Nova drysuit, I thought it might be helpful to share my personal experiences with it.

Scuba equipment for petite ladies can be difficult to find, in general. For reference, I'm 5'3", 130lbs, athletic build. Since I couldn't fit into any "off the rack" drysuits, I decided to go with a custom option. This review describes the nuances I've learned along the way with regards to the Seaskin Nova.

My specific config:

• Brass zipper w/protective cover
• SiFlex silicone neck and wrist seals
• Kubi dry glove system
• Si Tech valves (DIR position)
• Telescoping torso
• Shoulder, elbow, knee (Kevlar knee pads), and bottom reinforcements
• 2x bellows pockets
• Neoprene socks (to pair with after-market rock boots)
• 250gsm SeaSkin undergarment
• Custom embroidery on suit
• Custom drysuit bag that turns into a changing mat

Overall impressions:

• The drysuit is built solidly, and fits me very well. Has kept me warm and dry.
• The trilaminate is a touch heavier than DUI TLS350 b/c of additional material thickness (~2X thicker), but way lighter than the Aqualung Fusion, especially when wet. Tried those two as rentals.
• I appreciated the foot-keepers at the bottom of the Seaskin undergarment. Unlike traditional stirrup-style keepers, this one is is like a stretchy sock with the toes and heel cut out. My undergarment stays put, and doesn't ride up my leg when donning.
• 250gsm undergarment is plenty warm for diving in my homewaters of Monterey, CA
• Love the integrated Kubi dry glove system; it is so easy to use and maintain
• Appreciated the accessories that come default with the order (French talc, beeswax, SiTech tool, manuals, etc)
• The drysuit bag / changing mat combo is a game-changer
• The SiTech Argo exhaust valve that came with my suit was a bad part, and I got a replacement with no issues. Ultimately, I replaced it with an after-market SiTech contaminated water valve -- also a game-changer.
• Get the Expedition pockets; bellows pockets are juuuust large enough for all the accessories I need to carry, but I wish they were bigger.

Tips for ordering:

• When making measurements, follow the online guide exactly
• Make multiple measurements at different times of the day, and take the largest value
• Get all the bells and whistles plus accessories, it is worth it. SeaSkin will give most competitive pricing
• If you have small feet (e.g. I wear a Women's 6.5), you will want to go with a neoprene sock vs. a tech boot, for two reasons: (1) when you invert your suit to dry the insides, the neoprene sock option makes this aspect of routine maintenance so much easier; (2) when you wear well-fitted rock boots over the neoprene sock, the fit on your feet is just that much better, and you'll mitigate floaty feet situations as a result.
• If you use 4th Element Arctics as your undergarments, you may want to increase your waist circumference by 1". I have found that it can be difficult to bring the drysuit over your hips, where the Arctic top overlaps with the bottom -- in the area where the thickness of the undergarment has effectively doubled.
• Too many reinforcements slightly reduce flexibility of the suit. I wish I didn’t get so many, since the Seaskin trilaminate is already so thick/durable, and shorter folks just don't have that much real estate on their suit to work with. For petite folks (<= 5’4”), I would not recommend getting Kevlar knee pads if you are getting any side pockets, because it reduces suit mobility during donning/doffing, inverting suit inside-out to dry, etc. The struggle is real.

Other considerations:

• Expect an additional ~$75 in customs fees via UPS
• Turnaround time from placing the order to material-in-hand was ~4 months (3 months and 25 days)
• Seaskin customer service is primarily phone-based; they do not answer e-mails. You must call during UK hours to communicate with them.
• You will need to find a good local shop for servicing your suit. Not all shops in your community will service Seaskins. Some do that because Seaskin is not seen as a supporter of the local dive industry, so “they’ll make it harder on you” according to one dive professional I spoke to.

Thank you for reading! Hope this helps.

 

[Jcp2]

I found that the seaskin 250 undergarment took a lot more weight for appropriate weighting compared to the fleece or thinner 150 weight undergarments that I was using before.

 

[Boarderguy]

Seaskin customer service is primarily phone-based; they do not answer e-mails.

You can get a quick response by emailing the person who sends you the confirmation email name@seaskin.co.uk or sales@seaskin.co.uk.

 

[lexvil]

It’s best to learn to do your own service and repairs if needed, the $2500 saved will go a long way toward tools etc. ship to DRIS when you need a zipper, fill your tub with dollar bills and soak in them to sooth away the pain of not supporting the locals

 

[Katie S]

Thanks for the review! I have a very similarly specced Seaskin (minus the elbow, shoulder, and bottom reinforcement), and it has served me very well. I also got mine with the extra fabric allotment for very thick undergarments (e.g., Weezle extreme plus) and the expedition pockets which are wonderfully large. I run on the very cold side, and am regularly using my Seaskin 250 with a heated vest or a Weezle Extreme Plus undersuit without the heated vest in San Diego, CA waters (recent temperatures ~48-52 degrees). Just adding another data point for the cold-blooded petite divers out there. Happy diving!

 

[admikar]

• Get the Expedition pockets; bellows pockets are juuuust large enough for all the accessories I need to carry, but I wish they were bigger.

As I've said, so far no one complained pockets are too big.

Make multiple measurements at different times of the day, and take the largest value

This is excelllent advice, even better take it over a week or two. I went with averages, wish I didn't.

 

[vickasaurusrex]

… even better take it over a week or two. I went with averages, wish I didn't.

Yep, I actually ended up doing that… because swelling, bloating, and big meals happen and so your measurements vary throughout your day and week.

 

[RedSeaDiver2]

Good thread - hopefully it won't get to 234 pages though as I realised that I was never going to get through that many pages!

 

[lexvil]

Good thread - hopefully it won't get to 234 pages though as I realised that I was never going to get through that many pages!

There are 13 really excellent posts on that other Seaskin thread, you have to read them all to find them

 

[TravelGas]

There are 13 really excellent posts on that other Seaskin thread, you have to read them all to find them

If you could copy all 13 and post them, that would be a nice community service. Thanks.