Review Seaskin Nova drysuit

[laikabear]

Didn't the Santi have holes worn through the boots after only something like 80 dives? And 14 months or something like that?

Yes. The straps that secure the ankles wore through the fabric. I was able to just Aquaseal them back then. Now that one of them is leaking again I opted for new boots since the soles are pretty worn, too. Despite that, I actually like the fit of the Santi boots best.

I know you're a neoprene socks guy. I'd like to try neoprene socks on my next drysuit, but I'm scared to deviate from what I know. Drysuits are so expensive!

 

[stuartv]

Yes. The straps that secure the ankles wore through the fabric. I was able to just Aquaseal them back then. Now that one of them is leaking again I opted for new boots since the soles are pretty worn, too. Despite that, I actually like the fit of the Santi boots best.

I know you're a neoprene socks guy. I'd like to try neoprene socks on my next drysuit, but I'm scared to deviate from what I know. Drysuits are so expensive!

Well, just like you can get the boots replaced, you can get neo socks on a suit and have them replaced with boots later. Or you could get socks on your Santi now, instead of new boots.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Here is my patch. I had asked that they not put "Seaskin" on it, and I expected the flag part would be bigger. Also as you can see, the edge of the flag disappears because it is black on black. I later bought a drysuit undergarment and drysuit bag from Seaskin with a patch of the flag of California, and those came out better IMO. My Seaskin is 3 years old. It's had the boots and zipper replaced. It has 125 dives on it. (My other suit is a Santi E-Lite. It is 5 years old and has 217 dives on it. It's actually at the shop getting new boots right now.)View attachment 745204

What happened to the zipper on your Seaskin? I have about 90 dives on my neo suit and the brass zipper is almost to the point of needing replaced, but it was used when I got it. The suit was made in 2016, so maybe age has something to do with it too.

I have read that the TiZip and the older version YKK plastic zipper had issues but the latest greatest YKK is supposed to be better.. Idk. All my buddies have plastic and seem happy.

The zipper is one project I haven't tackled yet.

 

[Bernhelm]

So, I did my first pool test last night and things went ok.

Big learning is that I'm going to need a lot of practice donning, doffing, and getting my trim in line, it was definitely clunky, but this is my first drysuit so I assume that comes with practice.

But there was one concerning thing I'd love feedback on - I have the Kevlar knee pads and an expedition pocket. On descent I noticed small bubbles coming from the top of both kneepads, which I thought was maybe air trapped between the pad and trilam layers. I didn't notice it for the rest of the test, but didn't keep an eye on it.

I completed my test, hung up the suit to dry outside in a shaded area, and my base layer was slightly moist but I had been sweating because it was hot out. Didn't feel like a leak situation.

But this morning, I turned the suit inside out and there was visible and feelable moisture along the bottom seams of both knees and along the bottom seam of the pocket. It wasn't soaked, more like condensation, and it dried quickly after being turned inside out, but it was only in those 3 places.

Should I be concerned about those seams, or is this kind of moisture in the realm of normal? I'm planning on doing my first shore dives with the suit next week - what should I be looking for to see if my suit has a problem?

I've reached out to seaskin for their take, too.

 

[admikar]

Not sure, but if it's from you sweating, whole suit should be damp. Not talking about visible moisture, but damp on touch? Was that the case?

 

[Bernhelm]

It was damp on touch, as in I could streak the moisture around. It was only on the bottoms of the knees and the pocket though, nowhere else in the suit.

 

[admikar]

When you hanged the suit to dry, was zipper open or closed? Was there any moisture that could be felt in legs (above and bellow the pockets)?

 

[Bernhelm]

Zipper was open and the suit was resting on a drying rack with the legs and feet down. Couldn't feel any moisture anywhere but these 3 locations.

I did notice that the pocket was still a little moist on the inside (its flap was closed overnight) so I'm wondering if the extra drying time needed for the pocket and knee pads could account for some condensation?

I'm going to wade in the pool for a while with it later today and check those areas right after doffing.

 

[Bernhelm]

Second test didn't show any noticeable leaks from the knees or pocket, so I'm going to keep an eye on it but right now I think it may be condensation from how I hung the suit up to dry.

 

[davecampbell]

I'm often surprised with how much moisture/perspiration accumulates in the drysuit after diving. It's often 85°F + sitting in the sun, then low 40s at depth. I would have sworn there was a leak the first few times, the thermals were so wet...