Review Seaskin Nova drysuit

[lexvil]

With ovals you can use Antaries or Virgo sitech dry glove systems, antaries is the most compact and are becoming my go to but it took some time to get them matched up (I have two glove side sets and three suit side and tried all combos in the pool and now have a set that is perfect, so far. The Virgo is very reliable and easy to use but bulky, if you want dry hands and can deal with the bulk these are great.

The fourth element I tried are going back, to buggy and getting the glove to fit onto the glove side base is a nightmare! The glove side is almost as bulky as the Virgo is almost impossible to mate the two parts and squeeze them together, once (if) you do get them together you get to enjoy another nearly impossible task of separation, “F” all that they are going back! If I get power back on before I go out to the post office I’ll take some pictures to show the bulk.

Another thing with oval systems, getting the glove properly aligned as you mount the glove to the glove side base is fairly critical so check alignment and mark the glove and the base before doing battle with the lock rings.

 

[Simon Hansmann]

thank a lot lexvil. I also heard the antares are quite good. Only complaints ive heard was that those plastic bits can break off but oh well just another thing on the drysuit you have to treat with care.

I already saw that video by ISE. Ive also been thinking about going gloves only, i guess thats possible with all ring systems. I guess ill give it a try and ill also just leave them attached to the suit permanently. But in winter in really cold water maybe an extra seal isnt too bad in case of leak. id rather have a cold wet hand than have the complete suit flood. And with silicon seals theres no real downside since theyre so comfortable

 

[Fabiandelete]

I got my suit almost a month ago. What I wish I had chosen other/ them done it differentM

• Neo boots instead of socks. I now have socks, but they are big. I’m even thinking about switching to boots at my lds.
• Pockets in the undersuit. The undersuit has only one small pocket. So you cannot keep your hands in your pockets.
• The undersuit socks. They were the opposite of the neo socks. Too small. However, they send a size bigger and they fit good.

What I love:

• The suit itself. The fit is good and it dives well.
• Drygloves. I have the rolock system. And I tought drygloves were a nice luxury, but I’m in love with them.

 

[stuartv]

round rings are always a bit bulky imo

That's one of the things I like about the Kubi system. You select rings that are just the right size to fit your hand. Also, they are machined aluminum and fairly thin and narrow. The result is that, though they are round, they have about the minimum bulk you could possibly have in a round ring. And they are easy to don/doff and extremely reliable.

In comparison, I think the Ultima ring setup is quite a bit more bulky.

 

[lexvil]

thank a lot lexvil. I also heard the antares are quite good. Only complaints ive heard was that those plastic bits can break off but oh well just another thing on the drysuit you have to treat with care.

I already saw that video by ISE. Ive also been thinking about going gloves only, i guess thats possible with all ring systems. I guess ill give it a try and ill also just leave them attached to the suit permanently. But in winter in really cold water maybe an extra seal isnt too bad in case of leak. id rather have a cold wet hand than have the complete suit flood. And with silicon seals theres no real downside since theyre so comfortable

Leaving the gloves on is an option, still wouldn’t want them glued on because if you do hole it you will be out of luck until it’s patched or replaced, although without a pot of boiling water to get the gloves to stretch onto the bases like the 4E has it’s about the same thing. I haven’t had any problems with the lock tabs on the antaries but alignment is critical to assure that they lock I have marked mine to make sure everything is aligned.

 

[Simon Hansmann]

I got my suit almost a month ago. What I wish I had chosen other/ them done it differentM

• Neo boots instead of socks. I now have socks, but they are big. I’m even thinking about switching to boots at my lds.
• Pockets in the undersuit. The undersuit has only one small pocket. So you cannot keep your hands in your pockets.
• The undersuit socks. They were the opposite of the neo socks. Too small. However, they send a size bigger and they fit good.

What I love:

• The suit itself. The fit is good and it dives well.
• Drygloves. I have the rolock system. And I tought drygloves were a nice luxury, but I’m in love with them.

what pocket size did you get?

 

[taimen]

already saw that video by ISE. Ive also been thinking about going gloves only, i guess thats possible with all ring systems. I guess ill give it a try and ill also just leave them attached to the suit permanently. But in winter in really cold water maybe an extra seal isnt too bad in case of leak. id rather have a cold wet hand than have the complete suit flood. And with silicon seals theres no real downside since theyre so comfortable

Actually the opposite. It is the coldest water where you want to dive without seals, for warmth. Functional seals, even the most comfortable silicone ones, slightly hinder your circulation and form a cold bridge. It is a tradeoff between many things, and can be discussed forever. Mounting gloves directly to rings should be possible with any ring systems, but there can be differences as gloves used for this purpose are usually much thicker material than the seals. This is getting off topic now. Anyway, QCS ovals are good for this option too.

 

[Fabiandelete]

what pocket size did you get?

The standard ones. So far they do their job perfectly.

 

[Simon Hansmann]

The standard ones. So far they do their job perfectly.

ok great so the ones that can lie completely flat? would you say you could fit smd reel spare mask snorkel and small torch in them?

 

[Fabiandelete]

ok great so the ones that can lie completely flat? would you say you could fit smd reel spare mask snorkel and small torch in them?

Not the flat pocket, the standard bellows one (which can lay flat).

And they fit one of those items, maybe two at a time. Not all at the same time.


Dry Suit Option - Second Pocket for Nova, Bellows - Seaskin Custom Diving Suits