I bought a Seaskin Nova over the winter, and had my first chance to dive it yesterday. The dive was at a northwest Ohio quarry for 60 minutes, and, according to my computer, almost the entire dive was in the 41F-47F range. (No real thermocline in the quarry yet.)
First, with regard to fit, it was a little tight. I did not order it with the extra room, but maybe should have. I suspect they made it exactly to my specifications, but I probably could have used an extra centimeter here and there. Not much – just a tiny bit extra. If I were using thin undergarments for significantly warmer water, I might not have felt that way. Still, I didn't notice it too much during the dive, and I could still reach my valves on my doubles – but it was tight.
There was some moisture inside the drysuit when I was done, but the suit kept me drier than my previous drysuit. A little moisture around the wrists (pretty normal without dry gloves) and a small amount in the lower abdomen\crotch – possibly sweat or condensation -- not entirely sure where that came from, but that's where moisture tends to pool. It was actually pretty warm outside, so I was basically getting suited up in 75F sunny weather and then jumping into very cold water. Towards the end of the dive, I kept thinking that there must be water in the suit because my back felt really cold when the suit vented. After taking the suit off, I think it was mostly because I was starting to get cold, not wet. I could just put on my sweatpants and drive away – no need to change at the end of the dive, which I have experienced on occasion with my previous drysuit.
The valves worked fine (Sci-Tech) and overall I think it is a good value for the money. It strikes me as very well built, and I really like the neoprene socks better than the fabric socks on my old suit. The fabric is definitely heavier and thicker than my old bilaminate suit.
So, I guess the question is, would I order it again? So far, the answer is yes. I'll be diving it the rest of the summer, so we'll see how it holds up and how I feel about the sizing. Overall, I think they have a solid product.
