Review Seaskin Nova drysuit

[rob.mwpropane]

The tradeoff is time if they don't fit. I am amazed at how expensive Chucks are these days, too. I think traditional rockboots are a bit more durable than Chucks, too. I used to wear Chucks, and they didn't last very long. That was before they got expensive. I'll look into kayaking shoes. I don't know anything about those. Same with Altama Maritime boots. Those look like a good option. I suspect that rockboots may be a sacrificial item.

I have the Altama Maritime and really like them. I had to take the soles out to feel better on my feet with the booties from the suit. I am wearing a size bigger Altima than I would normally wear. Thicker socks can feel pretty snug, but once on feel fine.

 

[davecampbell]

altamas here. two sizes up from normal, and in the wide version. Insoles stay in. For reference, I wear a 9w with 2mm socks for diving wet, and an 11w for use with neoprene socks on my Novas. As far as back up suits.... my wife and I dive locally....quite a bit. We're only 4 hours from Tobermory so we spend the weekend diving at least once a month, from May to September. If either of us had a major suit failure, and the repair lead time was long (as it tends to be during our dive season) we would miss out on our planned diving. Needless to say, we now have 4 Seaskin Novas... and piece of mind.

 

[Wants2divemore]

I wear a 3mm AquaLung neoprene boot in 1 size up from my normal 7mm I wear when diving wet. I tried the Altimas and generic Chuck Taylor style shoes and prefer the way the AL scuba boots feel. Plus, I can still fit them into my DeepSix Eddy fins so I didn't have to buy another set of fins.

 

[DiveDay]

Got my suit in the mail, overall mixed success.

My number one conclusion is be very careful with the "Allowance for extra thick undersuits" option. I regret selecting it as it made the upper body and arms huge. Attached picture is with me wearing a 400g Thinsulate undersuit. It may be a more useful option if you're a really big person, but I have a slight build despite being tall.

...

It will be a few months before I dive it, I'm sure it'll work but I'm a bit disappointed in making the sizing mistake, oh well, live and learn.

It's been a few months now and I wanted to follow-up on my review.

The Seaskin is the only suit I've used since May and I haven't been gentle with it at all. Zero problems, no leaks, works great. I've used it for boat diving, shore diving with rocky entries, and in my AN/DP class.

The soft socks were definitely the right choice, Kubi system is a dream. Other divers constantly fiddle with glove leaks and weird attachment systems, the Kubis are rock solid and super easy to put on.

The only modification I did was to add extra plastic triglides to hold the suspenders in place.

I still think it's a baggy fit but I've learned to live with it. Overall a success and I would definitely buy another Seaskin in the future.

Oh, and I've had nothing but compliments (almost all sincere) about the all yellow colour. No one else has a suit like it around here so it stands out.

 

[WillieJustice]

The Seaskin arrived a couple days ago. I got a chance to try it on last night. The undergarment is really different from DUI. I'm not sure about it just yet. It certainly seems warm, but maybe a little thicker than I expected. The suit itself is mostly snug but not tight. The zip sure is stiff for now. I assume it will loosen a little in time. It will go on its first dive a week from Sunday unless I can get out for a tank during the week somewhere.

 

[jstreetley]

I bought my Seaksin with QCS ovals a few years back and I've just upgraded to Rolock 90.
Can anyone (@rob.mwpropane @lexvil?) tell me the spec of the gloves they use with the Rolock system?

I bought black latex marigolds 1.6mm, the standard Kubi glove. I think it's too thin as when I try to detach the glove, the glove spins inside the glove ring, rather than turning the glove ring to unlock the bayonet. I'm thinking it's designed for thicker gloves. Anyone able to share what's working for them so I can reduce my trial and error approach?

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I bought my Seaksin with QCS ovals a few years back and I've just upgraded to Rolock 90.
Can anyone (@rob.mwpropane @lexvil?) tell me the spec of the gloves they use with the Rolock system?

I bought black latex marigolds 1.6mm, the standard Kubi glove. I think it's too thin as when I try to detach the glove, the glove spins inside the glove ring, rather than turning the glove ring to unlock the bayonet. I'm thinking it's designed for thicker gloves. Anyone able to share what's working for them so I can reduce my trial and error approach?

I use Showa 720's. Very cheap good glove. They're not too thick but thick enough that they won't spin. Sometimes it will spin the ring in the suit vs unlocking but I can always spin it back the other way.

Hope that helps. The 720's are mostly what people use. I know @lexvil likes to switch things up, but he's just playing around because of his scuba ADHD and the need to try different.

 

[lexvil]

I bought my Seaksin with QCS ovals a few years back and I've just upgraded to Rolock 90.
Can anyone (@rob.mwpropane @lexvil?) tell me the spec of the gloves they use with the Rolock system?

I bought black latex marigolds 1.6mm, the standard Kubi glove. I think it's too thin as when I try to detach the glove, the glove spins inside the glove ring, rather than turning the glove ring to unlock the bayonet. I'm thinking it's designed for thicker gloves. Anyone able to share what's working for them so I can reduce my trial and error approach?

I use Showa 3415 and or 620 ESD, because they are black. I find blue gloves offensive or maybe it’s just the people that use them

I really don’t like the blue 720 but only for the color otherwise they are excellent gloves and should be your first choice.

 

[Badger7]

I bought my Seaksin with QCS ovals a few years back and I've just upgraded to Rolock 90.
Can anyone (@rob.mwpropane @lexvil?) tell me the spec of the gloves they use with the Rolock system?

I bought black latex marigolds 1.6mm, the standard Kubi glove. I think it's too thin as when I try to detach the glove, the glove spins inside the glove ring, rather than turning the glove ring to unlock the bayonet. I'm thinking it's designed for thicker gloves. Anyone able to share what's working for them so I can reduce my trial and error approach?

CS720 gloves are great as mentioned above. I've switched to Showa CS710 gloves. I find the thin grey nitrile outer layer is a big grippier and I find that helpful for things like palming a spool. Not gonna lie, I also prefer the grey to the fully smurf CS720, but that's secondary. They also happen to fit my hand shape and size really well compared to others I've tried. Just enough stretch to be tactile when pulled over the appropriate size liner.

SHOWA Gloves CS710 · Chemical Protection Gloves

Prioritize comfort and wearer safety with the CS710 chemical-resistant gloves. A double-dipped nitrile coating offers robust durability, while the seamless liner and natural latex-free composition ensure comfort during long periods of wear. Enhanced grip from the foamed nitrile palm coating...

www.showagroup.com

They're only $5 each, so I'd suggest going with a CS720 or CS710, and picking up a few sizes and spares. Personally I wear a size 9 with thin xerotherm glove liners, a 10 with 2mm neoprene glove liners, and an 11 with really thick wool liners. As the seasons change and I'm changing out glove sizes, I just toss the old ones, and I've never had one rip or get a hole in around 30-40 dives on a pair. The light flocking inside both a CS720 and CS710 helps keep them mounted tight in the rings.

Use the blue glove mount ring, not the black one. I put a very thin layer of silicone grease around the outside wrist of the glove prior to mounting them to make it a little easier to make fine tune adjustments in length before I cut out the excess cuff.

When that cute little thimbleful of silicone grease runs out, I've found this to be a fine replacement for re-lubing the orings. Just don't use it anywhere near hoses or regs running 40%+ O2.
SuperLube

 

[rob.mwpropane]

CS720 gloves are great as mentioned above. I've switched to Showa CS710 gloves. I find the thin grey nitrile outer layer is a big grippier and I find that helpful for things like palming a spool. Not gonna lie, I also prefer the grey to the fully smurf CS720, but that's secondary. They also happen to fit my hand shape and size really well compared to others I've tried. Just enough stretch to be tactile when pulled over the appropriate size liner.

SHOWA Gloves CS710 · Chemical Protection Gloves

Prioritize comfort and wearer safety with the CS710 chemical-resistant gloves. A double-dipped nitrile coating offers robust durability, while the seamless liner and natural latex-free composition ensure comfort during long periods of wear. Enhanced grip from the foamed nitrile palm coating...

www.showagroup.com

They're only $5 each, so I'd suggest going with a CS720 or CS710, and picking up a few sizes and spares. Personally I wear a size 9 with thin xerotherm glove liners, a 10 with 2mm neoprene glove liners, and an 11 with really thick wool liners. As the seasons change and I'm changing out glove sizes, I just toss the old ones, and I've never had one rip or get a hole in around 30-40 dives on a pair. The light flocking inside both a CS720 and CS710 helps keep them mounted tight in the rings.

Use the blue glove mount ring, not the black one. I put a very thin layer of silicone grease around the outside wrist of the glove prior to mounting them to make it a little easier to make fine tune adjustments in length before I cut out the excess cuff.

When that cute little thimbleful of silicone grease runs out, I've found this to be a fine replacement for re-lubing the orings. Just don't use it anywhere near hoses or regs running 40%+ O2.
SuperLube

Do you find these are larger than the 720's? My one complaint (because I'm a man and don't care about color) is they're a little too small with a thick liner.

I use the same superlube on just about everything (except O2 stuff as noted). Zippers, seals, etc.