Semi-dry Suits
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Green_Manelishi
Contributor
because a semi-dry does not COMPLETELY seal out water there
is no need for an inflator valve to prevent suit squeeze.
because it does not COMPLETELY seal out water you are wet.
other than (perhaps) cost I see no advantage to a semi-dry
over a dry suit.
is no need for an inflator valve to prevent suit squeeze.
because it does not COMPLETELY seal out water you are wet.
other than (perhaps) cost I see no advantage to a semi-dry
over a dry suit.
MNScuba
Guest
It really depends on what you will be doing a lot of...
As mentioned by my LDS who sold me a Mares Isotherm semi-dry suit:
This might only apply to the Mares Isotherm 6.5 mil Millenium, I don't know.
No additional hoses/valves to worry about
Less expensive
Can be used ice diving
Keeps out almost all the water
Has a dry suit zipper to keep water out along with seals on the ankle neck and wrists.
A dry suit keeps you dry, not necessarily warm...
Cost:
My Mares was about $499, and dry suit will run about 2-3 times that and go up from there. If you will do a lot of really cold diving, it might be worth it to get a dry suit. I live in Minnesota and my dealer uses the Mares and so does his Wife. He said I would have no problems in any of our 4 seasons.
As mentioned by my LDS who sold me a Mares Isotherm semi-dry suit:
This might only apply to the Mares Isotherm 6.5 mil Millenium, I don't know.
No additional hoses/valves to worry about
Less expensive
Can be used ice diving
Keeps out almost all the water
Has a dry suit zipper to keep water out along with seals on the ankle neck and wrists.
A dry suit keeps you dry, not necessarily warm...
Cost:
My Mares was about $499, and dry suit will run about 2-3 times that and go up from there. If you will do a lot of really cold diving, it might be worth it to get a dry suit. I live in Minnesota and my dealer uses the Mares and so does his Wife. He said I would have no problems in any of our 4 seasons.
Scubaroo
Contributor
Semi-dry suits are wetsuits with neck, wrist and ankles seals, designed to minimise the flow of water through the suit. Usually the zippers have an internal flap or seal as well to reduce leakage.
Advantages over wetsuit:
- warmer, as the layer of warm water between your body and the suit stays put and isn't continually being replaced by cold water
Advantages over drysuit:
- cost, generally not much more than a wetsuit
- no drysuit bouyancy considerations, so ***no additional training required***
Disadvantages:
- cost slightly more than an ordinary wetsuit
- you still get wet, so body heat loss during surface intervals is still a consideration
- you don't stay dry like a drysuit
I dive my 7mm in 53 degree water and am YET to feel the cold. I love it. Seeing as I could buy about 6 of these for the price of a good drysuit, until I move further north, I find no need for a drysuit, and choose to spend the money saved on actually diving. I bought mine in Australia for about $200US.
Mind you I'll probably end up diving dry one day, drysuits are starting to find their way into more and more divers lockers.
Advantages over wetsuit:
- warmer, as the layer of warm water between your body and the suit stays put and isn't continually being replaced by cold water
Advantages over drysuit:
- cost, generally not much more than a wetsuit
- no drysuit bouyancy considerations, so ***no additional training required***
Disadvantages:
- cost slightly more than an ordinary wetsuit
- you still get wet, so body heat loss during surface intervals is still a consideration
- you don't stay dry like a drysuit
I dive my 7mm in 53 degree water and am YET to feel the cold. I love it. Seeing as I could buy about 6 of these for the price of a good drysuit, until I move further north, I find no need for a drysuit, and choose to spend the money saved on actually diving. I bought mine in Australia for about $200US.
Mind you I'll probably end up diving dry one day, drysuits are starting to find their way into more and more divers lockers.
Aquamore
Contributor
These are also known as semi-wets suits....
.... depending upon the quality of the suit and your outlook upon life i.e.
Are you an optomist
or a pessamist?;-0
On a more serious note:
A company called Dream Marine also make suits called Hybrid suits out of Neoprene and they have the Shoulder zip like a regular drysuit but have Semi-dry seals on the ankles.
This gives you most of the luxuries of a dry-suit without the disadvantages of added bouyancy to control (no suit inflation).
They are tailor made to individual specifications. My daughter loves hers!
"May your bubbles flow forever upwards."
Aquamore
.... depending upon the quality of the suit and your outlook upon life i.e.
Are you an optomist
or a pessamist?;-0 On a more serious note:
A company called Dream Marine also make suits called Hybrid suits out of Neoprene and they have the Shoulder zip like a regular drysuit but have Semi-dry seals on the ankles.
This gives you most of the luxuries of a dry-suit without the disadvantages of added bouyancy to control (no suit inflation).
They are tailor made to individual specifications. My daughter loves hers!
"May your bubbles flow forever upwards."
Aquamore
SpyderTek
Guest
I have a lot of problems with Dry Suits.
1) I belive on some level that if you don't get wet you aren't diving.
2) $$$ Dry suits are sooooo expensive. Can someone name a piece of gear MORE expensive? (Not including Scooters)
3) Need to get trained fo special gear handling.
So.... This semi-dry might just be exactly what I am looking for! Still haven't heard an answer for the Temp range that a semi-dry is good for. Heard someone say Ice Diving....so You are saying I can be fairly comfortable in my semi-dry even in waters below 32 degrees?
Any more inforamtiona nyone can give on Semi-dry's would be really helpful to me. Thanks so much.
Fridgidly,
Spdyertek
1) I belive on some level that if you don't get wet you aren't diving.
2) $$$ Dry suits are sooooo expensive. Can someone name a piece of gear MORE expensive? (Not including Scooters)
3) Need to get trained fo special gear handling.
So.... This semi-dry might just be exactly what I am looking for! Still haven't heard an answer for the Temp range that a semi-dry is good for. Heard someone say Ice Diving....so You are saying I can be fairly comfortable in my semi-dry even in waters below 32 degrees?
Any more inforamtiona nyone can give on Semi-dry's would be really helpful to me. Thanks so much.
Fridgidly,
Spdyertek
buff
Contributor
I agree with Green_Manelishi.
The benefits of dry diving are made instantly apparent when one actually does dive dry. I find it interesting to note that many divers who eschew dry diving have never done it.
The benefits of going dry are not only in the water but above it. The fit of the dry suit, while important, does not have to be form fitting like the wet suit. Indeed, it is best to have a little give to allow freedom of movement underwater and allow for thermal wear underneath the suit. I found it impossible to find a wet suit that would fit my body-large thighs and chest, small ankles and wrists. My only option was to purchase a custom made wet suit and for that price - believe it or not - I bought a dry suit and have never regretted the decision.
Dry suits are easy to put on. No more tugging or pulling, stretching and cussing to get a thick 7 mil. suit on. And when the dive is over what do you do? You have to get out of the wet suit(tug, pull, cuss) and then stand there with your cold, wet skin in the breeze. Dry suit divers step out with their warm, dry thermals on. With both shell and neoprene dry suits you can wear the the appropriate thermal undergarments to match the dive conditions. Dry suits don't loose so much insulating properites at depth since they don't compress as much as wet suits(heavy neoprene dry suits are the exception, here).
Dry suits don't have to fit like a glove but they do have to fit reasonably well that you are not constricted in movement and the suits does not sag or won't get caught in your gear. My dry suit(Aqualung Nordic Pro-I really like it) costs $580.00 at DiveInn.com I believe there is no need to spend thousand and thousand on a dry suit- if you can fit into a off the rack model.
I feel there is a tekie fear of dry suits. Recreational divers fear it's "too advanced" for them. It's not the case!! and dry suits are not just for ice diving either. I am happy for all those divers who can dive in 40 degree water in a 6.5 mill wet suit and not get cold. But if you want comfort and to really enjoy a dive but a dry suit. Remember, you can always take it off at the end of the dive and jump in and get wet-and really cold.
At $580.00 it's too good to pass up. I strongly recommend dry suits.
SpyderTek: My U/W camera costs almost 10 times what my dry suit cost. If you think dry suits are expensive then don't take up U/W phototgraphy. But DO get a dry suit-or at least try one, I think you'll be very pleased.
The benefits of dry diving are made instantly apparent when one actually does dive dry. I find it interesting to note that many divers who eschew dry diving have never done it.
The benefits of going dry are not only in the water but above it. The fit of the dry suit, while important, does not have to be form fitting like the wet suit. Indeed, it is best to have a little give to allow freedom of movement underwater and allow for thermal wear underneath the suit. I found it impossible to find a wet suit that would fit my body-large thighs and chest, small ankles and wrists. My only option was to purchase a custom made wet suit and for that price - believe it or not - I bought a dry suit and have never regretted the decision.
Dry suits are easy to put on. No more tugging or pulling, stretching and cussing to get a thick 7 mil. suit on. And when the dive is over what do you do? You have to get out of the wet suit(tug, pull, cuss) and then stand there with your cold, wet skin in the breeze. Dry suit divers step out with their warm, dry thermals on. With both shell and neoprene dry suits you can wear the the appropriate thermal undergarments to match the dive conditions. Dry suits don't loose so much insulating properites at depth since they don't compress as much as wet suits(heavy neoprene dry suits are the exception, here).
Dry suits don't have to fit like a glove but they do have to fit reasonably well that you are not constricted in movement and the suits does not sag or won't get caught in your gear. My dry suit(Aqualung Nordic Pro-I really like it) costs $580.00 at DiveInn.com I believe there is no need to spend thousand and thousand on a dry suit- if you can fit into a off the rack model.
I feel there is a tekie fear of dry suits. Recreational divers fear it's "too advanced" for them. It's not the case!! and dry suits are not just for ice diving either. I am happy for all those divers who can dive in 40 degree water in a 6.5 mill wet suit and not get cold. But if you want comfort and to really enjoy a dive but a dry suit. Remember, you can always take it off at the end of the dive and jump in and get wet-and really cold.
At $580.00 it's too good to pass up. I strongly recommend dry suits.
SpyderTek: My U/W camera costs almost 10 times what my dry suit cost. If you think dry suits are expensive then don't take up U/W phototgraphy. But DO get a dry suit-or at least try one, I think you'll be very pleased.
Bob3
Contributor
I have a problem with the term "semi-dry". I feel it's a misleading marketing ploy.
That being said, a decent "semi-wet" suit can be had for well under two hundred bucks. Add a hooded vest underneath & you have something that'll keep you reasonably comfy into the 40°s. They're still no substitute for a sloppy fit though. All "normal wetsuit rules" apply to fitting.
My first ice dive was in Wisconsin with a 3/16" wetsuit. Being young & "hardy" (feel free to substitute "dumb") you can go ice diving in just about anything you want.
Personally, I prefer to use a wetsuit when possible & break out the drysuits for the cold & contaminated stuff.
On the up side, decent drysuits can be had for well under a grand.
That being said, a decent "semi-wet" suit can be had for well under two hundred bucks. Add a hooded vest underneath & you have something that'll keep you reasonably comfy into the 40°s. They're still no substitute for a sloppy fit though. All "normal wetsuit rules" apply to fitting.
My first ice dive was in Wisconsin with a 3/16" wetsuit. Being young & "hardy" (feel free to substitute "dumb") you can go ice diving in just about anything you want.
Personally, I prefer to use a wetsuit when possible & break out the drysuits for the cold & contaminated stuff.
On the up side, decent drysuits can be had for well under a grand.
buff
Contributor
Listen my children to the sage!! Bob3.
I usually agree with everything this guy says! So he must be right!
Mike
I usually agree with everything this guy says! So he must be right!
Mike
MNScuba
Guest
Have any of you used or heard of the Mares Isotherm? I know I keep bringing it up, but it's had some really good reviews. Here's an example:
Mares Isotherm 6.5
By Gary P. Joyce
I get a phone call from a buddy: Surf's cooking. Getcha butt out here. I can't remember who I loaned my 5/4 surfing wetsuit to, so I grab Mares' cross-shoulder zip 6.5 and figure anything's better than nothing on a head-high December day in 40-degree water.
Well, I was wrong. The damn suit was so stiff across the shoulders that I blew off the surf, and my wife had to listen to me moan about what lousy luck I have. (This is when I always get that Maybe he really is from a different planet look.) Not a little bit of cursing was directed at Mares, as well.
Same buddy, two days later: Let's go lead picking - this, a Northeast kinda thing that involves diving off fishing piers and collecting all the cool stuff anglers snag on the bottom. Over the course of a winter we can pick enough to hold us through the next fishing season, and that's not even counting the newbie dive gear we always find. So I figure I'll give the Mares Isotherm 6.5 a fair shake. Hell, after all, it is a dive suit, not a surf suit.
Glad I did.
The Isotherm 6.5 is indeed a dive suit. But it's not exactly a wetsuit. Mares refers to it as a semi-dry. I've always been suspicious about semi-anything, and with that jaundiced non-surfing experience lodged firmly in my gray matter, I was less than excited about the suit. Turned out I was wrong. This is an extremely good semi-dry wetsuit. And it's a lot more dry than wet.
There are a couple of neat features. First off, there's a full-on cross-shoulder drysuit zipper. This serves two functions: It provides a means of entry and egress, and it reinforces the buddy-system concept - you have to have someone zip you in and out. While the zipper is a real drysuit zipper, it's the design of the arm, leg and neck openings that seems to actually do the work.
At each opening is a rounded ridge that seals against your skin. It's unobtrusive, but it does work. Then there's a collar over that, and then the wetsuit over that. Together they do what they're supposed to do: seal the suit from the elements. I can't swear that no water got in my suit, but as near as I could tell, it was about as dry as a wetsuit gets - and warm. When I got out after a 40-minute dive in 42-degree water and started the traditional apris-beach-dive parking-lot dance, my body was literally smoking. (Air temp was a degree or two higher than the water.) My buddy only lasted 25 minutes in his 5-millimeter full wetsuit. Now he wants to borrow the Mares: I just wanna try it out and see if it's as good as you say. Yeah, right.
The only serious water I found was in my boots, and since I'd zipped the leggings over them, they were filled with warm water (not that kind!), to me an indication of the lack of water transport in the suit.
Zippers on the cuffs (legs and arms) cover a thinner neoprene cuff, and the zips run well over gloves and boots - even manipulating things with three-finger 5-millimeter gloves on. The wetsuit's wrist flap that will cover your gloves is a bit short for typical cold-water gloves, but the leg piece handled my wetsuit boots without a problem - and obviously formed a great seal. The neck seal is very comfortable and can be positioned just about wherever you want it.
As for the aforementioned stiffness problem of the shoulder/zipper: what problem? Maybe you'll think it's stiff if - like I was - you're stupid enough to form an opinion by trying the suit on in your living room. But if you try it in the water, you'll see that, as a matter of fact (rather than supposition), the entire suit is surprisingly flexible for a 6.5. They're definitely doing something with neoprene these days.
I've always been way more partial to wetsuits than drysuits; nevertheless, I don't think the Isotherm will replace my DUI dry for extended-range diving. But for regular cold-water forays, it's more than up to the job - it's a quality, flexible, very warm and functional suit, an absolutely great deal for the money. And by the time you read this, I'll have tried it under the ice as well to see how that goes.
Mares Isotherm 6.5
By Gary P. Joyce
I get a phone call from a buddy: Surf's cooking. Getcha butt out here. I can't remember who I loaned my 5/4 surfing wetsuit to, so I grab Mares' cross-shoulder zip 6.5 and figure anything's better than nothing on a head-high December day in 40-degree water.
Well, I was wrong. The damn suit was so stiff across the shoulders that I blew off the surf, and my wife had to listen to me moan about what lousy luck I have. (This is when I always get that Maybe he really is from a different planet look.) Not a little bit of cursing was directed at Mares, as well.
Same buddy, two days later: Let's go lead picking - this, a Northeast kinda thing that involves diving off fishing piers and collecting all the cool stuff anglers snag on the bottom. Over the course of a winter we can pick enough to hold us through the next fishing season, and that's not even counting the newbie dive gear we always find. So I figure I'll give the Mares Isotherm 6.5 a fair shake. Hell, after all, it is a dive suit, not a surf suit.
Glad I did.
The Isotherm 6.5 is indeed a dive suit. But it's not exactly a wetsuit. Mares refers to it as a semi-dry. I've always been suspicious about semi-anything, and with that jaundiced non-surfing experience lodged firmly in my gray matter, I was less than excited about the suit. Turned out I was wrong. This is an extremely good semi-dry wetsuit. And it's a lot more dry than wet.
There are a couple of neat features. First off, there's a full-on cross-shoulder drysuit zipper. This serves two functions: It provides a means of entry and egress, and it reinforces the buddy-system concept - you have to have someone zip you in and out. While the zipper is a real drysuit zipper, it's the design of the arm, leg and neck openings that seems to actually do the work.
At each opening is a rounded ridge that seals against your skin. It's unobtrusive, but it does work. Then there's a collar over that, and then the wetsuit over that. Together they do what they're supposed to do: seal the suit from the elements. I can't swear that no water got in my suit, but as near as I could tell, it was about as dry as a wetsuit gets - and warm. When I got out after a 40-minute dive in 42-degree water and started the traditional apris-beach-dive parking-lot dance, my body was literally smoking. (Air temp was a degree or two higher than the water.) My buddy only lasted 25 minutes in his 5-millimeter full wetsuit. Now he wants to borrow the Mares: I just wanna try it out and see if it's as good as you say. Yeah, right.
The only serious water I found was in my boots, and since I'd zipped the leggings over them, they were filled with warm water (not that kind!), to me an indication of the lack of water transport in the suit.
Zippers on the cuffs (legs and arms) cover a thinner neoprene cuff, and the zips run well over gloves and boots - even manipulating things with three-finger 5-millimeter gloves on. The wetsuit's wrist flap that will cover your gloves is a bit short for typical cold-water gloves, but the leg piece handled my wetsuit boots without a problem - and obviously formed a great seal. The neck seal is very comfortable and can be positioned just about wherever you want it.
As for the aforementioned stiffness problem of the shoulder/zipper: what problem? Maybe you'll think it's stiff if - like I was - you're stupid enough to form an opinion by trying the suit on in your living room. But if you try it in the water, you'll see that, as a matter of fact (rather than supposition), the entire suit is surprisingly flexible for a 6.5. They're definitely doing something with neoprene these days.
I've always been way more partial to wetsuits than drysuits; nevertheless, I don't think the Isotherm will replace my DUI dry for extended-range diving. But for regular cold-water forays, it's more than up to the job - it's a quality, flexible, very warm and functional suit, an absolutely great deal for the money. And by the time you read this, I'll have tried it under the ice as well to see how that goes.
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