Trilam drysuit for tropical diver?

[dumpsterpurrs]

I never thought I would ever buy a drysuit, considering I'm based in Southeast Asia. However, in 2026, I might have the option of spending two years on and off around the Bergen area in Norway, and I'd really love to dive there. There's not really any other pressing reason to go dry at the moment, and theoretically, I could just wait until then to get a drysuit, since all of my current diving can be done in a wetsuit or a semi-dry. However, there's a few things I want to do between now and Norway that might benefit from a drysuit:
- I plan to take TDI's AN/DP and IANTD's Technical Wreck course in Malta maybe next year or in 2023
- I also hope to spend a few months in Mexico diving cenotes, maybe in 2024 or 2025
Both should be comfortably done in my 5mm semi-dry, but I wonder if a trilam drysuit would give me *that* much better of an experience. I get cold easily. On the other hand, if Norway doesn't happen, I'm not sure if I want to be "stuck" with a drysuit.

So my question is: Is it absolutely ridiculous for me to get a drysuit for Malta/Mexico? I've never considered dry diving destinations, and I wonder if going dry would open up new options for me. Or am I just getting cabin fever after 1.5 years grounded on land and potentially at least another year or more until I have access to any real diving outside my country. Brr. I'm desperate for some H2O, which might make me forget how much I desperately hate being cold...

 

[Lorenzoid]

Not crazy, but sure, you could end up with a rarely used drysuit if Norway falls through. Malta, sure, why not. Drysuits are not entirely uncommon for Mexican cave diving—I use one. There are a few threads about using a drysuit in the Red Sea in winter months to protect against topside wind chill. There was even a guy who used a drysuit in Bonaire. It’s an expensive bit of gear, but if money isn’t an obstacle, and you can get some use out of it, why not.

 

[Tribal]

If you get cold easily and decide to go for a drysuit, I’m pretty sure you will use it a lot. You will start to do all dives, you would normally do in a semidry, in a drysuit.

 

[stepfen]

What time of the year do you plan to dive in Malta?
I am based in Crete (quite close to Malta hence I'd guess similar water temperatures) and right now (begin of summer) sea temperatures are 21oC at the surface, 18oC at 30m. Winter water temperatures here are ~16oC and peak of summer around 26oC.
Most professionals here use drysuits from October till June or so.
I haven't got a dry suit yet, but I definitely should (money permitting) if I want to dive in winter. Last two winters I couldn't dive thanks to covid, but from this year on I will have to stop from November to May due to cold.

Now about SE Asia - I really don't know about dry suits. I dive Indonesia with a very thin full body wet suit. In theory it is 3mm but in practice it is more like rash guard - it is negatively buoyant. I can't imagine dry suit for so warm water (and topside heat/humidity).

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

What time of the year do you plan to dive in Malta?
I am based in Crete (quite close to Malta hence I'd guess similar water temperatures) and right now (begin of summer) sea temperatures are 21oC at the surface, 18oC at 30m. Winter water temperatures here are ~16oC and peak of summer around 26oC.
Most professionals here use drysuits from October till June or so.
I haven't got a dry suit yet, but I definitely should (money permitting) if I want to dive in winter. Last two winters I couldn't dive thanks to covid, but from this year on I will have to stop from November to May due to cold.

Now about SE Asia - I really don't know about dry suits. I dive Indonesia with a very thin full body wet suit. In theory it is 3mm but in practice it is more like rash guard - it is negatively buoyant. I can't imagine dry suit for so warm water (and topside heat/humidity).

Oh no SEAsia is definitely not for drysuits! You can do pretty much everything here in wetsuits. But my semi dry keeps me toasty at 26*C and comfy down to 22-23*C, so why suffer when it's above 28*C, I'm in my lavacore.
I initially planned Malta for the summer just because of water temp. But if I go dry, then I can do Malta anytime in the Fall as well. I want to do the Decompression Procedure and Technical Wreck courses in addition to fun diving, which might mean longer time underwater every day.

If you get cold easily and decide to go for a drysuit, I’m pretty sure you will use it a lot. You will start to do all dives, you would normally do in a semidry, in a drysuit.

I really hope I won't get to the point of requiring or even just preferring a dry suit over a semi dry in twentysomething degree C water I'm already diving in a semi dry for all wetsuit dives!

Not crazy, but sure, you could end up with a rarely used drysuit if Norway falls through. Malta, sure, why not. Drysuits are not entirely uncommon for Mexican cave diving—I use one. There are a few threads about using a drysuit in the Red Sea in winter months to protect against topside wind chill. There was even a guy who used a drysuit in Bonaire. It’s an expensive bit of gear, but if money isn’t an obstacle, and you can get some use out of it, why not.

I initially hoped maybe someone would tell me either to wait to buy bc drysuits deteriorate over time, or to go for it bc there is affordable and accessible drysuits diving for someone like me (I get so intimidated by those BSAC club divers in the UK or drysuit divers in North America!). And you gave me the first idea: Red Sea in the winter/early spring. I have long sworn off Egypt bc there's no way I can handle the heat (I know... As if I don't actually live in SEAsia!). But Egypt off season is tolerable, less crowded, and both affordable and accessible. While a semi dry would do fine, again, why suffer ever? And then there's Tenerife. There must be many more!

 

[kelemvor]

I live in Florida, USA and wear a trilam drysuit for some dives. Basically anything 70-80f I'll wear the drysuit, usually with no undergarment or with a lavacore. For anything warmer than 80f, I usually go in a rashguard or just shorts. Diving in just a bathing suit can't be beat.

I own a couple wetsuits, 3mm and 5mm. The 3mm wasn't terrible but the 5mm kind of sucked. I find the trilam drysuit results in a far more enjoyable dive than the 5mm wetsuit hands down.

IMO the only real "problem" with drysuits is the cost.

 

[Imla]

Just do it. I live in Norway... and dive as much around the world as I can (pre-covid at least) Mexico is a sure thing for drysuit. But then again, I hate wetsuits. Anything longer than1,5 hr in 26C, or in a cave and Ill use a drysuit. For anything below 26C, Ill use a drysuit.

Being a proficient drysuit diver opens a boatload of new dive options. And there is a BIG difference being proficient and certified. For Norwegian diving, you most definitively need to be proficient!

 

[jale]

Hi
I live in Asia and dive often (before covid ) in SEA and I have two kinds of suits: a sharkskin for over 28C and... DS
If you are already diving a semi, the DS won't be too much
Even when the water is above 28, doing deep long dives, having a DS makes you confortable.
Managing the heat on the surface is just about learning a few tricks for not overheating.
I have both, a trilaminate and a compresed neo and for "warm water" I prefer the neo as you can make it semi dry if you like and small leaks if they happen are managable
I also found that a 4min compressed neo doesn't take more space than a wet 5min and you can roll it to make it compact and when travelling in SEA you don't need to carry under for the trilaminate...

 

[SaltyFrog]

Hi
I live in Asia and dive often (before covid ) in SEA and I have two kinds of suits: a sharkskin for over 28C and... DS
If you are already diving a semi, the DS won't be too much
Even when the water is above 28, doing deep long dives, having a DS makes you confortable.
Managing the heat on the surface is just about learning a few tricks for not overheating.
I have both, a trilaminate and a compresed neo and for "warm water" I prefer the neo as you can make it semi dry if you like and small leaks if they happen are managable
I also found that a 4min compressed neo doesn't take more space than a wet 5min and you can roll it to make it compact and when travelling in SEA you don't need to carry under for the trilaminate...

I'm planning a drysuit trip to warm water. Any tip you can share on the tips to avoid overheating?

Thanks

 

[jale]

I'm planning a drysuit trip to warm water. Any tip you can share on the tips to avoid overheating?

Thanks

Here a few tips, mainly common sense, depending of the diving conditions (shore, boat with space, long ride with suit on,...)
Prepare your equipment first and don the DS at the last minute
Don the bottom and hold the top with the suspenders (put the wrist seals inside or they will get caught somewhere )
Don the suit and jump in the water to refresh before donning equipment
Take a shover or jump in the water just before you don the suit (yes the suit will be wet but if it is hot...)
Put your thin unders in the water before donning
Replace your cap with a wet towel
and so on...
Anyway, whatever you do, smell is going to be "remarkable" so rinse the suit in and out after a day and take a dip as the smell is also on your skin
Enjoy your dives