Trilam drysuit for tropical diver?

[Searcaigh]

Here in the UAE many of us use drysuits in the winter when the water temps drop below 23C. This works well for me especially on a fast moving boat post dive.

The key is using the correct undergarments to keep warm.

Last year a group of us were planning a Malta trip but thanks to Covid that did not happen. We would have been bringing our drysuits for that trip.

When I dived the Zenobia (Cyprus) in June 2019 I used a drysuit in temps of 18/19C.

 

[SaltyFrog]

Thanks that's helpful!
So what undergarments do you wear?

Would a simple wicking base layer with no socks be enough?

 

[Searcaigh]

Thanks that's helpful!
So what undergarments do you wear?

Would a simple wicking base layer with no socks be enough?

It really depends on how cold you get.

Personally I'm using Fourth Element Xerotherm, but I occasionally have another layer on the core. I use socks.

 

[PR_SMITH]

If you plan to dive in Norway, I highly recommend getting a drysuit now, and getting some experience. Your dives in Norway will be much more comfortable if you are highly familiar with the drysuit and how to handle it.

 

[elan]

Trilam with no undergarment is literally a 1 mil suit So there is nothing wrong diving it in the warm water.

 

[LFMarm]

Old thread but wanted to contribute. I highly discourage diving a trilam dry suit without any undergarment – if you do this because it’s hot, you will get wet with your own sweat at the time of donning. When very hot outside, I use a very thin wicking layer to make sure my own sweat is taken care of – typically merino wool. As temperature in the water gets colder, layers are added on top of it.

 

[jackder]

LFMarm, I agree, you should always wear some sort of undergarment under a drysuit. Skin on drysuit for one is kind of unpleasant and also does not allow free movement of the drysuit material.

You may find that some of the newer synthetic materials work a lot better than the Moreno wool. I have tried the Moreno wool and compared it to the DUI EcoWear, the DUI PowerGrid and an Under Armor shirt. The Under Armor shirt for a wicking layer under a drysuit was a waste of time, definitely not a choice. Found that the Morena wool felt really damp at the end of the dives along with my skin feeling damp. It really did not wick away the moisture. The DUI Eco wear was slightly better at wicking but offered no real warmth. The DUI PowerGrid on the other hand seems to actually pull the moisture away (inside surface of the drysuit was definitely wet) where my skin felt more dry compared to all the others and also offered some warmth. I tested these options while diving the warmer season in Florida and the Bahamas.

To others who say a drysuit is not needed when the water is warm have to remember that each individual has their own personal tolerances to cold. Plus they my not be doing 3 hour long dives, etc.
~Jack

 

[LFMarm]

You may find that some of the newer synthetic materials work a lot better than the Moreno wool. I have tried the Moreno wool and compared it to the DUI EcoWear, the DUI PowerGrid and an Under Armor shirt. The Under Armor shirt for a wicking layer under a drysuit was a waste of time, definitely not a choice. Found that the Morena wool felt really damp at the end of the dives along with my skin feeling damp. It really did not wick away the moisture. The DUI Eco wear was slightly better at wicking but offered no real warmth. The DUI PowerGrid on the other hand seems to actually pull the moisture away (inside surface of the drysuit was definitely wet) where my skin felt more dry compared to all the others and also offered some warmth. I tested these options while diving the warmer season in Florida and the Bahamas.

I like merino wool because it still keeps you warm even is it gets wet (of course not as much as when dry) and also because I already have it for mountaineering in winter. I fully agree with you that there are many modern materials that work well.

 

[passeparici]

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

Thanks

Put your dry suit on, then get your head wet. You can also, if possible, go under the shower for a moment. In Thailand with a trilam and just a rash guart under it I was not too hot on the boat (in the water it is perfectly ok).

 

[GF99/99]

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...

No ridiculous at all. Actually you will see that dry suit diving though not super common, there are alot of people in SE asia doing it now. I used to live in Indonesia and dry suit dived all the time there and pretty much all my dive buddies were too. Honestly I almost always dive dry now a days its is just so much better, more comfy, and on long dives your not cold and dry suites last so much longer than wet suites.

I now part time live in Mexico and its very comparable to SE Asian jungle weather for heat and humidity and pretty much everyone I know and everyone I see here is diving in dry suites. I would say its probably 90%-95% of the divers in the area are diving dry suites. And as I am writing this the weather on google says its 33C and 68% humidity. So no its not crazy or ridiculous. It is a very practical way to dive.

The nice thing about trilam and layering is you can manage your temperature based on where your diving. If your in the tropics just a simple base layer will do. Once you get the trilam wet you will not be hot at all. And if you end up in cold water you can just add thicker layers, dry gloves, and thicker hood.

Once you start diving a dry suit you will not want to go back to a wet suit