Question Wet drysuit

[Edwaty]

Hi,

I bought an Avatar drysuit a year and a half ago (first drysuit ever) and I have a wet issue: I'm always slightly wet after a dive.
There isn't a lot of water inside, but enough to feel that it's not dry. On a few dives, it was wet enough so that a hand squeeze of the undersuit (Avatar as well) got water out. Hopefully, I have never dived it in very cold water yet, and up to now I haven't experienced any thermal protection issue. But it's still really annoying to have a drysuit that isn't dry.

On most dives, I was mostly wet around the forearms, so I supposed that the issue was coming from my thin wrists and I tried a few things to solve it:
- I first bought bio seals to place under the cuffs (latex): No impact.
- Then I moved to tighter cuffs (Santi HD, latex), with and without bio seals: No impact.
- I then asked the dive shop to return the suit and get a leak test done by the manufacturer: They didn't found any issue.
- I then changed the cuffs and got Santi Smart Seals (silicon), with and without bio seals: No impact.

I'm not sure about what to do now. I can dive with it in not too cold water, but it's annoying and I definitely prefer to find a proper solution.
I can try to put dry gloves, or maybe try to change the latex collar (even if it doesn't look too loose), which is more expensive (or the most expensive option: buy a new one (and maybe go for a Santi this time)). Apart from that, I don't have any idea about what are the next steps to solve the issue.

Any thought, idea, recommendation?

Thanks

 

[Joebar]

First thought when I hear slightly wet is sweat. But then your torso would be wet too.
Second thought is the outlet valve. Every manipulation has the chance to leak a little bit of water.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Wet forearms typically are a result of wrist anatomy. When flexing, a channel forms along the forearm that allows water to move under wrist seals and to enter the suit. Note the channel in the center of the forearm in the image below..

Dry gloves typically resolve this issue.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Let me add a time / money saving way to check for leaks:

On the left: plug neck with soccer ball or balloon; wrists with plastic cup. Inflate suit; spray suspected area with a mild (dilute) soapy solution. Bubbles will form from escaping air which pinpoints the leak source.

On the right: In the dark, place a strong light inside the suit. The escaping light pinpoints the leak.

 

[San Diego Climber]

I have those wrists and my forearms get at least a little wet anytime I dive without drygloves. It's worse with a lot of hand manipulation like valve drills and fumbling putting on fins.

 

[kissonerga.ccr]

I have those wrists and my forearms get at least a little wet anytime I dive without drygloves. It's worse with a lot of hand manipulation like valve drills and fumbling putting on fins.

+1

In my case, Apollo bio seals actually make a lot of difference with wet gloves. Then, dry gloves is the best cure – in warmer water, gloves+liners don’t have to be too thick to preserve dexterity

 

[Matan]

+1 always wet hands with latex/silicone seals
drygloves - dry as a bone.

OP - you already have SANTI smart seals - so the rings for smart gloves are available and by far the best (I've tried si-tech's solutions - SANTI is much better).

bio seals - anyone can comment if worth spending money on?


Matan.

 

[ginti]

bio seals - anyone can comment if worth spending money on?

I used them for only one week. They helped, but the repetitive use did not let them time enough to dry completely, and therefore they lost effectiveness after day 1 (although they were better than having nothing). However, I am quite an extreme case. A friend of mine uses them and finds they do their job - so it probably depends on one's anatomy.

 

[RVBldr]

+1 on the Smart Seals. You might have two options here, one is just roll with the Santi Smart Gloves; they work great, are flexible, and easy on/off, and only take a couple minutes to swap out you favorite glove on the ring. Second is potentially a pull-over like the Gummifabrikin gloves. Those work great on the more rigid SiTec rings, but may work on the Smart Seal ring. YMMV.

 

[PietroT]

I had the same problem with my Santi drysuit at the beginning. I have relatively thin wrists with "high" channels and some times (not always) water was slightly passing through.

Since I am diving mostly in cold water, I moved to dry gloves and solved the problem. I do not use wet gloves anymore with the drysuit: I find dry gloves much more comfortable.