wetsuit vs. semi dry

[JahJahwarrior]

Currently, I dive a Fathom 2 piece 5 mil wetsuit. It's old. Not too old, but I think it's from the 80's....that's all I know about it. I've only met two other people that have them, and only one of them knew anything about theirs. It's a great suit, I like it. But it's a little tight. It's almost perfectly sized, but the legs, specifically the ankles, could be much better sized. It's really hard to get my feet through there, and having cold legs has never been a problem. A cold torso was a problem, and this suit fixes that. IT's a ML. I have an oppurtunity to purchase a large Atlan semi dry. The only google stuff I've found is on ginniesprings.com, and it's a newer version of what I think is the same suit. It' s afront entry suit, 3/5mil. Owner says it's two years old, only a few dives. The measurements he sent me sound like it would fit me alright, and he's close enough that I could possibly try it on before buying. Pictures seem to show some creases in the neoprene, but it looks like it's in decent shape. He wants to sell for $50. I'm trying to figure out if it will keep me any warmer.

I'm in FL, all 10 of my dives have been in springs. I've been decently warm in the springs in my current suit, my only complaint is the tightness in the legs, and it would cost $75 to put ankle zippers on it, I already checked. I'm thinking a semi dry would keep me a little warmer if anything. I'm confused though, som epeople seem to say when diving semi dry that they really don't get wet at all, while others say it just traps water in itself a little better than other wetsuits, less flow. It doesn't help that I'm having trouble finding any info about this suit--the Atlan website has a two piece semi dry, but not a one piece.

Can anyone tell me if it'd be worth it?

 

[spectrum]

An Atlan 2 PC semi-dry on the website? I'm curous, where did you find that?

It sounds like your present suit is working well though it's a chore to get your feet into it.

The Semi-dry you are considering will not have 2X on your core and has some 3mm panels.

The question then becomes will the total or near total elimination of water movement make up for the reduction in rubber and will you be any warmer? My guess is that it will be a wash, but you get to dive with less weight.

A few storage creases in the neoprene are not the end of the world. You do want to make sure that the zipper was not stressed with sloppy storage.

My drysuit is an Atlan (sport) and they have done some custom wetsuit work for my wife. Consistently good quality.

Pete

 

[underboats]

Greetings, If I wear boots and gloves with straps I rarely get wet inside a semi-dry. I prefer however to use a 5mm onepice and just wear fleece underneath if the temp gets chilly. The tighter seals on the ankles and wrists of the semi-dry get tiresome after awhile. They also tear easy after some age on the siut. If you have good boots and good gloves not much water gets in the normal one piece either. You can find a great one piece super stretch 5mm suit for less than $200. Chuck