drysuit recommendation

[Sam]

Hi,

I have just completed my sports diver theory training and want to buy my first drysuit, but i'm finding it quite hard to get any good advice on a first suit. i dont want to spend too much on it, but i do like to be warm so ill be buying a weezle extreme or plus with it.

Ill mainly be diving in places like stoney cove and swanage if thats important, any advice on which drysuit would be a good choice is VERY much appreciated!!

Sam x

[Ben Field]

I have just completed my sports diver theory training and want to buy my first drysuit, but i'm finding it quite hard to get any good advice on a first suit. i dont want to spend too much on it, but i do like to be warm so ill be buying a weezle extreme or plus with it.

Ill mainly be diving in places like stoney cove and swanage if thats important, any advice on which drysuit would be a good choice is VERY much appreciated!!

HI Sam,

If you want a cheap suit it is probably going to be a Membrane Drysuit as Neoprene suits tend to be abit more pricey.

Seeing as you want to wear a weezle underneath (thats about ?100 right away) I'd get that first then visit your local dive shops with it and try some suits- you should be able to pick up a very basic drysuit for less than ?300 (one with only a few panels, not a super sexy multi-panel design which would have a better fit and higher price) it should come with a inflate hose, hood, bag and if you smile sweetly a pair of gloves! ;)

If you want to be super cheap you might get a undersuit with the suit- these are alittle cooler than a weezle (which are superb IMO) but it'll be considerably cheaper... once you are used to Drysuit diving you can splurg on a Weezle for the winter at the dive show!

Take someone who has a owned a couple of suits with you to advise as although the shops are mostly good they are trying to sell you something!

BEN

[nick kay]

Also, don't turn down a 2nd hand suit. Dive Shops often have them for sale, sometimes at vg prices.

Worth looking at them, then once you've decided on the sort of diving you want to do, buy a drysuit to match.

You shouldn't lose anything on selling on the 2nd hand suit...
(providing you're not an "unusual" size/shape...)

[Scuba Steve 1968]

Hi,

I have just completed my sports diver theory training and want to buy my first drysuit, but i'm finding it quite hard to get any good advice on a first suit. i dont want to spend too much on it, but i do like to be warm so ill be buying a weezle extreme or plus with it.

Ill mainly be diving in places like stoney cove and swanage if thats important, any advice on which drysuit would be a good choice is VERY much appreciated!!

Sam x

Hello Sam,
If you havn't already bought a dry suit I would seriously condsider a suit made by Whites called the Catalyst. I have over 200 plus dives on this suit alone and it has always been warm and dry. I do alot of teaching and as an instructor I am in the water alot. Check them out www.whitesdiving.com

[Sam]

not unusual really... just female! and if i buy new i would quite like a pink and black one.
I basically need a recommendation for a good female suit, preferably avaliable in pink and black :) hopefully under ?550. Any female divers that can help me?
Thanks!!

[Sam]

not unusual really... just female! and if i buy new i would quite like a pink and black one.
I basically need a recommendation for a good female suit, preferably avaliable in pink and black :) hopefully under ?550. Any female divers that can help me?
Thanks!!

[nick kay]

Not sure of the colour, but one of my friends is having to give up diving and has all of her kit for sale, including:

Roho Quatro Drysuit, neoprene neck and boots with hard soles, 2yrs old with direct feed

Originally cost ?580, she wants ?150 for it!

Also, a Northern Diver thinsulate for which she wants ?25

If you're interested, email me & I'll let you have her phone number - you can then (privately) go through all the "size" details without declaring them over the web :-)

[pinga]

not unusual really... just female! and if i buy new i would quite like a pink and black one.
I basically need a recommendation for a good female suit, preferably avaliable in pink and black :) hopefully under ?550. Any female divers that can help me?
Thanks!!

I'm female and in the end I got the cheapest custom made one I could find, as I couldn't find anything which fitted properly. I know friends who had theirs custom made too - one by Otter (took ages to deliver though) and one by Polar Bear. I think Otter were cheaper (should be within your price range) but their customer service wasn't very good.
Mine came from Scuba + Outdoor pursuits who had a stand at the dive show. It's always kept me dry although it doesn't have any fancy features. You could choose the colour of all your panels though, that took me ages!!

[Martin Davies]

Otter customer service has NEVER let me down yet, even when I sent the suit back on a Monday for repair I was able to dive with it the following weekend. I have always had first class service from Otter when dealing direct - might be different if dealing through an agent (local dive shop).

Otter do a full range of suits from the cost effective to the "rolls royce". I dive an Otter "Skin" and whilst its had its fair share of replacement seals and the odd zip its still going strong after some 9 years.

Give them a ring and talk to them or better still pay them a visit if you can...

Martin