What is best a wetsuit, drysuit or semi-dry [Archive]

PDA

View Full Version : What is best a wetsuit, drysuit or semi-dry

Diver Byrne

05-04-2006, 19:51

johnkendall

05-04-2006, 20:32

For the UK. Drysuit.

J

PeteM

05-04-2006, 21:22

Hi,
I have been diving for nearly a year so i'm fairly new to diving, i'm thinking of buying a suit thats not too expensive. But i wanted to know what o you think is best, A wetsuit, drysuit or semidry? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as i don't want to be jumping into the sea around Britain with a 3mm !

If you buy anything other than a dry you will eventually replace it if you keep diving in the UK. Bite the bullet and do it, you know it makes sense.

Badders (Dave)

05-04-2006, 21:37

I am looking for a dry suite as well. I've got plenty of time cus I wont need one for another 6 weeks at least, I'm still doing the ocean diver course. I have been watching Ebay, there seem to be some bargains to be had on there. none in my size yet though I'm 6 foot and 18stone!:eek:

jamesj

05-04-2006, 21:47

Definitely a dry suit!

Mind you I did come across a masochistic diver at Vobster Quay in february wearing a semi-dry? (Correction-severely shivering diver!)

David Walker

05-04-2006, 22:01

Assuming UK... (if not, let us know where you'll be diving)

Drysuit is pretty much a must if you're planning on diving throughout the year. Some people use semidry's even in the winter, but most are reluctant... apart from the odd nutter who enjoys it!

If you were only planning on diving at the height of summer, you'd get away with a semidry. I wouldn't advise a wetsuit any time of the year in this country. In the end though, you want to enjoy your diving, and in the UK its never too warm for a drysuit in the water, where as it can often be simply too cold to enjoy in a semidry.

You can get a cheap drysuit for £200 or so, similar price to many semidrys. That £200 will get you (I think) a Typhoon Nexus, which isn't any thing special, isn't very hardwearing, but will keep you dry and if you look after it should last a good few years... but obviously you are getting what you pay for, and it is very easy to put holes in, the seals are very thin and so can rip easily, etc. That said, you don't need to go to the other extreme and spend 500£1000 for a suit - beyond about £400-£500 you've stopped paying for the suit and started to pay for the brand. If you have the money then carry on, but if not it can be a waste of money to go any further.

Personally, I have a Gates/Hunter CBX450, which has lasted me very well for the last 3 years and still going strong. Its only had one neckseal changed in the time i've had it, and thats all its needed doing to it. There are some nice Oceanic drysuits out there too - the Flexia (I think) is good value, and seems very hardwearing (a friend's got one), but there are plenty out there from other manufacturers too though... but they would be my own personal choices if I needed to buy another drysuit tomorrow.

David

Chris Cherrington

05-04-2006, 23:12

Drysuit, drysuit, drysuit. Ideally compressed neoprene drysuit....

Forget anything else for UK water.

If you are on a budget go secondhand, ebay if you like but try it on first with someone that knows what they are looking at. If you have the money made to measure from one of the well known brands.

If you are about 5'10" I have an as new one for sale as its too big for me BTW.

We dived the south of France last week and all the instructors and staff were wearing... drysuits...

Chris

David Walker

06-04-2006, 02:13

Ideally compressed neoprene drysuit....

... although there are lots of varying opinions about that particular point. I'm sure a search through the archives will bring up a lot of discussion, which never reach any kind of consensus :rolleyes:

David

Chris Cherrington

06-04-2006, 09:55

... although there are lots of varying opinions about that particular point. I'm sure a search through the archives will bring up a lot of discussion, which never reach any kind of consensus :rolleyes:

David

That's true mate. There are people I have met that actually prefer to get wet (well you can always pee yourself in a drysuit if you like:)).

Membrane is Ok if you don't feel the cold too much or can cope with all the weight that you need to wear three thinsulates (copyright - the missus).

Neoprene gives thermal insulation, but its bouyancy changes with depth and therefore pre-compressing it helps take (some) of that problem away.

There is of course a budgetary issue here since membrane and uncompressed neo tend to be cheaper. My old suit (nicked last week) was uncompressed neo and FWIW was OK to about 30m. Deeper than that and the bouyancy thing was very noticable. Its also harder to hold stops if you are deco diving as the bouyancy changes in the shallows make accurate bouyancy control harder. Nevertheless an uncompressed suit is OK for recreational profiles (i.e. no deco down to 30m).

Without more info from the OP I would err on the safe sade and express my personal preference for a compressed neoprene - made to measure from a well known brand like Northern Diver, O-Three, Seaskin, RoHo, DUI etc. etc..

Chris

PS if you're diving twins make sure there's enough "give" to do valve shutdowns....

David Walker

06-04-2006, 12:52

Membrane is Ok if you don't feel the cold too much or can cope with all the weight that you need to wear three thinsulates (copyright - the missus).

Neoprene gives thermal insulation, but its bouyancy changes with depth and therefore pre-compressing it helps take (some) of that problem away.

Problem is, when you compress the neoprene you're losing some of that thermal protection anyway. Still warmer than a membrane, but needing more underneath than an uncompressed neo. Just a half-way option really, and its advantages don't (in my opinion) justify the cost. You could get a quality undersuit to go with your membrane (and so not need 3 of them or the associated weight) well within what you'd spend for an equivalent compressed neo suit.

Remember the original post specified "not too expensive", so recommendations for things like DUI are just silly - i've seen those suits, and nice though i'm sure they are, there's nothing in them to justify being three times the cost of the kind of suits i'm talking about!

But anyway, like I said everyone has their own preferences, you'll never get a consensus, and so go with whichever suits (sorry;)) you best :) - just be aware that there are different types with different advantages.

As a quick summary, other than cost the big difference is that a membrane is designed to keep you dry, not warm - you wear stuff underneath for that. A neoprene drysuit still keeps you dry, but adds a bit of insulation too - although most people I know still wear a full undersuit underneath anyway.

David

Dave (Simmo)

06-04-2006, 13:29

I'm no expert but i chose a Typhoon Seamaster 2 seasons and 90 dives ago because it was cheap £350 inc hood/hoses etc from my local dive store [no cheaper on line with the carriage] they sized me to make sure of a good fit. It's 5mm something or other compressed neoprene with latex neck and neoprene wrist seals neither of which leak. apex valve & cuff dump.

it's worn very well and i don't expect to have to pay out on it this year. i do always look after it dry it out properly store it cool/dark etc etc like wot the book says

i have no idea how they stand up in the quality/label league tables but it's looked after me.

AND in the winter [when i also dive] i arrive in Thermal top & Joggers pull the suit on dive, remain wind proof on the baot, dive again, get out warmish... take the suit off and get back into the car without ever exposing my white flesh to the wet or the cold....

simmo

Nigel Hewitt

06-04-2006, 13:45

Obviously the best is the wetsuit, but you need warm water to go with it and, in the UK, this is a problem. A semi-dry is a wetsuit with a couple of tweaks to make it a bit warmer. I wear a semi in the Red Sea. In the UK you dive dry or the little things in your brain that are designed to stop you from killing yourself start listing diving under "cold - don't do this" and there is always an excuse for not going diving until you discover that you gave it up a year ago.

There are three kinds of dry suit. The one we used to use, the one we use now and the old way fudged into the new one because UK divers are a conservative bunch and hate to throw away a bad idea just because something better has come along. I'm talking about neoprene, membrane and neoprene pretending to be membrane.

Insulation is is done by spaces as any solid takes heat away faster that no solid until you are getting to spaceflight materials on a spaceflight budget. In a neoprene suit this is bubbles but the bubbles compress as you descend so not only does it mess up your buoyancy but it also reduces the insulation just when you need it most. To try and reduce the pig it is making of your buoyancy they tried to pre-compress the bubbles but that is just a sop to traditionalists. Neoprene suffers from salt crystals breaking its surface up and in the longer term the seams go. It is stretchy and that is bad news for the thread, the sealing tape and the glues.

A dry suit is meant to keep you dry. Let it do that well and we will tackle warm as a separate issue. Dry is membrane. Warm is thinsulate. Warm is not quilty stuff like a sleeping bag - that is too bulky and blows you up like the Micheline Man. We already have too many divers who can't put their own fins on thank you.

Other things? A front entry zip is nice but hardly vital. A dump is a shoulder aka auto dump - cuff dumps belong on 1970s neoprene suits hung on a historic hanger so we can all wonder at how brave and hardy those pioneers were. Insulated booties beat thick socks hands down. Made to Measure suits are great if you aren't an off the peg size.

Just my opinions. I am right but it's legal to disagree.

MattS

06-04-2006, 13:49

Problem is, when you compress the neoprene you're losing some of that thermal protection anyway. Still warmer than a membrane, but needing more underneath than an uncompressed neo. Just a half-way option really, and its advantages don't (in my opinion) justify the cost.AFAIC compressed neo's are harder wearing than most membranes and that is worth the initial cost premium to me. In the course of it's life my last O'Three compresed number cost a lot less than my original membrane. The membrane cost me a few quid in lost dives and repair costs and only lasted 4 years compared to the 7 years I had out my O'Three. I replaced the O'Three with another O'Three and it was cheaper than the equivalent Otter and Gates membranes.

There are lots of factors to consider when buying a suit and the diving you do is the most important one. For instance, everyone has assumed that a drysuit is the best option for the OP and it probably is. However if they spend all their time shore diving a semi would be a better bet.

Despite being a compressed neo convert, I still recommend a cheap membrane as a first suit for general UK diving. They are easier to drive and you will not lose much should you give up diving (odd concept I know) or decide that your developing diving interests warrant something more expensive. The most important thing with a drysuit is to make sure it fits. A relatively cheap membrane M2M will be a better bet than an expensive suit which does not fit or is not suitable for you.

BTW I think the current descriptions are misleading and it's about time we started calling diving suits by their real names;

Wetsuit: Cold and wet suit
Semidry: Not quite so cold and wet suit
Drysuit: Dampsuit
:D

hypertigger

06-04-2006, 14:34

i've dived in the uk with a semi
however it was:
middle of august, water was 19 degrees, and my semi is a 7mm, 2 piece thingy....

Diver Byrne

06-04-2006, 19:30

AndyDavis

19-04-2006, 17:52

For the UK, a drysuit is the only sensible long-term investement.

Be aware that drysuit maintenance/repair can prove extremely expensive (new wrist seals £40, new neck seal £40, new zip £100+) so be VERY cautious when considering a suit on EBAY. You WILL need to try it on before buying (with the correct thermal protection underneath) and it should not unduely limit your flexibility or range of motion.

If you are 'out-sized', you should seriously consider getting a custom made suit. I would recommend O'Three, Polar Bear or RoHo for custom-made suits.

Whilst very expensive, a good drysuit should last you many years....so make sure that it is comfortable, leak-free and suitable for the diving you wish to progress to in the future.

hypertigger

19-04-2006, 18:31

predator make fab m2m drysuits too!!

(i have one, and it is very comfy, fits! and easy to get in and out of)

Chris Cherrington

19-04-2006, 22:32

... You WILL need to try it on before buying (with the correct thermal protection underneath) and it should not unduely limit your flexibility or range of motion.

...

I agree 120% this is the best. However, most manufacturers give a size chart on their website. Try on is better but if the price is right its not such a gamble. Esp. with a membrane suit.

Remember you can always sell it again, so the loss is just ebay fees and postage.

Chris