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ok feels like a real stupid question but as im new i will ask other wise i will not learn but what is the difference between a wet suit and a dry suit?
Nigel Hewitt
03-08-2006, 22:33
ok feels like a real stupid question but as im new i will ask other wise i will not learn but what is the difference between a wet suit and a dry suit?A wet suit is an insulating layer but is not watertight. It is a close enough fit that water can't run about but does not keep you dry. They are warm enough in warmer waters or the summer in the UK but can be chilly in the wind.
A dry suit has seals at your neck and wrists and holds you watertight. You wear insulating clothing inside and they are not tight so they contain air so as not to squeeze your 'undersuit' into a very flat, not so warm thing.
As you descend in a wetsuit the increasing pressure compresses the suit so it becomes thinner and less insulating. A dry suit would do the same thing but since the space inside is air filled you add air from your cylinders to keep it from 'shrink wrapping' you.
Dry suits cost a bit more and you have to learn to put the extra air in and let it out and what to do when it goes wrong but the majority of UK dives are probably done on a dry suit. They aren't that expensive or that complex that they don't pay you back by making your diving so much more pleasant.
I see a trend in my club: the people that bought drysuits are still with us and diving a few years later. Those that didn't aren't. Now it might be a bit down to the enthusiasts going for a suit because they just want to dive but I do think a bit is down to wetsuits just not cutting it late in the season when we are still out there diving dry but it stopped being fun for those diving wet.
HTH
Or you could look in the middle and find a semi-dry. they are like wet suits but have seals like the ones on the dry-suit. They cost more than wet suits but less than dry suits. as typed before these suits do compress and you start to feel the cold the deeper you get.
Ben Panter
04-08-2006, 15:40
I'd argue that the seals on a semidry are nothing like those on a drysuit. A semidry is just a neater way of making a wetsuit that prevents quite so much flushing of the water, keeping you a little warmer while underwater. Otherwise it shares all the drawbacks of a wetsuit - still freezing sat on the boat, still claustrophobic to many, still annoying to get into while wet, still smells of wee. Or maybe that was just mine...
Ben
Or you could look in the middle and find a semi-dry. they are like wet suits but have seals like the ones on the dry-suit. They cost more than wet suits but less than dry suits. as typed before these suits do compress and you start to feel the cold the deeper you get.
As the so called semi-dry lets in water it is a wet suit
I have never understood the concept of semi dry. You are either dry or not.
Surely the term Semi Dry is just a marketing term and means nothing
Surely the term Semi Dry is just a marketing term and means nothing
A semi-dry has less water flowing through the suit, so the longer the same water stays inside the suit, the warmer it is. A constant 'flush' of water through a suit is much colder than the occasional flush that you get from a semi-dry.
Yes, at the end of the dive you are wet in either a wet suit or a semi dry, but lets assume that they both were a good fit and both the same thickness of neoprene. You would expect to be warmer during the dive with a semi dry than a wet suit.
In my opinion, I would not even consider a 'Wet Suit' in the UK, but I do use a 2 piece 7mm 'Semi-dry' on occasions but a 'Dry Suit' most of the time.
If Bernie is trying to consider which to buy, then I would suggest going for a dry suit as you can use it all year round in the UK, but only a small number of people can use a semi dry all year round and they have anti freeze running through their veins :D
Oh yes, a dry suit can be made from neoprene like a wet suit is, or it can be made from a 'membrane' (non-insulating material). Both of which keep you dry, but have slightly different properties and considerations when buying. Ask other divers or instructors what they suggest, you may be able to borrow a suit or two before buying. Oh, and don't try diving in a dry suit unless you have been properly instructed how to and have an instructor in the water with you at least the fist time. There are various dry suit courses around too.
A semi-dry has less water flowing through the suit, so the longer the same water stays inside the suit, the warmer it is. A constant 'flush' of water through a suit is much colder than the occasional flush that you get from a semi-dry.
So you agree then that the Semi-dry IS a wet suit
So you agree then that the Semi-dry IS a wet suit
Yes, I agree that it is a WET suit (i.e. you still very much get wet), but I don't agree that the difference between a wet suit and a semi dry "is just a marketing term and means nothing".
Not that there are no marketing ploys out there these days.
i have never used a dry suit and only ever used a semi dry and a wet suit. Never dive in a wet suit its cold. i find a semi dry is ok and the one I'm using fits me perfectly and i rarely get cold water in my suit but i would get a dry suit if i was going to buy one again. and i am going to find out how cold a semi dry is tomorrow because i do my first see dive.
First sea dive today and i didnt find it cold. i was in a semi dry and didnt get cold. But i would still get a dry suit. Ever tried puting a wet wetsuit with seals on? its not nice
Ever tried puting a wet wetsuit with seals on? its not niceJon use either KY Jelly, Vet Lube or a watered down solution of shampoo or hair conditioner. Any of them will lube up the seals so you can get your hands and feet through.
HTH
.
James (Munro)
11-08-2006, 02:28
ok feels like a real stupid question but as im new i will ask other wise i will not learn but what is the difference between a wet suit and a dry suit?
The question shouldn't be whats the difference, but why would i consider a wetsuit in British waters? ...or maybe thats just me and my ignorant ways, but believe me, you will end up just wasting money and buying a dry suit in the end anyway, its a LOT more comfortable and you won't dread climbing back into it ;)
So now the question is membrane or neoprene? :D
(luckily this wasnt a tough choice for me because the club was kind enough to donate one of its old membrane ones (more patches than suit albeit) whereas my dad bought a brand new red neoprene beaver drysuit, i shall have to try a dive in stoney with his on instead and see what i prefer (although wearing a red dry suit obviously has its drawbacks ;) but for now im not fussy) :cool:
James (Munro)
11-08-2006, 02:32
First sea dive today and i didnt find it cold. i was in a semi dry and didnt get cold.
That would be because we are in August ;) just wait untill it gets to a chilly 4C :eek: at least with a puddle you can go later in the year and it will still be warm, but a drawback is it takes longer to get warmer than the sea ... so i suppose you could just alternate between sea and puddle and have no need for a drysuit :p
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