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I just went to the link and what I found was a very basic/generic discussion about the different possible features of drysuits in general. i.e. they can be neoprene or shell, they can have attached boots or not, the zipper might be in the front or in the back, some have latex seals some don't, etc.
I was expecting to see some specific suits commented on or reviewed... am I missing something obvious? (I found myself looking for page 2, where they would actually get into the reviews, but I didn't see one.)
Blue Sparkle: Yes model to model comparisons and some more in depth info would certainly be a help. It seems this group is moving in that direction. At least they are actually diving with real divers in open ocean and not just issuing some sort of press release. Comment to them direct and ask for page 2 and 3 and you can help build a true independent test source and then we all benefit.
hi guys, Here is a link to our wet tested page there are two actual reviews of a couple drysuits the Apollo bio dry and the Scubapro Everdry4. You can check the more gear tab for the review on Tusa's suit. other gear we have tested with actual review link from this page, too.
drop us a line or post on our FB page if there is a specific suit or piece of gear you would like to see reviewed and we will do our best to get it in for a wet test!
Thanks
Originally Posted by Blue Sparkle
I just went to the link and what I found was a very basic/generic discussion about the different possible features of drysuits in general. i.e. they can be neoprene or shell, they can have attached boots or not, the zipper might be in the front or in the back, some have latex seals some don't, etc.
I was expecting to see some specific suits commented on or reviewed... am I missing something obvious? (I found myself looking for page 2, where they would actually get into the reviews, but I didn't see one.)
I bought an Apollo Bio Dry back in December, and I have to say that I absolutely love this suit. My experience with dry suits is probably a little limited, (5 suits total, mostly used and low end), and about 100-200 dry dives.
Because I always hated diving drysuits, I would suffer the cold in my O'Neil J-suit, (wetsuit), beginning in about May and not going dry again until November. To me drysuits always seemed very constrictive, slow and draggy, and a pain to vent, not to mention all the extra lead they required. I've had an old Harveys Neoprene suit, another older neoprene suit of unknown manufacture, a Mobby's Armor Shell tri-lam and a Hydroglove. I pretty much hated all of them, with the exception of the Hydroglove, which was more of a novelty than a serious piece of dive gear.
The Apollo on the other hand, I feel is about as close to behaving like a wetsuit as I have experienced. First off, it's sleek and flexible. Maybe not quite as sleek and flexible as a wetsuit, but it's close and after finishing a 70 minute dive in Puget Sound to 70' in January, I was still reasonably warm. It made my Mobby's tri-lam seem like a straight jacket attached to an anchor in comparison.
The next thing that I really came to like about it was something that I hadn't even wanted: the ankle valves. I figured these were just a gimmick, as I've done lots of dry dives and never felt threatened by a feet first ascent. Sure, sometimes your feet get a little buoyant, but any experienced diver knows how to right him/herself and vent the air. The thing is, the ankle valves allow you to dive without hardly ever thinking about venting your suit. You just add a little air whenever you feel a squeeze and let the valves vent it for you. It removes one more little bit of task loading and makes the suit dive even more like a wetsuit. There's hardly any air bubble to manage, since in any position but lying on your left side the extra air just vents out.
That wrist valve comes in handy as well. It makes it easier to get the extra air out. On my third dive with this suit, I had added an extra layer to my undergarments and ended up a little underweighted. Because of this I found myself carrying a rock at the end of my dive. I thought I had vented most of the air in the suit as I was upright and couldn't see any bubbles coming out my shoulder valve, but when I lifted my arm up over my head, I watched another stream of bubbles exit, allowing me to drop my rock.
I like the seals too. They're very soft, flexible and warm. No leaks so far either.
hey Elmer, we agree and think the spollo suit is a perfect suit especially for new dry suit or newer divers since it does help take care of the venting work for you, definitely makes the transition to dry easy and fun.
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Originally Posted by Blue Sparkle
