Drysuit Recommendations for SAR?

[MNScuba]

Anyone have some suggestions on what kind of drysuit (brand, material) would be best for doing search and rescue/recovery? Will more than likely be used year round, ice diving, vehicle recovery, rocky bottom rivers, etc... Unfortunately I don't have a lot to invest, but I want a quality suit that will last... I'll save up more if necessary before purchasing if there's no such thing as inexpensive quality...

Any input is GREATLY appreciated as I know nothing about drysuits. I just know I'm not going to want to jump in through an ice hole when it's 0 degrees outside wearing my semi-dry.

Thanks all, looking forward to the responses.

[O-ring]

MNScuba once bubbled...
Anyone have some suggestions on what kind of drysuit (brand, material) would be best for doing search and rescue/recovery? Will more than likely be used year round, ice diving, vehicle recovery, rocky bottom rivers, etc... Unfortunately I don't have a lot to invest, but I want a quality suit that will last... I'll save up more if necessary before purchasing if there's no such thing as inexpensive quality...

Any input is GREATLY appreciated as I know nothing about drysuits. I just know I'm not going to want to jump in through an ice hole when it's 0 degrees outside wearing my semi-dry.

Thanks all, looking forward to the responses.

Chris,
I have no SAR experience and no ice diving experience...but, I do know that the Coast Guard and some branches of the military use the DUI TLS350 or a variant of it. Check out: http://www.dui-online.com/newsite/military.htm

[devilfish]

MNScuba,
All our psd are diving Viking and AGA. You do not want neoperene due to hasmat. You want something that can be washed down as you come out of the water.

[XtremeSea1]

I'm new here but I'll chime in. I lived near Seattle for a few years and served as Vice President of Skagit County Dive Rescue during my stay. SAR diving puts some unique stresses on dry suits. I used a Harveys neoprene dry suit for several reasons...

1. It was cheap for a dry suit...$600
2. Fairly easy to do field repairs...diving SAR, you'll get a lot of cuts in it.
3. If it leaks or gets torn to the point of flooding...it becomes a wet suit and still has some insulating properties.
4. No need to wear expensive undergarments...sweats or longjohns are fine.

There are far better suits than neoprene but they can get very pricey. One thing to consider is when diving SAR, you are sometimes exposed to hazardous materials (gasoline during vehicle recoveries) If this is the case, a multi layer shell suit (the thick rubberized kind) is best. My team was all volunteer so we provided our own gear. That said, I put most of my money into a BC, reg, and other things....light-tek gear is best for SAR as the ability to fit in tight spaces is a must.

Ultimately, there is no "right" suit for every situation. They all have their drawbacks. If the possibility exists for entering contaminated water, the answer is simple. My SAR missions were in Puget Sound and surrounding lakes and rivers. Gasoline was the only real hazard but for some reason, all of the vehicle recoveries I was involved with were in rivers or on boat ramps with fast moving water so the contaminants were washed away by the time we arrived. If I were to dive SAR here in Florida, I would choose a shell suit hands down due to some of the nasty crap in some bodies of water.

[devilfish]

Neoprene dry suits are not the best thing for that kind of diving. Hasmat is one thing, but after a recovery the smell can not be washed off/out of neoprene. If wet gloves are used they are to be discarded after each recovery. Otherwise every time you suit afterwards, the smell will shut you down mentally. Psychologically you will not want to find the body.

[Inspector#2]

Reason #1 Hazmat
Reason #2 Quick fix just like a bike tire. They are bullet proof for most things. You may still get a hole from metal ie. vehicle recoveries.
Reason #3 Discount on purchase since the teams buy in bulk. Find out what your team members recommend.

If you decide on Viking, PM Bob3 he may get you a better deal.

Dave

[canuckdiver]

would be my choice, I'm not a rescue diver, but these suits are vulcanized rubber, long lasting and easy to patch, and very resistant to harsh chemical enviroments.
SAR diving as I understand it would be very difficult to predict what kind of enviromenst you will be diving in.
What I would do is get the viking, a good thermal undersuit for cold water and wear an old pair of coveralls over the suit to protect against sharp objects.
This is the basic setup I'm using for wrecks, and it seems to work well ;)

[Bob3]

Ahhh yes, my first ice dives (NE Wisconsin) were done in a wetsuit. It didn't take me too long to upgrade that suit to something way more appropriate.
Vulcanized rubber suits are pretty much the norm if you're going to be encountering any petroleum products, & the first choice is usually the Viking PRO series. Commercial divers use the HD, the fabric is half again as heavy as the PRO.
You can check out the specs of the Vikings at: http://www.vikingdiving.com
A lot of PSDers will use the Xtreme if they get stuck buying their own gear. It's almost half the price of a PRO but uses the same cuffs, seals, zipper & valves. The seams of the suit are electronically welded so there are no needle holes from sewing to soak up gasoline & oil, and the fabric itself won't soak contaminants up like a regular laminated shell suit (or nylon covered neoprene).

Drop me an email at: divers3@pacbell.net if you want the blatent sales pitch.
;)

[devilfish]

Viking is the way to go. Coveralls are definately not for this kind of work.
A cut in the suit will get you wet, a snag on the coveralls will keep you there. The op must be shut down to send a backup diver to get you out.
You will be swimming/crawling against 100' of 1/2" line on an angle against it. The drag is tremendous, this is very strenuous and exhausting. You need to be as slick as possible like a clean hull of a ship to minimize drag. Coveralls will increase drag due to surface smoothness and water building up inside between coveralls and the suit.

[MNScuba]

Well, I found this one on eBay... any good?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1585396337

Not sure what they go for new, guess I should check!

[canuckdiver]

good point devilfish!
never thought about the drag issue.
I have been diving this way for a year, using the coveralls to protect the drysuit, but that has been in a recreational enviroment.

[devilfish]

Yes, coveralls for rec is fine, but psd is a different environment. Besides the drag there is also the hasmat absorbtion factor.

[Bob3]

Commercial divers very often wear coveralls, they can get away with it 'cuz they're walking on the bottom, not swimming in the water column.

For a drysuit review, check out RSD's article: http://www.scubadiving.com/gear/dryunder1k/

MSRP on the Xtreme is $950

Whacking the hood off reduces value by about $100. The Germans are fond of wearing a neoprene hood over the latex; the Swedes get the model with attached neoprene hood.
Here in the US, the latex hood is the norm.

[AquaTec]

Vikiing Pro
The hazmat is a big issue.
but eventhe smell of swamp mud is hard to get out.

[jeepster0000]

Dear MnScuba
I am a SAR diver for my local dive team. Though we do not get called out much, we train for every situation. We used to used the neoprene drysuits for a while, but after a couple of marina searches, the suit was trashed. Go for the vulcanized rubber suit. Our team got a great deal though one company. We are now an authorized dealer, so we can buy more gear.

I personally dive with the TLS 350, but if I am going to do a team dive, I will deffiantly use the vulcanized rubber suit. I do not know if your team is OSHA approved for hazmat, but to do hazmat, you have to have a hard hat/ full face mask.

If you do get the rubber, which I highly reccomend, then get some kevlar knee pads or some other type. Aslo in my opinion, I would stick away from the dry gloves while doing team dives. If you do evidence recovery, you will be digging alot. I am on my third pair of gloves. The dry gloves would be expensive to replace every time.

[Bob3]

Viking has a Kevlar over glove for their dry gloves. Not that great of protection for needles, but works great w/broken glass.