drysuit seals

[haggis]

I just got a new drysuit with heavy duty latex wrist seals. My only proble with the suit (which was perfectly warm diving in a Scottish sea loch in february - happy bunny compared to my poor semi-dry suited buddies) is that the wrist seals are really tight (my wrists still feel sore 5 days later). The people I bought the suit from said to cut the seals down, but other (experienced) divers in my club said to wait, as they'll stretch with use (before or after my hands drop off from gangrene?). Just wondering if there was anyone who had any input, cause much as I don't want to be left with zero feeling in my hands, I also don't want to go ahead and cut them now if it means replacing the seals in a couple of months time.
Someone? Anyone?...

 

[Maggie]

Hello Haggis

I had the same problem with my dry suit seals. I would'nt recommend that you cut them. What I did was to insert a glass (of a slightly larger diameter than my wrists) into the wrist seals and left them for a week or so. This seemed to relax them enough to be comfortable but not too much so they leaked. Hope this helps.

Maggie

 

[haggis]

cheers Maggie, sound like a reasonable idea and not as risky as attacking them with a scalpel. I'll have to give it a shot.

 

[bio guy]

Good Advice....Cutting them is your absolute LAST resort. You may loose sealing ability by shortening them, and you may loose air when you raise your arms. My wrist seals are ok, but to this day, if my suit has been siting for about 2 weeks or more I have to stretch the neck seal over my tank the night before to get the fit I want.

 

[ScubaSteveC]

you've given me ideas of what to do when my drysuit arrives.

Thanks all.

Steve

 

[turnerjd]

Hiya,

Depending on which design of latex seal you have (some sold in the UK are completely smooth, others have a number of sealing rings), you can probably remove the last ring of the seal without any problems. If you can still feel it 5 days after diving, then probably stretching it won't completely cure the problem.

One other thing to consider is your wrist tendons. Bunch your fist, then with your thumb against the nuckle of your first finger slowly move it along the line of knuckles. If your tendons stick out a mile then you will need tighter fitting seals than if your tendons don't move / stick out at all.

Jon T

 

[DameDykker]

Also be aware of seal types! My suit came with seals the shape of a wine class - a wide bit, a short conical bit and a narrow bit. I had the problems with my tendron´s that turnerjd is describing. Therefore I had to extanche the seals to some long conical ones. They seal over an area of several centimeters (=2 inches. Seals of this type can be cut but with extreem care. Do not cut off to much! And make the cut absolutely straight - samll irregualrities are possible starting point for rips through the seal!

Enjoy you new dry suit - and are you useing some good gloves as well?

DSAO

 

[haggis]

no sticky-out tendons here (at least not as far as I could make out, I'm still not entirely sure what you were trying to describe, Jon, but I think I vaguely got the gist)

I'm wearing 3mm neoprene gloves which seem to be just fine as I don't feel the cold that much and I have a better range of motion than with 5mm.

I think I'll see how I get on with the stretching before I decide for or aginst cutting them, but as far as I'm aware they do have the rings so I guess I'm not up a creek without a paddle yet.

Cheers y'all

Linda