Curious about drysuits. How dry are they?

[SCUBASailor]

Being a Gulf of Mexico resident, I've never met anyone who dives a drysuit. I am curious about them.

Are they literally completely dry inside? Is it normal to get a little leakage from the seals? If you do happen to get a little water inside, does it ruin the dive?

Most importantly, does the air tight seal around your neck drive you crazy???

 

[hypertech]

When everything is working properly - completely dry.

 

[fstbttms]

Are they literally completely dry inside?

Initially- yes. But being a working diver, I put a lot of wear and tear on a suit. Never had one that didn't begin leaking at some point.

Is it normal to get a little leakage from the seals?

Depends on how you move your wrists and/or neck. You can make any seal leak if you try hard enough.

If you do happen to get a little water inside, does it ruin the dive?

For me, it's annoying, but a "little" water doesn't ruin the dive. Completely dependant on amount, however.

Most importantly, does the air tight seal around your neck drive you crazy???

Never been an issue for me.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

Are they literally completely dry inside?

All depends if your p-valve plumbing leaks or not

 

[scubamarketing]

In my experience, the answers to your questions depend quite a bit on the suit. Neoprene seals leaked more and were far more uncomfortable for me than latex. I've intentionally flooded my suit in ~45 degree water and still been comfortable, but that was due to upgraded thermals. MOST of the time, I'm completely dry in my suit. That took some experience though to figure out where on my wrist to situate my seals so my tendons didn't create a leak.

 

[reo]

Being a Gulf of Mexico resident, I've never met anyone who dives a drysuit. I am curious about them.

Are they literally completely dry inside? Is it normal to get a little leakage from the seals? If you do happen to get a little water inside, does it ruin the dive?

Most importantly, does the air tight seal around your neck drive you crazy???

I've discovered when it's cold outside, inside my drysuit I'm completely dry. If it's warm outside, I've noticed some dampness due to perspiration, but not enough to be noticeable during the dive. A little bit of water inside won't ruin the dive--the undergarment absorbs most of it.

If the neck seal is fitted properly, you don't notice it during the dive.

I dive dry year-round up here in Puget Sound. Ideal conditions for me are in the spring and fall, where the air temp is 50 - 60 degrees and the water temp is in the low 50s to mid 40s.

Ron

 

[TSandM]

How dry the suit is depends on the age of the seals, and your anatomy. People with prominent wrist tendons will tend to get a little seepage through the wrist seals, unless they use dry gloves. (I'm usually damp to the elbows after cave diving, where I don't use gloves and do use my hands a lot.) A properly trimmed latex neck seal will not admit any water. Neoprene seals can be a bit more temperamental, especially if you are craning your neck around a lot.

There is some water loss through the skin, and that condenses on the inside of the suit if you have a good, wicking undergarment. So it is necessary to hang the suit with the zipper open, to get it perfectly dry before the next dive.

With good undergarments, a small amount of water not only won't ruin the dive, it won't be noticeable . . . you won't know you're wet until you're out of the water. I've done dives where I poured water out of my boots at the end, and was only a bit colder than usual.

 

[wrybosome]

removed

 

[mblazer]

I just got my dry suit and cert this past Spring, so I'm by no means an expert. My LDS, however, strongly recommended a Bare trilam, which I ended up getting. I've used it several times and it's been great. The only "wetness" I've experienced has been from my own sweat. In speaking with several PSDs that I know, depending on who you talk to, they also swear by DUI and Whites. I think it ultimately comes down to a matter of personal preference and, if you don't have a preference, a recommendation from someone you trust.

 

[Crush]

I've discovered when it's cold outside, inside my drysuit I'm completely dry. If it's warm outside, I've noticed some dampness due to perspiration, but not enough to be noticeable during the dive. A little bit of water inside won't ruin the dive--the undergarment absorbs most of it.

Same here.