Interesting question... In Europe some use drysuits for recreational dives in winter when they go to Sicily or the Red Sea which are quite easy to reach and have good visibility all year round. I guess it's like you said for redundant buoyancy or comfort in long dives. Or even to avoid getting a cold when they go back from the dive on a boat with a wetsuit soaked of water, beacause the air out of the water is anyway relatively cold. I will ask around about this...
Seaskin trilam drysuit purchase simulation
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DUI has a drysuit specifically for warmer water and travel. Might be something to check out. Don’t remember the model name.
I dive mine in 24-30C water, outside temps 25-40C, I have a breathable Kevlar suit as well and to be honest I don't notice a massive difference. My Seaskin with a set of Fourth Element J2 base layer does me just fine for those too-warm-for-drysuit-but-I-need-the-redundancy dives.
Sifossifoco
Contributor
Thanks for the input, water temperature here is similar (25 to 30C year-round), so your opinion on Seaskin suitability is reassuring. Seaskin is also much cheaper than the EX2 and made to measure, so now I am really tempted...
I had a Waterproof D9X when I got my Seaskin trilam. The D9X is breathable.
To me, the issue is not about how warm the water is. It's how warm the surface air is. But, maybe I have not dived dry in warm enough water.
Anyway, the breathable suit is a little more comfy to be wearing during a surface interval on a hot day. But, it's not enough of a difference to make me want another breathable suit. It works for me to just take the top half of the suit off.
If the water is warm, I won't be wearing hardly anything under the suit, so taking the top half off (or taking the whole suit off) keeps me comfy. If the air is hot, but the water is cold, I would be wearing some kind of warm undergarments. In that case, it's the undies that would make me hot, not the shell.
The downside to a breathable suit is that the laminated layer that makes it waterproof but breathable is somewhat fragile. Eventually, it will get worn just from rubbing against you and your undergarments. Then you'll start to have pinhole leaks. I sold my D9X to a buddy and he has already had to find and fix a few of those in the time he's had it. I bought the suit used, but it only had <10 dives on it. I did 52 dives in it. My buddy has had it for close to 2 years now, so I bet he has 100 dives in it.
To me, the issue is not about how warm the water is. It's how warm the surface air is. But, maybe I have not dived dry in warm enough water.
Anyway, the breathable suit is a little more comfy to be wearing during a surface interval on a hot day. But, it's not enough of a difference to make me want another breathable suit. It works for me to just take the top half of the suit off.
If the water is warm, I won't be wearing hardly anything under the suit, so taking the top half off (or taking the whole suit off) keeps me comfy. If the air is hot, but the water is cold, I would be wearing some kind of warm undergarments. In that case, it's the undies that would make me hot, not the shell.
The downside to a breathable suit is that the laminated layer that makes it waterproof but breathable is somewhat fragile. Eventually, it will get worn just from rubbing against you and your undergarments. Then you'll start to have pinhole leaks. I sold my D9X to a buddy and he has already had to find and fix a few of those in the time he's had it. I bought the suit used, but it only had <10 dives on it. I did 52 dives in it. My buddy has had it for close to 2 years now, so I bet he has 100 dives in it.
In the meanwhile I got the features I would like on my suit, including undersuit and tech "underwear"
Drysuit Colour: All black
Option-Main Body Dry Zip Cover
YKK Plastic Dry Zip fitted into membrane drysuit
HD Latex Neck Seal
SiTech Docking System 60910 fitted
Old-style High Profile Apeks Dump Valve
Drysuit Tech Boot
Compressed Neoprene Socks
Crutch Reinforcement
Pocket for Nova Large Zipped1 Pkt Z1: Right thigh forward facing
Allowance for extra thick undersuits
Option-Fully Telescopic Torso
NO Reflective Tape on Arms
Computer Strap Patches x2
Computer Strap Patches x2 (Second set)
Undersuit High Wick Thinsulate 250
PERFORMANCE BASE LAYER TOP BLACK L
LBASE LAYER SHORTS (NEW STYLE) BLACK L
EDIT
SiTech TRIGON Pee Valve set
Undersuit Suit Option - Pee Valve Hole
Subtotal £752.64
VAT £150.53
Total £903.17+(70,80+5,10) = 979,07
Drysuit Colour: All black
Option-Main Body Dry Zip Cover
YKK Plastic Dry Zip fitted into membrane drysuit
HD Latex Neck Seal
SiTech Docking System 60910 fitted
Old-style High Profile Apeks Dump Valve
Drysuit Tech Boot
Compressed Neoprene Socks
Crutch Reinforcement
Pocket for Nova Large Zipped1 Pkt Z1: Right thigh forward facing
Allowance for extra thick undersuits
Option-Fully Telescopic Torso
NO Reflective Tape on Arms
Computer Strap Patches x2
Computer Strap Patches x2 (Second set)
Undersuit High Wick Thinsulate 250
PERFORMANCE BASE LAYER TOP BLACK L
LBASE LAYER SHORTS (NEW STYLE) BLACK L
EDIT
SiTech TRIGON Pee Valve set
Undersuit Suit Option - Pee Valve Hole
Subtotal £752.64
VAT £150.53
Total £903.17+(70,80+5,10) = 979,07
I personally feel most will eventually use the p-valve if it's there, and would rather have it put on at factory if possible. Not really a downside except initial investment.
Yep. It's probably as cheap or cheaper to buy it from Seaskin and have them install it, than to buy it later and install it yourself.
I have the Si Tech Trigon on both my drysuits. No issues at all with either one yet. Comparing the Trigon to buddies' suits with the Light Monkey, the Trigon is definitely lower profile, which I like. And has no moving parts. Nothing to open or close. It has a mushroom valve, just like the exhaust on your 2nd stage regulator. I guess the mushroom could get dirty and leak, just like a 2nd stage can do the same and breathe wet. That just seems like a maintenance issue, to me. Plus, with it either hooked up, or with a dry break QD fitting on the pee valve hose, even if it does leak, it's only going to leak water into the pee valve tube itself, not into the suit. Which means the water that leaks in won't go very far at all. All it could possibly do is fill up that tubing, and with no way for the air in the tube to get out, it shouldn't even do that.
I have the Si Tech Trigon on both my drysuits. No issues at all with either one yet. Comparing the Trigon to buddies' suits with the Light Monkey, the Trigon is definitely lower profile, which I like. And has no moving parts. Nothing to open or close. It has a mushroom valve, just like the exhaust on your 2nd stage regulator. I guess the mushroom could get dirty and leak, just like a 2nd stage can do the same and breathe wet. That just seems like a maintenance issue, to me. Plus, with it either hooked up, or with a dry break QD fitting on the pee valve hose, even if it does leak, it's only going to leak water into the pee valve tube itself, not into the suit. Which means the water that leaks in won't go very far at all. All it could possibly do is fill up that tubing, and with no way for the air in the tube to get out, it shouldn't even do that.
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