I think there might be something to this. This post made me try on my wife's suit and it fit much better. She got the blue seal option. She tried on mine and said it was too tight for her too. But I dont know if they gave me a small and her a regular. I don't see a size wrote on the seal. So I ordered a new regular seal. I'll test fit it when it gets here. Either it becomes my new seal or it becomes a spare which I will want to keep around anyway.
Drysuit Neck Seal Too Tight
- Thread starter Weisguy
- Start date
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Here is some history I have with seals and the companies putting them on.
1. Many years ago, I sent my first ever drysuit in to Whites (no longer in existence) for some repairs--I don't remember what. When they came back, I saw they had switched the wrist seals for some reason. They had been cone shaped latex seals, which I had carefully cut down to my wrist size. The new ones were bottle shaped. I had not asked for new seals, and the shop manager called (in my presence) to ask why they had put on new seals. They told her that my seals were bad (they weren't), so they had replaced them. They were tight, and when I tried them in our pool, my hands were asleep in no time. We called again. They told us to cut them down to the correct size. There were no rings, and there was no real difference in the width, but I did as they said. No help. We called again, and found out they had installed size small seals. We asked why they thought size small wrist seals were appropriate for a size L/XL drysuit. They said the seals were fine--just keep cutting them down until they fit.
Not trusting that, I went to the Whites forum on ScubaBoard and pretended I was ordering a new suit. I asked about bottle shaped wrist seals, and they said you never cut them--you order to size. I gave my wrist measurement, and they said I needed size large. I then told my real story on that forum, and suddenly I was getting new size large wrist seals. They company had obviously mistakenly put someone else's size small wrist seal order on my suit and then done everything they could do to hide that fact.
2. Years later, my much different suit was in for some repairs with a much different company, and I was contacted by the repair department. They were finished with the repairs and had done a careful inspection of the suit. They had seen that the latex on the seals was beginning to degrade, and they wondered if I wanted to have them replaced. I replied that all my seals were silicone, and, no, I did not want them replaced.
Summary: Dive shops can make mistakes, and they will sometimes prefer to cover them up rather than fix them.
1. Many years ago, I sent my first ever drysuit in to Whites (no longer in existence) for some repairs--I don't remember what. When they came back, I saw they had switched the wrist seals for some reason. They had been cone shaped latex seals, which I had carefully cut down to my wrist size. The new ones were bottle shaped. I had not asked for new seals, and the shop manager called (in my presence) to ask why they had put on new seals. They told her that my seals were bad (they weren't), so they had replaced them. They were tight, and when I tried them in our pool, my hands were asleep in no time. We called again. They told us to cut them down to the correct size. There were no rings, and there was no real difference in the width, but I did as they said. No help. We called again, and found out they had installed size small seals. We asked why they thought size small wrist seals were appropriate for a size L/XL drysuit. They said the seals were fine--just keep cutting them down until they fit.
Not trusting that, I went to the Whites forum on ScubaBoard and pretended I was ordering a new suit. I asked about bottle shaped wrist seals, and they said you never cut them--you order to size. I gave my wrist measurement, and they said I needed size large. I then told my real story on that forum, and suddenly I was getting new size large wrist seals. They company had obviously mistakenly put someone else's size small wrist seal order on my suit and then done everything they could do to hide that fact.
2. Years later, my much different suit was in for some repairs with a much different company, and I was contacted by the repair department. They were finished with the repairs and had done a careful inspection of the suit. They had seen that the latex on the seals was beginning to degrade, and they wondered if I wanted to have them replaced. I replied that all my seals were silicone, and, no, I did not want them replaced.
Summary: Dive shops can make mistakes, and they will sometimes prefer to cover them up rather than fix them.
On the other hand....
A friend of mine went into a local shop for advice on a drysuit purchase. They took careful measurements and convinced him that he should spend the extra $300 (or so) for a custom fitted suit. When it came in, he tried it on, and it seemed fine. They said it showed the value of that custom fitting. Wasn't he glad he paid a little extra?
He was always bothered by something, though. I don't exactly remember what it was that made him suspicious, but he contacted the manufacturer and gave them the serial number for the suit. They looked it up and told him he had an off-the-rack XL suit--no modifications whatsoever.
I am talking about training and customizing the suit he has, as in cutting or enlarging the seal. I was going to suggest to him to find a good PADI instructor but now I am going to suggest to seek a NAUI instructor instead since you object to that.
Since I never mentioned any agency involved (and frankly don't know one way or the other), I don't get the distinction between PADI and NAUI here.I am talking about training and customizing the suit he has, as in cutting or enlarging the seal. I was going to suggest to him to find a good PADI instructor but now I am going to suggest to seek a NAUI instructor instead since you object to that.
If you read the other posts I made, you will see his problem has nothing to do instruction. His neck size was just a hair larger than the range for the small neck seal and at the extreme low end of the standard neck seal range. They sent him the small neck seal, and he is finding it too tight. He needs the larger neck seal. If it turns out to be too large, he can buy a neck seal ring that will make it fit and also make it pretty much leak proof.
I have read everything here and it is very obvious that he doesn't know what he is doing at all. Not only in sizing but also in using the drysuit. He is better off working with a local expert instructor to get him sorted out instead of people leading him right and left on the internet. Sorry if recommending proper instructions through professional instructors bothers you but that's my opinion and my experience and observation. Again, he knows 0 and have 0 experience.
The specific issue is a symptom of a larger issue, knowing nothing and being mislead right and left. When you know nothing and have "0" experience, you seek local expert help. He has no knowledge or background to sort through good advice, BS and VERY bad dangerous advice as is clearly obvious above. Just read the various opinions and advice given here. If he were an experienced drysuit diver and is soliciting opinions and has the knowledge and foresight to sort through the various advice, one can make an argument for what you are saying but he isn't and he admits to it. He will think he knows what he is doing with a very good chance he will hurt himself.
Huh. Are you taking a drysuit course? Talking to someone who knows what they are doing and can get you safely trained?
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