stichrunner
Guest
whats the difference between a dry suit and semi-dry suit
What is a semi-dry suit?
- Thread starter stichrunner
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
A semi-dry suit is still a wet suit, and a dry suit is completely dry. Also the cost is greater with a dry suit vs a semi-dry(wet suit) suit.
Dry suit allows no water to enter the suit (under ideal circumstances 
) helping you to reduce the heat loss. Especially if you wear warm clothing underneath it.
Semi-dry suit is a wetsuit designed to fit better and radically reduce the amount of water getting in contact with your body. They are tailored to seal tight around your neck, wrists and ankles and also have a dry suit type zipper on the back.
Semi dry wetsuit is used in cold but not too cold water (what is too cold is totally subjective) and for a frequent diver. They are usually much more difficult to put on than regular wet suits and also if you wear a semi dry long enough, it will stretch and get damaged and lose its semi dry function.
) helping you to reduce the heat loss. Especially if you wear warm clothing underneath it.Semi-dry suit is a wetsuit designed to fit better and radically reduce the amount of water getting in contact with your body. They are tailored to seal tight around your neck, wrists and ankles and also have a dry suit type zipper on the back.
Semi dry wetsuit is used in cold but not too cold water (what is too cold is totally subjective) and for a frequent diver. They are usually much more difficult to put on than regular wet suits and also if you wear a semi dry long enough, it will stretch and get damaged and lose its semi dry function.
Basically, a semi-dry suit is a well-designed, properly fitting wetsuit
ShakaZulu
Contributor
It's an excuse for a drysuit....
Sort of like the difference between "pregnant" and "semi-pregnant."
There is no "semi" - either you are or you aren't.
Hemlon
Contributor
- Messages
- 7,433
- Reaction score
- 107
- # of dives
- 5000 - ∞
A semi drysuit is a suit,unlike a wetsuit,without open zippers on wrists and ankles.
So when fitted properly water will enter once, but hardly leave the suit,thus the water heated with your bodyheat will stay inside the suit as long as possible.
In a wet suit the heated water will flush out.
So basicly you have a wetsuit with semiclosed seals,on wrists and ankles,zipperguards and some kind of neckseal.
Is it worth the money, depending on you and where you live,I would say, yes.
When you live in the northen hemisphere in the "warm"time of year,YES
Not in wintertime,then you need a drysuit.
Do you get cold easyly, like me,you'll love it in the RedSea in early summer.
Can you use it in the tropics.
did that and bought a new 3mm on site.
So when fitted properly water will enter once, but hardly leave the suit,thus the water heated with your bodyheat will stay inside the suit as long as possible.
In a wet suit the heated water will flush out.
So basicly you have a wetsuit with semiclosed seals,on wrists and ankles,zipperguards and some kind of neckseal.
Is it worth the money, depending on you and where you live,I would say, yes.
When you live in the northen hemisphere in the "warm"time of year,YES
Not in wintertime,then you need a drysuit.
Do you get cold easyly, like me,you'll love it in the RedSea in early summer.
Can you use it in the tropics.
did that and bought a new 3mm on site.
The semi-dry wet suit with wrist, ankle and sometimes neck seals and was designed as a way to get decent performance out of a less than perfect fitting wet suit. They allow companies to have fewer stock sizes and they allow consumers to buy on-line with a better chance of being satisfied.
In effect, the average semi-dry will perform no better than a good fitting wet suit - because if the wet suit fits well, there is already very little water flow. At worst, a poorly fitting semi-dry with excessive room in the arm pits or other areas that can pump water will be cold as the water will still be pumped past even the best seals when you move.
So essentially, a semi dry just extends the tolerances between an acceptable and unacceptable fit slightly.
Semi dry suits also vary in degree of dryness. I had a Comox semi-dry that had neoprene drysuit wrist and ankle seals along with a water tight dry suit zipper. The neck seal was neoprene rubber but not up to dry suit quality for the simple reason that the suit needed to leak slightly somewhere to prevent any suit squeeze in what was otherwise a dry suit. It was an exceptional suit that was often still dry inside most of the suit.
On the other hand, some semi dry suits are just wet suits with an add on smooth skin in neoprene seal in the arms and legs and are really just wet suits that hold pee in better.
In effect, the average semi-dry will perform no better than a good fitting wet suit - because if the wet suit fits well, there is already very little water flow. At worst, a poorly fitting semi-dry with excessive room in the arm pits or other areas that can pump water will be cold as the water will still be pumped past even the best seals when you move.
So essentially, a semi dry just extends the tolerances between an acceptable and unacceptable fit slightly.
Semi dry suits also vary in degree of dryness. I had a Comox semi-dry that had neoprene drysuit wrist and ankle seals along with a water tight dry suit zipper. The neck seal was neoprene rubber but not up to dry suit quality for the simple reason that the suit needed to leak slightly somewhere to prevent any suit squeeze in what was otherwise a dry suit. It was an exceptional suit that was often still dry inside most of the suit.
On the other hand, some semi dry suits are just wet suits with an add on smooth skin in neoprene seal in the arms and legs and are really just wet suits that hold pee in better.
I bought a Mares Isotherm last year and it has a drysuit zipper along with neoprene seals on the ankles, wrists, and neck. It doesn't leak at all and kept me warm in 40 degree water during my Deep Diver training. I didn't experience any squeeze at 105 feet. The biggest downside is getting it on, major PITA. I just bought a used Pinnacle Evo2 from a member here, much easier to get on. My son will be using the Isotherm now.
Similar threads
