Membrane or Neoprene Drysuit or Semi-Dry? Which is Best? #askmark @ScubaDiverMagazine
Ben Heckendorn
#askmark I would love to dive in Winter too, I don't get cold quickly. But I would love to know which would you recommend: semi dry, neoprene drysuit or fabric?
Thanks
Ben
#scuba #scubadiving #scubadiver
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I’ve just found this mark, was waiting on a previous channel for one of your videos I didn’t know you’d changed over. I think I’ve a bit of catching up to do 🤣🙄
Yeah, lots has changed welcome to Scuba Diver Magazine!
#askmark Hello Mark. I need to get a new BCD and i’m fascinated by the comfort and technology of the Apeks Exotec. I then found out that Apeks also released Exotec-S! It is almost impossible to find information online on what the difference between them is! (well… except the obvious pocket styles) Would you happen to come across an Exotec-S and can you tell us the difference?
As far as I can tell, it’s a jacket-style version of the Exotec so, the bladder extends around your waste. A bit like when Scubapro released the Hydros X, that is basically a jacket version of the Hydros Pro.
Otherwise it looks much the same. It still has BioReact and the GripTek material etc. just in a jacket BCD shape.
I did message Apeks a few weeks ago if I could get one to try out and they said yes, we just need to wait…
@Scuba Diver Magazine Awesome, that makes sense. Thanks!
Thank you so much Mark, it helps me much, I’m very sure to choose a neoprene drysuit, because weight is not a big deal, secoundly, I may would need less air for the drysuit, because neoprene may doesn’t squeeze this much. As far as I know, it’s almost possible to use a neoprene drysuit, just like a regular wetsuits, because it may needs much less air.
Does anyone know of a front entry neoprene drysuit? Pinnacle, is the only brand I can find. Any others?
Bare
#ASKMARK Thinking about getting a drysuit and they all seem so bulky with telescoping waists to get into them that then have to be cinched up. Zippers apparently are pretty waterproof. Why don’t they come in two pieces, top and bottom that zip together? No excess material and could mix and match tops and bottoms sizes for a better fit? Also would be much easier to get in and out of.
I think I’ve heard of a 2-part drysuit before but it sealed more like a roll-top drybag around the waist.
With dry-zippers the problem would come with the start and end of the zipper and getting a good seal there without bonding the two halves together.
The telescopic section has never really bothered me in or out of the water though. If anything it gives me extra reach if I need to stretch.
Just bought a Cressi Desert drysuit and I am loving it so far. 4mm crushed neoprene and it keeps me warm with just a lycra underneath. Even though it is not from those designer brands like SFTech, DUI or Santi, it got the job done for me!
Don’t forget to add dry gloves. Once you’re in a good dry suit your hands will become the limiting factor!
I think that for me, dry gloves were a bigger game changer than my drysuit. Extremities were always my limiting factor. Until, that is, I delved into dry gloves. No turning back now.
Thanks Mark for the video. Only question is if it’s only “a plastic bag”, why membrane drysuits are soo expensive. Compared to a semi dry that have drysuit zippers seem that they’re waay overpriced. Thanks!
It’s not only “a plastic bag”, really. Usually they are made of 3 types of material (tri-laminate) and the whole process and market are a bit niche. They need to be made with all sewing and seams completely dry. But I agree with you, they are a bit overpriced…
Semi dry seals can’t be replaced. The more you use that suit the stretchier everything gets and you end up wetter sooner.
I dive semi dry and dry and I usually flood the suit or pour warm water in it pre dive. It’s going to be very very hard to get down with air trapped in your semi dry waiting for it to slowly flood. But once the water is there, it keeps you warmer than a regular dry suit
I bought the SEAC 4mm warm dry based on last years recommendations. It’s been great I have 10 dives in it and haven’t been drier. I used to rent a trilateral but I have enjoyed the neoprene suit. I dive quarries and it’s 45 degrees f and I’m warm.
Hi, what do you think about the safety aspect of neopren suits vs tri-lam regarding buoyancy and a bcd failure while diving with one or two steel cylinders ?
Correct weighting has a lot to do with this. Usually if you are weighted correctly, theoretically you could have a BCD failure, your Drysuite flood (neo an tri) and still make a safe assent.
But that’s worst case.
Usually if your BCD goes then your Drysuite is still going to inflate, And vicea versa.
If you are fully inflating your BCD to keep netural then you need to drop some lead, you should realistically only be adding a touch of air. My biggest problem at first was not properly emptying the air from my Drysuite. So I would think I needed more weight than I did. When in fact I just needed to crack the neck seal and squat down before entering the water lol. Funny how you forget the simple things. 😂
You shouldn’t be using your bcd for buoyancy while diving, just the suit. You only complicate the situation by having two different buoyancy control devices. The bcd should only be used at the surface.
@Stephen S2RIt doesn’t complicate! Inflate your drysuit to prevent squeeze and use your wing or BCD to regulate buoyancy. Upon ascend your drysuit will vent automatically and you take care of your BCD.
@peter van den Broek Thanks for your reply. The more air in your suiit the better isolation you have.
That air however is precious and you dont want to loose any just to replace it again. It’s wasted air you took with you that you would rather breathe and it takes your body’s heat to warm it up which defeats the object.
If the valves open you’re likely to be loosing air depending on your body position throughout the dive. That’s why the valve can be locked off and only opened by pressing.
Even worse if you make an assent heads up you will be loosing all your warm air and then have to making your long safety/deco stop in 0 degrees for 15 minutes freezing which ain’t fun.
#askmark
Thanks for your amazing content. A little question I’ve been pondering on for some time – in ccr diving, if you close the DSV, take it out your mouth then pop it back in and re-open, how is the mouth piece cleared, or it the valve so close to the mouth piece very little/no water enters?
It depends on the design, most are mechanically sealed with an inner sleeve that rotates when you pull a lever or turn a switch so that water can’t get in. The small amount of water before this sleeve can, depending on DSV design, be exhaled through a small hole when you exhale into the DSV when it’s closed before you open it up again, a bit like a normal 2nd stage.
If a small amount of water does get into the loop it’s usually caught in the 1st counter lung or some kind of water trap before it can reach the scrubber.
Good breakdown on the suits, Mark! Thanks for sharing.
#askmark any comment about cordura, nylontech or all those different dry suit membrane materials?
I presume you’re comparing the D7X and other drysuits. I think the Cordura version is more abrasion resistant but, the Nylotech material is less so but still more than enough for most divers and more flexible.
I can advocate for breathable materials if you wear the suit on the surface for long periods and I can also advocate for Waterproof drysuits.
I started with a 5mm neoprene suit which was warm but a bit floaty. Now I’m using an OThree 1.8mm neoprene suit which is much more flexible, both in temperature range and elasticity. So it can be close fitting and stretchy almost like a wetsuit and as light as a tri-lam. If you are going to be diving around sharp objects an ‘armoured’ tri-lam could be the best bet. Whatever type of suit you go for, I’d say getting a good fit is a key requirement.
A question I’ve been trying to find an answer for!
I currently dive in the Apeks Thermiq 8mm semi dry, and it’s brilliant.
I’m starting my XR and Advanced Wreck, and wanting a dry suit for those dives. I was looking at membranes but you’ve changed my
Mind for all the right reasons! Thanks!
Still, almost all cave and wreck divers I know (I’m a cave diver myself) choose a trilam suit. They’re more flexible in movement, the air bubble is therefore easier to manage and they can adapt to both warm and cold water. Neoprene has its use but probably only when you solely dive in cold water.
Trilam suits come in tough materials as well. For example the SF TECH suits have an outer shell made of Kevlar. Santi Elite+ are Kevlar reinforced on certain parts. Some suits are made from lightweight materials specifically for travel and are more fragile.