Drysuit Dilemma

[Silent Diver]

Avoid Oceanic like the plague if you have any problems with there suits you will end up fighting for ages to get repairs/replacements or refunds and thats if you can get them to admit they made a crap suit in the first place.

My brand new Aerdura leaked like a sieve and it took trading standards to sort it out in the end.

A friends brand new Flexia came with the wrong size boots on it and it ended up being sent back 6 times before they got it supposedly right and even then it leaked on both feet they ended up getting a refund but that took ages.

[ShinyD]

Originally Posted by endoman

Dave

I thought you loved the Waterproof suit? What does the O3 do that the Waterproof doesn't?

I do like the Waterproof suit, but...

The boot soles on mine have worn alarmingly (and no, I don't scuff my feet, or shuffle). When I spoke to the distributers at the NEC Dive Show they told me it was a known problem and that the boots were designed for boat diving and weren't meant for the constant shore diving I'd been doing. I was advised to buy a tin of some black wetsuit glue compound (that I can't remember the name of now) and mix it with fine sand then apply it to the boots...

Waterproof apparantly haven't changed the boot design, so sending it back under warranty will result in the same type of boot going on it again and the same problem this time next year.

I could have had a different boot from elsewhere fitted, but I also found that the suit didn't have the flexibility to allow me to reach the twin valves and manifold valve, so both together led me to start looking elsewhere.

This then leads on to the 'what's best for you' advice above. Had I known a little more about suits before I bought it I'd have had an O'three rather than the Waterproof. O'three have great customer service, the suits are well made and last and they're just an hour and a half down the road from me.

If I have any issues I can take it to the manufacturers myself and speak to them face to face rather than going through a distributer.

The Ri2/100 I bought is almost a perfect fit off the peg and has enough flexibility for me to reach around behind my head without being constrained by the suit.

Maybe I've just been unlucky with the boots on the Waterproof - I don't know - but it sounds like it's a known problem. All things considered I'd rather be dealing with a local manufacturer with a known track record, which all leads neatly back to 'it's right for me'

[endoman]

Good reply, a lot depends on your locality, if I was in Dorset then I wouldn't be thinking of nipping up to Leeds to be measured, likewise, I wouldn't drive 4 hours to O3 unless I was certain I wanted one of their suits.

When I bought my first drysuit I had no idea what I was doing. I went to a large Derby based retailer and was sold one that was the wrong size, was medium large tall, I'm 5 foot nine. I used it for a few months, dry dives, but flexibility was shite. It's delight now to be able to remove my fins with ease in the water and reach where I want to reach. When you don't know what a well fitting suit should feel like it's pretty hard to know if it fits! I thought it was normal to wrestle for 5 minutes to get out of each wrist seal. Thank goodness I picked made to measure.

[Loctite]

I've got an Outer Edge on order. Lovely by the looks of it.

Could have done with it today. Dived in the snow with a semi dry on.
Man that was refreshing

[CatB]

Originally Posted by Silent Diver

Avoid Oceanic like the plague if you have any problems with there suits you will end up fighting for ages to get repairs/replacements or refunds and thats if you can get them to admit they made a crap suit in the first place.

My brand new Aerdura leaked like a sieve and it took trading standards to sort it out in the end.

A friends brand new Flexia came with the wrong size boots on it and it ended up being sent back 6 times before they got it supposedly right and even then it leaked on both feet they ended up getting a refund but that took ages.

I had a totally different experience with them. I have an Oceanic Flexia and I love it. I'm 5'8'' and I'm not posting my weight on the web but size 12-14ish with size 6 feet and their medium-tall off the shelf fits me fine. When it arrived all appeared to be fine but the first time I dived it, it leaked. I was very unimpressed! Some more knowledgeable people than me from my club figured out that the inflate valve had been cross threaded when it was screwed in - it had damaged the valve sufficiently that screwing it back in correctly still led to a damp dive.

I called Oceanic - they apologised and asked me to return it. I sent it off and called a few days later to see how they were doing - I told them I needed it to go diving at the weekend and it duly arrived fixed and dry the day before I needed it. I really can't fault them.

My only caution would be that the nice warm neoprene neck baffle thing means the neck seal can't be easily changed and it has to be sent off to Oceanic at silly cost. A friend who got hers at the same time had a neoprene neck seal put on so she didn't have to change it so often and I think that was a wise move. I have also managed to nick mine in the leg but a blob of aquasure has sorted that - I'm not sure if this suggests that it's not the toughest fabric out there though? Oh, and it doesn't have a zip cover which doesn't seem to have caused a problem to far but is probably a good idea.

It does however co-ordinate with my overall blue and black kit colour scheme - see my oh, so flattering profile pic!

[jackdiver]

Originally Posted by ShinyD

A word of caution in among all these Seaskin cries...

You need to choose the drysuit that's right for you. I have no beef with Seaskin - they're nice suits - but the choice of what's best for you is a personal choice.

You'll find that divers are great at pushing the equipment they've chosen as the best option for anyone that asks a generic 'what the best xxx?' (me included!), but my experience over the last 10 months is that what's best is what does the job and what you're most comfortable with and not necessarily what's best for your buddy.

You should be looking at all kinds of suits and trying on different types - even diving them if possible. You might find that you prefer neoprene over membrane, or membrane over neoprene, this manufacturers material/cut over that manufacturers material/cut.

There are few options for 'try before you buy' in diving, so it's even more important to get the decision right before you buy.

There are all sorts of considerations about suits that should be considered, other than the basic neoprene/membrane. Cost is an obvious one, ruggedness of the suit (can it be used daily, or is it essentially a hobby one?), cut of the suit, boots and their fit, valves and placement, zip and placement, seals and type of, customer service following purchase...

I've been through all of these myself over the last few months and decided on an O'three neoprene, because it was right for me.

Ask the question, listen to advice and then make your decision based on what the right choice is for you!

I second this opinion. (I'd green you for it, but it won't let me )

I also have no beef with Seaskin.

I quite liked mine....

But I now have an O3 Ri2/100....

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by ShinyD

A word of caution in among all these Seaskin cries...

You need to choose the drysuit that's right for you. I have no beef with Seaskin - they're nice suits - but the choice of what's best for you is a personal choice.

You'll find that divers are great at pushing the equipment they've chosen as the best option for anyone that asks a generic 'what the best xxx?' (me included!), but my experience over the last 10 months is that what's best is what does the job and what you're most comfortable with and not necessarily what's best for your buddy.

You should be looking at all kinds of suits and trying on different types - even diving them if possible. You might find that you prefer neoprene over membrane, or membrane over neoprene, this manufacturers material/cut over that manufacturers material/cut.

There are few options for 'try before you buy' in diving, so it's even more important to get the decision right before you buy.

There are all sorts of considerations about suits that should be considered, other than the basic neoprene/membrane. Cost is an obvious one, ruggedness of the suit (can it be used daily, or is it essentially a hobby one?), cut of the suit, boots and their fit, valves and placement, zip and placement, seals and type of, customer service following purchase...

I've been through all of these myself over the last few months and decided on an O'three neoprene, because it was right for me.

Ask the question, listen to advice and then make your decision based on what the right choice is for you!

I'm at a bit of a loss to know what your point is here. The OP asks for advice and gets a number of opinions off some very experienced divers. No-one appears to be pushing their equipment and I am offended that you should take that tone. Any recomendations we make I am sure are based on sound diving experience. I've been diving for 7 years. Others on this thread for considerably longer. We were asked our opinion. I'm a mere novice considering some of the views expressed on here. Get whatever suit suits you, but at some point, if you need to ask for an opinion, fine.

[ShinyD]

Offense wasn't intended Helen, but if you want to feel offended from it then feel free. If you'd been asked to give advice about a drysuit 6 months ago you'd have been in favour of neoprene.

People choose what's right for them and we all like to feel we've made the right choice, and we probably have...for us. The point I was making is that what's right for one isn't necessarily right for another.

I wasn't having a dig at people for recommending their brand of suits, just trying to give a more balanced piece of generic advice that it's best to really look around before spending.

[endoman]

Problem arises when you don't know what you are looking for.

Could someone more knowledgable knock together a guide as to what to expect from a drysuit. Flexibility, warmth, dryness, comfort, air migration etc.

I did PADI drysuit dive as part of my AOW and none of this was covered. Just got the dive cenre suit nearest to my size and wore a tracksuit underneath. First drysuit I bought I struggled to reach fins with suit on, somedays even putting on mask was a struggle, now I can touch toes, touch behind head etc.

[Woz]

I had a very specific requirement for my suit and knew exactly what I wanted:

Membrane (not the flimsy see-through TLS material though)
Front loader with the ability to wee by undoing the zip
Zip cover
Neo neck seal
HD latex wrist seals
MTM and baggy up top for shutdowns
Neo socks for rockboots
Velcro cargo pockets on the outside seam of both legs
Slim tables pocket on front of right thigh
Braces

I had a very very good look round at all the manufacturers I could find and finally decided on Seaskin cos I couldn't get anywhere near their price with any other manufacturer for a MTM custom suit.