Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

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UWDiver
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Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by UWDiver »

I'm looking at making a purchase of my first drysuit. There is a Waterproof D7 Pro on sale for about $2k which seems like a decent deal for a trilam. In my limited experience I don't see many / any folks diving this brand here though. Before jumping on this wanted to see if there are there any concerns with diving Waterproof drysuits in the Northwest.

Thank you!
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H20doctor
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by H20doctor »

How much do you want to spend ... ?

Back zip .. Or front Zip ?

Technical diving or recreational diving.. ?
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UWDiver
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Re: RE: Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by UWDiver »

H20doctor wrote:How much do you want to spend ... ?

Back zip .. Or front Zip ?

Technical diving or recreational diving.. ?
After looking around was thinking 1500 to 2000 should get me something nice enough to last me a while.

I like the idea of a front zip, but a back zip wouldn't be a deal breaker as I figure I'll always have a buddy.

Just recreational diving for now, but something that would work for technical would be nice so I don't have to buy a new suit if I go that route.

Thanks!
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Norris
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by Norris »

Most of us dive drysuits. That price range is certainly about the norm for a brand new suit. Keep in mind you will want to price undergarments as well.
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60south
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by 60south »

Waterproof is a good brand, no worries.

That said, what's more important than the brand is how it fits you. Spend some time getting the right fit; that's better than spending $2000 twice because you didn't get the right thing the first time.
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bradmond
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by bradmond »

I would shop for a good used suit. I found a great deal on a Whites with undergarment, boots, and fins for half that amount. If you get 50 or so dives on a good used suit and decide you want something different then you dont take a big hit. Have you rented different styles of drysuits to compare them?

As far as undergarments, the Weezle Extreme or Extreme Plus are very popular around here. Look how warm those super models look wearing them.

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php ... lit=weezle
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Gdog
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by Gdog »

Dave Hicks dives a waterproof drysuit, to my envy. That is a really nice suit. However, as it seems you found, There are decent suits out there for a little less. I would take the time to hit a few dive shops and test fit some of the different brands, see what feels best to you as far as mobility,ect. Also, as was pointed out, take the time to pick out a good undergarment. It doesnt matter how much you spend on a drysuit if you are diving and freezing cold.
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H20doctor
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by H20doctor »

i just bought this typhoon undergarment , its a 200 gram .
http://www.dolphinscuba.com/typhoon-200 ... rsuit.html

its a great thick beast of warmth ..
As for drysuits and brands there are many threads here ... i have had Only 3 suits in my dive adventures so far .. A Atlan , for 8 years , another atlan for 6 months , Boot leak issues ... and now a Bare , for 1.5 yrs ..

I like a front zip suit , easy way to dive and you dont need a person to zip you up ..
zippers .. the new plastic T zips are cool , there are long lasting and durable IF you take good care of them , then can have teeth issues , breaks and cracked plastics dont do well ...
metal zippers ... these are also good zippers , as long as you wax them and keep them in good shape , after a few years the material will separate , and thread open that holds the metal teeth, other issues for these are the teeth separating from the material and then cause leaks...
both types of zipper have Pros and Cons ... i do think the T zip is cheaper to fix on a suit ..
Dry gloves on a drysuit is an option also .. ring systems , and glove choices ..

I try to budget a suit under 1500 ... my ideal price on a suit is 800 ...
there are many options also in the used market .... i have a back up suit that is a Kayak suit .. i paid 299.00 for it and cut in the arm dump valve , and inflator , works perfect !!
ultimately look around and see what divers use and like, then make a decision for what fits you
some of the suits I see are
Bare
whites Fusion
DUI
Santi
OS systems
USIA

Fit Matters. Air shifting and range of motion problems are both functions of fit. Get the right-sized suit and these problems virtually disappear.

Dry suit drag. It's been said that foam neoprene dry suits produce less drag than fabric suits. Putting both suit styles in the water--without dive gear--seems to bear this out. But of course divers don't dive without dive gear, which creates more drag than anything generated by the suits themselves

Where's the zipper? Dry suits are available with a variety of zipper positions and self-entry designs. However, dry suits falling into the price category featured in this review are available only as shoulder entries.

Valve position. While all inlet valves tend to be uniform in their center-chest locations, the positioning of exhaust valves varies slightly. On dry land it's hard to notice, but once you hit the water it becomes clear that a valve placed too far forward on the arm, more on the bicep than on the top of the upper arm, can affect its performance because in the normal swimming attitude the valve is not in the highest possible position.
Swivel inlet valves. No dry suit should be without one. They make it so much easier to comfortably route your inflator hose, and they eliminate the need to loosen and retighten the inlet valve backing nut (to reposition the hose nipple of a nonswivel valve), which could affect the seal.

Choose your boots. The durability of attached boots varies widely. Some boots, while adequate for boat decks, are simply not up to the rigors of shore diving. Have a clear idea of your diving goals before choosing your boots.
Skin is in. Most foam neoprene dry suits come with neoprene seals with the smooth "skin" layer on the outside. To get a proper seal it's necessary to fold the neoprene under so the seal's "skin" is against your skin. Otherwise, prepare to be wet.
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UWDiver
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by UWDiver »

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all the great advice. Sounds like what I found was not the deal of the century and I should take some time to try on a couple different designs from different dive stores.

Had thought of purchasing used but was afraid of getting a leaky suit without much recourse. I'll keep my eyes on the classified section to see if anything comes up that looks like a solid buy.

Appreciate the breakdown of zipper types. Sounds like both can have their problems but the plastic type may be lower maintenance. I'll take that into consideration.

I'll definitely check out the Wezzle undergarments as they seem to be a local favorite.

Thanks

Isaac
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by Tangfish »

In my view for someone looking at their first drysuit I usually recommend them to grab a used one (at a nice discount) that fits them well. Diving a first suit for awhile you'll realize and collect a number of things that are and aren't important to you in your next suit. The second drysuit being new and possibly custom is money well spent, imho.
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by Desert Diver »

In outfitting 3 of us I bought 5 used drysuits. One we have not used. One my wife quit using when we found one she liked better. We have since used her first one as a loaner, and I could sell it but don't want to. Ended up with one new zipper and put Si-Tech seals on 3 suits. For about $3000 we have 5 suits, 5 sets of undergarments, all needed repairs completed, 4 have Si-Tech seals, and spares.
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ljjames
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by ljjames »

The D7 is a solid suit. (And i'm a huge DUI fan so that is saying something that i can see past my bias and say that <grin>) I got hands on a few of them several months ago to do pee valve installations for a project and they are a very robust suit, the manufacture looked good. They are a heavy suit, not as heavy as a crushed neoprene but heavier weight wise than a FLXextreme. To answer your original question, are more than fine for northwest diving, Paul Nicklen uses his in the Arctic playing with leopard seals. We did several dives out in hood canal, all in the 90-120min length and there were no complaints from he or Cristina about their Waterproof suits, although she dives the lighter weight version (which also seemed nice enough, and delightful from a weight point of view, but i have no idea re: longevity). Disclaimer: they are sponsored by Waterproof, i'm just reporting on what/how the suits looked performed in my presence.

With regards to metal v. Ti-zip the way I generally answer when asked about it is this: If you take care of a your metal zipper, it will likely last longer. If you are a the kind of person who doesn't, and you throw your suit in the back of your truck, folded all which way, rarely rinse it, rarely wax it, and then whine cause it dies in a year, then get a Ti-zip. They are more forgiving in the short term for neglect (although you still need to keep them clean and follow the directions with the silicone lube periodically). They are for sure lighter weight and quite comfortable. I'm gentle on zips so get years out of a metal zipper, but all zippers have to be considered a consumable just like seals and drysuit underwear. I'll get a ti-zip in my next suit because it is going to be used more for travel and film projects so i'll be paying less attention to it and wanting something lighter weight that is more forgiving to being squished in luggage or gear bags on set.

As everyone has already mentioned, get a suit that fits. A shitty fitting suit will just hinder your diving and possibly make you miserable. Even if its second hand, don't compromise on fit just cause it's cheap. You may get lucky and pick up a fantastic suit first time out, or like tang fish mentions you may learn a lot about what you want or don't want. I started with a Harvey's neoprene, wore it out pretty fast, then went to a vulcanized rubber suit (viking) which was easy to fix but still not perfect (I got it cause thats what my mentor was diving). My next suit was a typhoon trilam and that suit ended up being bomb-proof for a couple thousand dives. BUT, the suit coveted for a decade before getting one was a DUI CF200 (heavy as hell when wet but hella warm and awesome) mostly because thats what the way cool e. Coast wreck divers used (back in the day) and I wanted to be a way cool badass like them.

These days i covet a DUI FLXextreme with zipseals, ti-zip and their new attached turbo-tech soles (or whatever the name is), but my diving needs are different, i'm not teaching, i'm not doing crazy long dives on piles of rusty metal that want to make sashimi of my suit, etc.

A quick note on valve location, at least on DUI suits, there is CF200 placement (further forward on your arm) and 'everything else'. The CF200 is a crushed neoprene suit, the fabric is nice and stretchy and therefor a bit more streamlined on your body and the suit when fit correctly will aid in pushing air out, but the valve placement means you do need to roll-to-dump, and then lift your arm a bit.
If the valve on a CF200 were in the 'easier to dump' position further back on arm placement of the TLS/CLS/FLX etc... when in the swimming position it would just dump non stop and you'd need to close it down several notches.
The Trilam suits from DUI have the valve placed further back on your arm so it will more readily exhaust gas just by lifting your arm slightly in the swimming position (no need for the roll and dump procedure) but that is OK, because due to the not so form fitting, non-stretchy fabric its made out of, you can keep air 'in' the suit easier just by adjusting your trim. All this goes out the window if you get a suit that is too large though, as the fabric will billow up and the valve will not remain in the designed position.

Re: undergarments, good thinsulate (DUI or Santi or whatever) are equally well loved in the Northwest. Who recommends what will almost always depend on what crew you are talking to. We divers are funny that way, we love what we dive and don't love with we don't dive, and will justify till the cows come home. I've dove in both types (fluffy Weezle and Thinsulate) and they both work equally well for regular diving.

The gist of all that is: get a suit that fits well and meets the needs of the diving you plan on doing, both from robust-ness and comfort level. Don't skimp on undergarments, and wear a baselayer that you can wash when it gets stinky.
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Dusty2
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by Dusty2 »

What size do you need? I have a like new USIA with undergarment That I can let go of at a great price but I'm a fairly large guy so it wont fit someone of slight build.
UWDiver
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Re: Waterproof Drysuits for Puget Sound Diving?

Post by UWDiver »

I'm 6'1" and about 200. Saw your post in the classifieds, if I'm looking at the right thing, looks like your suit would be a little big for me. Thanks for reaching out though.
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