dry suit vs wet suit!

[petevolvo]

At the risk of appearing a total plonker - are dry suits safe? I have always used a wet suit when skiing or whenever I brave the icy North Sea but, following an article in this months Motor Boats Monthly I am tempted in invest in a dry suit but have heard stories of suits filling up and drowning their wearers and I like the extra bouyancy a wet suit gives but not the freezing cold! Any feedback would be appreciated. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[Pinnacle]

Hard to comment until we know what you are doing on the water...... eg PWC, RIB, MoBo etc etc

 

[Gemini]

Dry Suits are safe if used correctly, the majority of them come with built in boots so they won't fit in the water ski's .Those that have ankle seals you will find that the water pressure pushes up pass the seals, and when you take a tumble the neck and wrist seals open up under the pressure of water and air movment in the suit again allowing water in At this point you can be in trouble with a wet under suit and no bouyancy
I have experianced Diver coming up back to the RIBs with damaged seals and flooded suits they can add air if the failure is lower in the suit and not at the neak seal, but the do wear stab jackets as well for bouyancy control.
It's when they try and climb back on board and the reliase they are holding a few gallons of water in there suits.
Best bet stick with a good wet /dry suit for water sports once flushed these are warm and have loads of bouyancy. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[petevolvo]

thanks for the info Gemini - you've confirmed my fears. no danger with a wet suit other than hyperthermia!

 

[Hurricane]

I've been using dry suits for winter sailing for years. In fact sometimes during the summer as well.
They are perfectly safe.
When you put them on, you simply let the air out through the neck seal.
I would DEFINATELY use a dry suit over a wet suit when its cold - its MUCH warmer if you can keep your skin dry - use winter thermals under as well - called "wooly bears".

No doubt at all - use a dry suit.

 

[michaelh]

Why not get a dry suit and wear a bouyancy aid. We always wear these with wet suits and I'm sure that with a flooded dry suit the bouyancy jacket would give the added security needed. Thats the way I plan to go next.

 

[Solitaire]

[ QUOTE ]
Hard to comment until we know what you are doing on the water...... eg PWC, RIB, MoBo etc etc

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed! It's horses for courses really, if I was only water skiing or wind/kite surfing then a wet suit makes sense. A steamer makes a good option. For anything else then a dry suit is the way to go. I have a Typhoon breathable dry suit with a good quality woolly bear plus thermals. I use it for PWC training and when running advanced powerboat courses in the winter. Also very handy when doing rough water handling instruction - I hate water down my neck these days!

As to dry suits being dangerous - well it's not been my expereince and I don't suppose the inshore RNLI guys would risk it if they were either! While you can get boots as an option most dry suits have "socks" on the feet and are not open seals at all. The wrist bands are sealed and the neck seals in good condition are water tight. I use a front zip model for easy access and as long as I expel the air by bending down and opening the neck seal there is no problem at all. I have to admit that the first time I wore a dry suit I did sort of float feet first, but quickly learnt to make sure I did the bend knees routine!!

I wear either an cheap pair of canvas deck shoes or I have some proper wet boots that go over the socks.

Like anything else you get what you pay for, a good dry suit is going to cost up wards of £300 and a woolly bear around the £25-£30 mark.Diving dry suits have different requirements of them so they tend to be more expensive.

For my needs, a dry suit is the only option.

 

[robertj]

semi dry, having windsurfed for years and years till a few years ago, the semi dry suit for waterskiing etc is the best without a doubt. If you dont know its a wet suit with a dry zip and long neck seals, cuffs and ancle seals too held by velcro (except neck of course).
The advantage of this suit is it minimises any water entry via zip and seals and when u do take a tumble from speed the water that does get in retains there and the wetsuit properties come into their own. 1 tip dont think its like a wetsuit and do the obvious as it retains and unless well washed after does pong! hope this helps


bob

 

[scubaman]

For water skiing/surfing I would definitely recommend a wet suit.

1) taking a fall in high speed will easily flood the suit from cuffs or neck seal

2) skiing/surfing is hard work. You'll end up sweating and feeling cold due to damp thermals.

Eg. Mares has a 5 + 7 mm suit that has a separate 7 mm shortie you pull over the long sleeved one. Might restrict movement a bit but guaranteed to keep you warm.

-KK

 

[Gordonmc]

I use a 5mm semi-dry for diving... on its own during the UK summer and with a neoprene waistcoat during the winter.
Drysuits are fine as long as the seals stand up, especially the neckseal which seem fated to fail with me. A semi also avoids tjhe need for a second low pressure inflator on the octopus.

 

[Nick_H]

I used to wakeboard year round in a shallow lake in the midlands, where the water would get below 5 degs C in winter. The best option, as someone mentioned above is the wet/dry suit. Its made of neoprene like a wet suit, and doesn't have to be that thick, mine was only 4 mm so nice and flexible, but it had a dry zip across the shoulders, blind stitched seams, and smooth faces to the inside of the neck, wrist and ankle seals, so no water gets in.

On the coldest days I would wear a thin neoprene vest underneath, because you do get a small amount of water in on a big tumble, and most imprtantly have something windproof to put over as soon as you get back onto the boat.