While scuba diving the type of suit you wear is an important choice to make sure you have the best experience possible. There are a number of variables which decide which suit is best, but it is usually a choice between a wetsuit and a drysuit.

Difference between a wet suit and a dry suit

The main difference between a dry suit and a wet suit is actually what their names suggest. A wet suit keeps divers warm but without being waterproof. A dry suit keeps you warm by keeping you dry.

What is a Diving Dry Suit?

The main purpose of a dry suit is to keep the diver dry, and along with that, underwater a layer of air gets created around the entire dry suit. This layer of air keeps the diver warm even in cold water.

Types of Dry Suit

Dry suits come in many different types depending upon the material used but are on a broader level categorized into two main types.:

Membrane Dry Suit

A membrane dry suit may sometimes even be referred to as a trilaminate dry suit because the design of this dry suit uses three layers. The material used for such a dry suit is a laminated one, and the three layers of the suit are all different from each other. The innermost layer of a membrane drysuit usually has warming properties while the middle one is laminated and the outermost is a hardwearing layer. The diver can switch up the undersuit while wearing a membrane drysuit and adjust better to the varying temperatures of the water. A thermal layer can be worn as an undersuit in order to keep the diver warm in cold water. The suit is also resistant to the effects of buoyancy, and the different layers allow the diver to adjust the amount of air in between the layers. The material of the membrane dry suit also doesn’t lose any stretchiness or thickness while underwater. The suits use the same type of valves and seal but differ in the type of zips they use. A standard drysuit uses a brass zip but can need regular care such as cleaning or lubricating, but with good care, it is quite resistant to damages and goes a long way.

Neoprene Dry Suit

Neoprene drysuits are commonly used two types of materials which are crushed neoprene and neoprene. The material of a neoprene dry suit has thermal properties and helps to keep the diver warm. Due to the insulating properties of the material, divers can wear lighter under suits without the risk of getting cold. Since they are not water resistant, they come in a very tight fitting in order to make its insulating properties work. This allows for the diver to not feel the water too much as the material is very tight. If a neoprene drysuit gets too loose for you, the chances are you will get cold underwater. The neoprene suit offers a stretch as the material is quite flexible. This type of suit can change its thickness, unlike the membrane dry suit. These are essentially very thick, but as the diver goes deeper, the material of the suit becomes thinner. This affects the weight of the diver which may further create problems in going up as the diver will need a lot of strength. Along with that, the air bubbles present in the material also shrink as the suit becomes thin and this reduces the warming effect of the suit as well.