Should a drysuit be tight?
Make sure your drysuit fits properly before diving. Seals should be snug but not tight. You may want your dealer to assist you in fitting your seals. Neck seals that are too tight may restrict blood flow to the brain resulting in serious injury. A wetsuit should fit as tightly as you can comfortably get into. What you need to avoid are slack areas where water can pool, or loose seals around the ankles, wrists, and neck.Note that the wetsuit will stretch out slightly after wearing it, just like a pair of jeans. Your waist should fit right, but it’s okay if it’s slightly tight or loose, there is no chance of water coming into your suit at the waist area. However, a snug fit is best.If the wetsuit is too loose, it will allow water to displace in the suit which can chill the body and stiffen up. It will make excess materials in areas like the armpits (what we call wing) which will result in chaffing and/or a bulky uncomfortable feeling.Find the perfect fit:Finding a drysuit that fits you well is very important, if the drysuit is too big it might cause drag, or even leak. If the drysuit is too small it will feel tight and squeeze you as you dive.Wetsuits that are skin-tight are ideal for cold water surf sports because they allow you to move around more than drysuits. Drysuits, on the other hand, are completely waterproof, but not designed for warmth if used alone. Drysuits keep all water out completely like a shell and fit loosely like a big ski jacket.
Do you feel cold in a dry suit?
Bottom line, it’s easy to get cold even when you wear a drysuit. But with a little attention to what you wear underneath, every dive can be like a tropical vacation. There are five main types of ambient pressure diving suits; dive skins, wetsuits and their derivative semi-dry suit and hot-water suits, and dry suits.An atmospheric diving suit (ADS) allows very deep dives of up to 700 metres (2,300 ft). These suits are capable of withstanding the pressure at great depth permitting the diver to remain at normal atmospheric pressure. This eliminates the problems associated with breathing pressurised gases.
How tight should a diving suit be?
A properly fitting wetsuit should fit snugly, akin to a second skin, but without inhibiting your range of motion. The 5mm is usually forgotten about as people usually select the 7mm for cold water/winter season and the 3mm for summer/warm tropical waters. But the 5mm is the perfect option for people who get too warm in a 7mm, yet too cold in a 3mm. The 5mm can be used for those in-between seasons when it’s not cold, yet not warm.Medium thickness 5mm – 3/I6 inch two-piece wet suit, add 10% of your body weight. Cold-water 7mm – 1/4-inch two-piece wet suit with hood and boots, add 10% of your body weight, plus 1. Neoprene drysuits, add 10% of your body weight, plus 3 – 5 kg/7 – 10 lb.Thicker wetsuits may reduce this range of motion slightly, so take this into account before going up a size in 5mm and 7mm suits. Seals at your neck, wrists, and ankles should be snug but not too tight, and the suit should conform to your body everywhere.If you particularly feel the cold, you may choose to opt for this thickness instead.
How loose should a drysuit be?
It should be snug, but not tight. If you are new to drysuit diving, a snug neck seal may feel a bit uncomfortable out of the water. Once in the water, a properly timed neck seal is comfortable. Wrist seals should be worn just above the wrist bone*. It should fit like a second skin, tightly wrapped around your body. After all, a wetsuit only works when the fit is right. On the other hand, you don’t want it to be too restrictive or tight, and want to avoid excess material in areas like your armpits, lower back and behind your knees.A drysuit should fit snugly, but it shouldn’t be excessively tight. The goal is to have a comfortable and effective fit that minimizes excess air movement inside the suit while allowing you to move freely.Wetsuits do become more flexible when wet and will mould to the shape of your body so as we say a little space is fine. Our video walks you through how your new suit should fit. Once you have checked the knees and armpits, turn your attention to the wrist cuffs and the ankle cuffs.You are correct in that the elasticity of a wetsuit will change. A suit that is used daily will stretch out over time, whereas in contrast, a suit that is never used will begin to harden and seem to have “shrunk” when put on.
Is it OK if a wetsuit is a little big?
If your wetsuit is too loose, cold water will enter the suit freely or “flush through”. Water sloshing around in your wetsuit isn’t conducive to you being the best you. You’ll feel cold, weighed down, and sad. A drysuit is looser fitting and uses air to insulate instead of water, which reduces heat loss more than a wetsuit.One disadvantage of using a drysuit is the high cost compared to wetsuits. Drysuits also require proper training and technique to use effectively, making them less beginner-friendly than wetsuits. Drysuits restrict the wearers mobility more than wetsuits.Expensive wetsuits are often made from higher-quality neoprene, which offers better flexibility, warmth, and durability. High-end neoprene like Yamamoto, known for its superior warmth and stretch, is commonly found in pricier models.Unlike wetsuits, which trap a thin layer of water and preserve body heat, dry suits are waterproof. When considering wetsuit vs drysuit, it’s important to note that dry suits offer significantly better waterproofing and thermal protection, making them ideal for colder conditions or extended use.Wetsuits use a layer of water (that is warmed by the wearer’s body) to help keep the body insulated, while drysuits use a layer of air and are fully sealed to prevent water from entering and coming into contact with the skin. The latter has the advantage here, as water conducts heat over 20 times faster than air.
Should you go up a size in wetsuits?
If you land between two sizes, or you’re at the top of the size range and are unsure which would be best suited to you then we would always advise sizing up, wetsuits are already designed for a tighter fit without restricting your range of movement therefore its best to accommodate for this by sizing up. Step 2: Should you size up or down in a wetsuit? In this case, we’d recommend selecting the next largest size. While we don’t want excess material, mobility is important when surfing and we don’t want the size of your wetsuit to limit your motion.