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Just like wetsuits, the purpose of scuba dry suits is to keep you warm. However, since they are attempting to keep you warm at temperatures from 50 F all the way down to near freezing, the suit should NOT allow any amount of water to touch your flesh as these temperatures are too cold. As a result, there are some differences in the way scuba dry suits are designed so that you the diver can be dry at all times.
First and foremost, there are neck and wrist seals that prevent water from getting inside many scuba drysuits. Even the zipper of the dry suit is water tight to serve the same purpose of insulation. If the water is very cold, divers are encouraged to put additional layers of undergarments under the scuba drysuit.
Both the neoprene scuba dry suits and the coated fabric scuba drysuits trap air. As you would guess, the air is compressed more and more as you make your descent underwater. Consequently, just as you would equalize your ears and masks, you have to do the same with your drysuit. Essentially, you will have to monitor and regulate the air in your drysuit so that you can control your buoyancy as well as the rate of ascent.
As mentioned in other articles, the zipper for the scuba drysuit has to be water tight. In fact, many manufacturers use a waterproof seal that was originally designed for space suits. However, despite such a prominent seal, a zipper is still a weakpoint in the safety structure of scuba dry suits. Consequently, the zipper usually ends up being up in the back of scuba drysuits because there will be less pressure there when diving underwater.
The seals around the neck and wrist are made of either latex or neoprene. Scuba diving Dry suits made of neoprene are more durable yet are more difficult to replace, whereas latex drysuits wear out more often but are easy to replace.
For more information on wet suits, dry suits, or any other type of scuba diving equipment, please choose from one of the following:
Scuba fins, adjustable strap scuba fins, and full footed scuba fins | Scuba Regulators, and dive regulators | BCDs, buoyancy control devices | Dive Lights, scuba lights, scuba diving lights | ScubaTanks | Dive Knives, Scuba Knives, and Scuba Diving knives | Scuba Masks, dive masks, and underwater scuba diving masks | Scuba Diving Bags, Scuba gear bags | Dive Computers, scuba computers | Dive Cameras, underwater scuba cameras | Dive Suits, scuba suits, wet suits, dry suits | Scuba Equipment | Scuba Gear | Renting vs buying scuba diving equipment
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