I was introduced to SCUBA diving by a very accomplished diver, who is now a technical diver and dive instructor with I think every certification available except for some obscure skills like the Advanced Mermaid. He loves introducing people to the underwater world and making them feel as comfortable underwater and they are on land – this is actually a very daunting feat.
Growing up in Reno, Nevada, our closest open water playground is beautiful Lake Tahoe. This gorgeous body of water sits high in the Sierra Nevada mountains and is a breathtaking site for me no matter how often I see it. Pretty though she may be, that bitch is COLD.
My first ocean dive was in scenic Monterey, California, and that Pacific ocean is also bracingly cold. Remember those gel packets that you wiggle a metal disc back-and-forth to activate heat? We used to pop those into my wetsuit in an effort to keep my core warm through a dive. It wasn’t long before enough was enough and we went to a local tailor who made neoprene drysuits.
After what seemed an eternity, we got the call that our suits were ready. We purchased some very snappy brilliant blue jammies to go underneath and off we went to dive. Nothing beats diving dry in cold water. I hate that my face and hair still have to get wet, but it makes all the difference in terms of being able to enjoy the scenery.
Fast forward a few decades, and a life spent building a family and career, I put my love of diving on hold. My girls are now officially adults, and it’s time I pursue the pursuits I loved pursuing.
So much has changed from the 80s, suits now are high-tech and more badass than ever. I’ve been out of diving for so long that I don’t really know where to begin because now everyone makes a drysuit. I was daunted by the number of suits out there so I narrowed my focus to five brands.
- DUI
- MODS
- SCUBAPRO WOMEN’S EXO DRY
- FOURTH ELEMENT
- AQUALUNG
This research is on picking a drysuit and not the garments you wear underneath – because just as there are now a wide array of drysuits, the stuff you wear underneath is just as expansive and innovative.
My Criteria Before Researching
I want two drysuits. One for cold water diving, and one for…don’t laugh…warm water diving. As long as water is a few degrees cooler than your body temperature, you ARE going to lose heat. Losing body heat means sooner or later you’re going to feel shivery cold, even in warm Caribbean, Bahamian, or South Pacific waters.
I’m taking my first steps to becoming a Dive Master, and if I want to keep up with my rebreather dive buddies, side mount is going to be the next avenue I pursue so I can spend more than an hour under water. And therein lies the problem – even in Bonaire, after about 45 minutes, despite having gobs of air, I was getting cold. When I’m cold, I no longer take delight in all the sea creatures doing their dances. I want out, and I want to be warm. All my instincts for curiosity shut off.
Things I Want to Know
FIT
Can I find suits that will fit me, a 5’5” 120 pound woman (digging around, many women complain that drysuit manufacturers may have up to ten or more sizes for men and only six for women).
OPTIONS FOR WARM WATER
Does such a suit exist that aches to be in warmer waters shielding me from 84°F water? I’m not worried about cold water, obviously. Now there are jillions of drysuit manufacturers out there and people diving in rough conditions, I’m certain there’s a perfect construct for cold water for me.
EASY TO UNDERSTAND FEATURES AND BENEFITS
We live in a hyped-up world where promises and shiny things capture our attention. In my preliminary digging around, it’s hard for me to understand what makes one suit better than another. Will I be able to ascertain the right suit for me when I see it? Do I go trilaminate or crushed neoprene? Will they demystify this process?
PRICE
That’s always a factor. I already know I’m going to have sticker as everything in the world has gotten so much more expensive. I’m okay with laying down cash for suits that suit me and my needs. I want to believe that I’m getting the full value for the features and benefits put forth.
DUI
My buddies all dive DUI, am I going to be a follower or a leader? DUI is made in the good ol’ USofA in San Diego for more than 50 years. So a lotta science has gone into making their suits.
Out of the gates, before I can even scroll down, I’m presented with price tags. A suit runs from $2,100 to $3,800 before any modification and addition of upgrades. They put the Yukon II Standard Drysuit first and immediately below are the FLX Extreme Premium suits for a cool $1,350 more. All of a sudden I feel like I’m shopping for the difference of an economy class ticket to Europe or first class.
I think these guys must be the King Kong of the drysuit world because it seems you kinda know what you’re looking for in a suit when you go through the site. If price is any indicator of how robust a suit is, I guess that is where I begin trying to determine what suit is right for me.
This is daunting because I already have sticker shock just being on the home page. However, I’m sick of getting cold in the water – whether it’s in the Pacific or somewhere people brag about being “bathtub warm” and it’s time to sock away some cash so I can dive dry.
MODS DRYSUIT
Right there, front-and-center comes a bold statement that makes me smile:
You will get the best fit on the planet!
And on the logo comes the confidence-builder: Improve your personal style. And I’ll admit, I’m a fashion misfit, so already we’re banging on all cylinders.
I love that they have an octopus in their logo because I have this crazy affection for the creatures. Before I even see pricing, I want one just to have the logo emblazoned on me.
What I like is the ability to begin the process where it walks you through what you’re looking for in a suit. From the front page, you don’t get to see pricing because really what I need to be thinking about is what suit is going to be right for my needs.
It has clear steps to choosing the drysuit of your dreams: Pick your drysuit (what do you need from it), design your drysuit, optional features, and then your measurements (seems there will be something to fit me!) and before I can get too lost in the weeds there’s this emblazoned on the screen:
If you have no experience purchasing a drysuit, please inquire before making a purchase. We will provide detailed consultation tailored to your specific drysuit needs.
Hot damn! Now we’re cooking with gas. I’m going to call and lay it on them that I want a warm water suit. I’m hoping they don’t laugh at me. I called and spoke with Sean who was so helpful and friendly. He was explaining that I might not need two drysuits, just one that will be baggier in warm water. They can also customize my drysuit with whatever I want. I happen to be a fan of the photography from Joe Ross over at JoeScuba.com and I want a shark on mine! Unless he’s got a badass octopus…
In reading through their six different styles, they’re all around the same price from $2,100 – $2,300 which is plenty of savings with lots of features for less than many of the other suits explored.
Oh! MODS are based in Los Angeles, if made in America is important to you.
SCUBAPRO WOMEN’S DRYSUITS
Who doesn’t have a ton of Scubapro gear in their bag already? I’m thinking this is going to be a snap. Unlike other sites that have the drysuits in poses that are wholly unflattering, Scubapro has the sexiest looking poses for their drysuits and already I feel like my fashion sense is being elevated.
Scrolling to women’s suits, I now see why ladies are concerned. The Exodry comes in six sizes for men and FOUR for women. Got that? FOUR. I get it, this is a male dominated sport with about 70% men to 30% women diving, so it’s difficult to maintain the same level of inventory. But four? The Everdry has 10 sizes for men and six for women.
Both options are the crushed neoprene and both come in, blissfully, at under $2,000, but from their website, I don’t see options for modifying the suit. I’m concerned about buying something online that I haven’t tried on. I don’t have a dive shop in Houston that sells these, so it’s a big roll of the dice on this.
FOURTH ELEMENT
After a friend told me that everything Fourth Element is, “cool as shit” I headed over there. I’m confused as a blank white screen appears below their logo and menu options. Gotta scroll down to get to the good stuff.
I get to the drysuit page and Holy Mother of God does the woman coming out of the ocean in her drysuit look sexy. I wanna be her! She looks like Trinity from The Matrix coming out of the deep to kick some ass. C’mon, has ANYONE ever looked this effortlessly sexy? I’ve never sauntered out of the water looking this amazing. Don a hood and mask and everyone looks scrunched up like a boxing glove, but not this hottie. I’m so in!
So I’m basically sold. My friend was right. This is the direction for me. I scroll down to begin my journey of looking, feeling, and diving as a superhero. I scroll down to this:
Welp. I’m doomed. I’m going back to MODS where I’m promised the best fit coupled with style, but I have to suss out one more suit maker.
AQUALUNG
Of the six suits offered, two are tailored for women, and both come reasonably priced entry level suits and come in seven sizes. The website is hard to read because the text is all jumbled into a scramble, but what I gather is that these are neoprene suits and basically no frills. This may be the perfect thing for my warm water diving.
Of the three dive stores in Houston that carry Aqualung, one answered that they don’t carry the drysuits but can order them. The other two don’t answer the phone. Frustrating. I just can’t see ordering something and then not buying it. I am all about supporting small business, but I don’t want to waste their time and money.
The Winner Is…
MODS is hands down where I’m going to get my suit. Even tricked out to the max, this is the suit I want. I was delighted by their customer service, and when you can put a picture of your pet on your suit, or your boyfriend…you get it, customizable in appearance and specific fit for your proportions, for the money, or me, this is the drysuit to get.
