Looking to head for colder waters this year? Perhaps you have found some of the best winter diving destinations and need a drysuit to add to your scuba gear collection?
Drysuits are an essential piece of diving gear, as are diving gloves. when recreational diving in cold waters as they provide insulation and to help your body to retain heat. They are designed to keep water out which helps maintain your body temperature for longer during your exposure to the cold water on your dive. Look here to learn more about warming yourself up after a chilly dive to the deep.
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Top Rated Drysuits for Scuba Diving
A more experienced and frequent diver and especially technical divers should also choose a drysuit over a regular wetsuit because they last much longer. Even though they might cost a little more at first, in the long run, you are spending less.
Learn the difference between a wetsuit and a drysuit here. The best dry suits are notoriously hard to shop for, unlike most accessories and gear. This is because the fit is everything so you need to take careful measurements before buying one online. Fortunately, we have everything covered for you with these top diving dry suits and buying guides to help you find the right type for you.
1. Toughest Design: Aqualung Fusion Bullet with Air Core
Few designs can stand up to as rough conditions as the Aqualung Fusion Bullet. The company has included genius elements of technology like the AirCore inner and dual-layers, that make this one of the best performing dry diving suit.
There is no need to rely on your dive buddy when putting this on as it is a fully front entry suit and comes with the Rapid Zip System that Aqualung uses on this design you can quickly and easily remove the outer neoprene layer for faster drying, but if you want to update your look then it is also handy for that.
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Aqualung comes with Airmesh suspenders that are compression resistant adding not only extra insulation but comfort. The seals are silicone offering greater comfort compared to latex seals, especially around the neck area.
The Fusion system distributes air evenly inside the suit that helps maintain correct trim and buoyancy. But the real advantage of this model is that you can fix any tears in the silicone seals should the worst happen. It also features a low profile auto exhaust valve which means hands-free buoyancy adjustments, excellent for technical divers, and offers excellent thermal protection.
Why We Liked it
- Quick self entry
- Silicone seals can be fixed
- Outer layers can be replaced
2. Best Flexibility: Scubapro Evertec LT
Looking at first glance, this does not seem like a dry suit that offers much movement because it is on the bulkier side but you couldn’t be more wrong. Once you have hoisted yourself in you’ll be grateful for the roomy design with excellent flexibility.
Scubapro created its own special material called rip-stop which is heavy-duty but still remains lightweight enough for underwater movement, it has large cargo pockets fitted with D-rings for any dive accessories or equipment that you might want with you.
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It comes with seamless neoprene socks and an anatomically shaped hood and has a diagonal front Ti-Zip MasterSeal for ease on putting on. With its many features of which we have only mentioned a few, this certainly deserves a place on our best drysuit for diving list.
Why We Liked it
- Great material
- Large cargo pockets on pants
- Telescopic torso with elastic crotch strap
3. Best Overall: Scubapro Everdry 4mm Dry Suits
The ScubaPro Everdry is one of the most recommended in neoprene drysuit reviews available today. Made from a 4mm high-density neoprene material, this suits’ best selling point is that it weighs 50 percent less than the traditional models. Making it great for traveling with if you are going on a recreational dive trip.
The neoprene within this model has been made to resist compression at depth so that the suit can be worn with a thin undergarment or using no undergarment at all and comes with the heavy-duty back shoulder-to-shoulder metal zip that is covered by a neoprene over-flap for added protection.
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It features scuba Si-Tech for a balanced side-activated Inlet and adjustable outlet valves allowing for pinpoint buoyancy control and helping to increase stability and control at depth.
Attached are the most durable rubber boots and each seal is made of comfortable, easily fixed silicone. If you are looking for top quality and performance, there is nothing that beats this suit for diving.
Why We Liked it
- Unmatched waterproof and warmth levels
- Very sturdy boots
- Anatomical design
- Warm cuffs
- Suitable with all hood materials
4. Best Affordable Drysuits: Hollis Men’s Neotek Semi-Dry suit
This Hollis men’s design is a great affordable dry suit made of neoprene with a thickness of 8/7/6 mm. The material is strong, stretches nicely for a good fit, and is flexible enough to get in and out of without too much hassle.
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The inner lining is LavaSkin which the brand is known for. All arms and legs have an internal dam to prevent leaking and the seams are double glued with a blind stitch making this one of the more truly waterproof suits.
Why We Liked it
- Lavaskin inner lining
- Great waterproof design elements
- Internal dams at wrists, neck, and ankles
5. Best for Professional Divers: Pinnacle Evolution 2 Unisex Dry suit
The commercial diving dry suits and the suits of professional divers have to go through a lot of use, so you need one that has minimal wear and tear. Pinnacle Evolution 2 is incredibly tough yet manages to remain super comfortable to wear, as well.
This dry suit is made with heavy-duty all Cordura construction which protects against cuts and abrasions while still providing the wearer with plenty of flexibility. It has a telescopic torso and elastic crotch strap which gives you an even better range of motion.
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The design includes boots so you will have to buy neoprene dive socks separately. However, it does come complete with a hood, inflation hose, suspenders, and a carry bag.
This model is made to order so you may have to wait a while until it is delivered. However, Pinnacle also offers custom sizes so you know it will be perfect for your size.
Why We Liked it
- Extremely durable
- Comfortable fit for both men and women
- Great range of motion
- Custom-fit available
6. Best Thinner Neoprene: SEAC Warm Dry Neoprene Suit
SEAC is one of the most trusted brands for diving equipment and this example is no different. This excellent neoprene suit is designed for the most fanatic recreational divers with heavy-duty materials and fast-drying semi-rigid boots.
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At the three most crucial spots for potential leaking, SEAC has taken extra measures to keep the cold water out. This includes blind stitching with an inner layer of neoprene tape, aquastop wrist seals and a glide skin taped collar.
Why We Liked it
- Molds to your body
- Textured seat to prevent tearing
- High-density neoprene
- Fast-drying semi-rigid boots
- Plenty of storage space for diving gear
For a very quick recap, Here are our Top 3 Products:
- Telescopic Torso
- Durable Material
- Excellent Flexibility
- Removable Suspenders
- Rapid Zip System
- Extremely Durable
- Airmesh Suspenders
- Dual-layers
- 4mm Neoprene
- Weightless
- Very Sturdy Boots
- Anatomical Design
Drysuits Buying Guide
A dry suit is a very personal piece of gear and must be right for you, they are also one of the most important investments for scuba divers. So, do your research on the models that you like and make sure that the fit is right.
To help you weed out the suitable from the less appropriate designs here is a quick guide to finding your best dry suit options. Don’t know how to put on a drysuit? Click here to watch a video.
Neoprene vs Membrane Materials
The first deciding factor is the material, either a thick neoprene suit or a membrane drysuit that consists of several laminated layers. There are variations of each.
There are three types of neoprene dive suits, Regular, Compressed neoprene, and Crushed neoprene. Essentially, this refers to how thick the actual dry suit neoprene is with a Regular being the thickest.
Compressed neoprene and crushed neoprene have both been reworked into a thinner material that has less effect on your buoyancy. Crushed neoprene is the thinnest option and also affect buoyancy the least.
Membrane dry suits are made of several layers of waterproof materials, many consists of three layers called a trilaminate suit. Which specific materials are used differs per model with many brands creating their own custom combination but you must choose right one for the conditions you will be diving in.
In most cases, the ‘membrane’ has a tough waterproof outer, a flexible layer in the middle, mesh and a softer inner for comfort. Though providing you with better flexibility, a membrane dry suit does not offer you as much warmth as a neoprene suit.
Seals
The seals at your wrists, ankles, and the neck seal or hood are the most important design details in a cold water dive suit because they are the key to keeping you dry and warm. The three most common seal materials are neoprene, latex, and silicone.
Neoprene seals are the strongest material but usually cannot be worn with gloves. Latex is one of the best options for practical reasons but it is less durable. That leaves silicone which is the most comfortable on your skin. However, a ring system has to be in place to prevent premature tearing.
Socks vs Boots
If given the option of what footwear comes with the suit, always choose a dry suit with dive socks. Scuba socks are the more flexible design and you can wear another layer over them while boots are stiffer and only allow for wearing socks underneath.
The advantage of socks is that you can wear them with rock boots, a more flexible alternative to the boots attached to a suit. Rock boots are another highly personal piece of gear and so also the better choice for customization.
Scuba diving boots attached to a dry suit do cut down on how much gear you need but it offers you less flexibility. They are also not as sturdy as rock boots and less likely to be a good fit since most models are universal sizes.
Frequently Asked Questions about Drysuits
We hope these reviews and the buying guide have set you on the path to finding the dry suit that is perfect for your next dive experience. Here we will now answer some of the questions that we get are the most when talking about dry suits.
Which is warmer wetsuit or drysuit?
Generally speaking, when comparing drysuit vs wetsuit for warmth it would be the drysuit that is warmer. But this does depend on the design of the suit itself. Generally, if you are wearing a divers dry suit you would need a mixture of undergarments and air in the suit, depending on how deep you are for thermal protection.
How does a drysuit work?
A drysuit works not only because it keeps you dry but by keeping a layer of air in between the diver and the suit, this is because air conducts heat away from the body slower than water. Depending on the dry suit, for extra thermal protection divers will wear undergarments.
Do drysuits keep you dry?
With the aid of silicone or latex seals and waterproof zippers, drysuits will keep you dry. They are looser fitting than wetsuits so extra layers for warmth can be worn.
Whereas, if you were wondering, do wetsuits keep you dry? the answer would be no they don’t.
What are drysuits used for?
Drysuits are used by divers, for water sports and boaters, etc, for when they are in cold water conditions as when comparing wetsuits vs dry suits the later will give better insulation and will keep the person warmer for longer.
