Drysuits

Cold-water diving doesn't have to include cutting dives short or spending surface intervals shivering. A quality drysuit helps you stay warm and dry, focused, and comfortable from pre-dive checks through decompression stops.

A drysuit is ideal for exploring local quarries year-round or diving in waters where temperatures consistently drop below 60°F. The right drysuit can turn your cold-water diving from an uncomfortable experience into one you'll actually look forward to.

Divers Supply carries drysuits from Aqua Lung, Cressi, Hollis, Pinnacle, and Seac. These international, best-selling manufacturers have mastered the differences between recreational and technical divers' needs and requirements, and they build suits that reflect them.

When Drysuits Make Sense

Diving in cold water

If you're regularly diving in water below 60°F, a drysuit is the practical choice to keep you warm.

A 7mm wetsuit might get you through a single cold dive, but the thermal protection degrades as neoprene compresses at depth, and you're still dealing with that initial cold shock when water floods the suit. With a drysuit, you stay completely dry, layer your insulation to match conditions, and stay consistently warm regardless of depth or dive duration.

Technical divers

For technical divers, the calculation is different. Cold stress affects decompression efficiency, increases gas consumption, and compromises your decision-making when you need it most.

When you're planning dives with significant decompression requirements or extended bottom times, you must stay warm for your safety. Dry suits provide technical divers with the thermal comfort needed for complex dive profiles where a wetsuit simply won't cut it.

Quick comparison of wetsuits vs drysuits

The comparison isn't about one type being universally better. Wetsuits are great in warm waters; they cost less and are easier to put on and take off. Drysuits are more expensive, require buoyancy-management skills, and require regular maintenance.

But if your diving consistently takes you into cold environments, or if you're moving into technical diving, a drysuit is the obvious choice because it’s the right piece of equipment.

Drysuit Materials: What Actually Matters

Drysuit design and material choices fall into three main categories, as they affect how the suit handles, its cost, and its longevity.

Neoprene

Crushed neoprene drysuits are durable and have inherent thermal properties. The material itself provides some insulation even without undergarments, giving you a safety margin if your primary insulation fails.

Neoprene suits are virtually indestructible, which comes in handy in environments with sharp objects, wreckage, or abrasive surfaces: crushed neoprene handles the abuse better than any alternative. The tradeoff is weight and bulk, both in the water and during travel. Crushed neoprene suits also cost more than comparable membrane suits.

Trilaminate and membrane

Trilaminate and membrane drysuits are lightweight and packable.

These suits serve only as waterproof shells; all your thermal protection comes from what you wear underneath. They give you tremendous flexibility to adjust insulation for different conditions, but they provide zero warmth on their own.

Trilaminate suits are ideal for divers who travel frequently or who need a single suit that can handle a wide temperature range by swapping undergarments. They're also significantly lighter and easier to manage on the surface.

Hybrid designs

Hybrid designs blend both approaches: they use tougher materials in high-wear areas and keep weight down elsewhere. Some pro manufacturers add reinforced panels at the knees, elbows, and seat, which are the areas where divers actually make contact with surfaces during typical diving.

What’s the best drysuit material?

It really depends on your diving:

• Diving wrecks regularly: Crushed neoprene's durability justifies the extra weight.
• Traveling to different dive sites with varying conditions: A trilaminate suit with a good undergarment system makes more sense.
• Local cold-water diving with minimal travel: Either works, so the decision shifts to budget and personal preference.

Drysuit Seals, Zippers, and Valves

The components that keep water out and manage air flow determine how well a dry suit actually functions.

Neck and wrist seals

Neck and wrist seals come in latex, silicone, or neoprene.

• Latex seals create the best watertight barrier, especially at the latex wrist, but require careful handling and degrade over time with exposure to oils, UV, and ozone.
• Silicone seals last longer and are more resistant to sunscreen and other chemicals, but they're less common and often cost more to replace.
• Neoprene seals, usually found on suits designed for extreme cold, provide more comfort but less precise sealing. You'll get some water seepage, which might be acceptable depending on your tolerance and dive conditions.

Drysuit Zippers

A zipper counts more than most divers realize before they own a drysuit.

• Metal zippers create a more secure seal and generally last longer, but they're heavier and less flexible.
• Plastic zippers are lighter and easier to manoeuver, but they're more prone to failure if not maintained properly.
• Front-entry zippers let you don and doff the suit independently, which is a key advantage if you're solo diving or don't always have a buddy available.
• Back-entry zippers usually cost less but require assistance.

Inflator and exhaust valves

Inflator and exhaust valves control the air inside your suit during descent and ascent. Quality valves are key in buoyancy control. Cheap valves stick, leak, or fail at inconvenient moments. The brands we carry at Divers Supply all use reliable valve systems. Remember that valve placement affects how easily you can control your buoyancy in different body positions.

Our Brands

Aqualung

Aqualung's drysuit components-particularly their seal systems-reflect decades of cold-water diving experience. Their silicone seals are durable and comfortable, helping you minimize the hassle of frequent seal replacements.

Cressi

Cressi's Desert drysuit brings Italian engineering to cold-water diving. The 4mm crushed neoprene construction balances durability with reasonable weight, and the suit's cut accommodates a wide range of body types without requiring custom sizing for most divers. This is a workhorse suit for recreational divers who need reliable cold-water protection without moving into the premium price tier.

Hollis

Hollis builds drysuits for technical diving. The DX300 includes features that matter when you're doing long decompression dives, such as durable construction in high-wear areas, thoughtful pocket placement for stage bottles and gear, and a cut that accommodates multiple equipment configurations. If you're diving regularly in doubles and stages, Hollis is what you need.

Pinnacle

Pinnacle offers options at different price ranges.

• The Tahoe delivers solid performance for recreational divers at a competitive price. It’s a practical choice if you're regularly diving in cold water but don't need technical features.
• The Evolution 2 steps up with improved materials and construction details that technical and serious recreational divers will appreciate.

Both suits are good value in their respective categories.

Seac

Seac's Warmdry provides entry-level pricing without compromising on the fundamentals. For divers transitioning from wetsuits to drysuits, or for those who occasionally dive in cold water rather than consistently, the Warmdry is a lower barrier to entry that delivers reliable waterproofing.

How to Choose Your First Drysuit

New drysuit buyers often fixate on getting the perfect suit immediately. In practice, your first drysuit teaches you what you actually need from your second one.

Focus on the fundamentals:

• proper wrists and neck seal fit
• sufficient room for base layers without excessive bulk
• a reputable brand with available parts, service support, and an accessible dealer locator.

What is your diving?

If you're diving locally and don't travel much, you want something durable, even if it’s not easily packable. A heavier crushed neoprene suit that lasts fifteen years beats a lightweight suit that's slightly easier to pack but won't hold up to your diving environment.

If you're traveling to different cold-water destinations, the calculation flips: a practical trilaminate shell with a good undergarment system gives you more flexibility for different diving conditions.

Boost vs. sock feet

Attached boots simplify your gear setup and eliminate one potential leak point, but they limit your fin options and make the suit bulkier.

Integrated socks require separate boots but offer greater fin flexibility and make the suit easier to pack for travel.

How are you going to use your drysuit?

Think about how you'll actually use the suit.

• Recreational divers doing single-tank cold-water dives have different requirements than technical divers planning long decompressions.
• Wreck divers need tougher materials in high-abrasion areas.
• Ice divers need suits that handle extreme cold without seal failures.

Match the suit to your primary diving activity rather than trying to find one that covers every possible scenario.

Drysuit Accessories and Maintenance

Accessories

Replacement seals, proper undergarments, and maintenance supplies are part of owning a drysuit. We stock replacement seals for the brands we carry, along with seal repair kits and zipper maintenance supplies. Backup seals save downtime when a seal tears before a planned dive trip.

Proper undergarments

Undergarments count as much as the suit itself. A trilaminate shell with inadequate insulation underneath leaves you just as cold as a poorly designed wetsuit. Purpose-built drysuit undergarments are worth the investment over improvised fleece layers. They're cut to move with you underwater and manage moisture better than street clothes.

Maintenance

Regular maintenance extends the lifespan of your span. Given that it’s a significant investment, it makes sense to spend a little time after each dive caring for your drysuit.

• Rinse thoroughly after every dive, with special attention to zipper teeth and valve mechanisms.
• Store the suit on a wide hanger in a cool, dry location, away from ozone sources such as electric motors.
• Lubricate zippers according to the manufacturer's specifications: use paraffin wax for metal zippers and zipper-specific lubricants for plastic zippers.
• Check seals before each dive season and replace them at the first sign of cracking or loss of elasticity.

Dive Cold. Stay Warm. Shop Drysuits at Divers Supply.

Cold water shouldn't dictate your dive calendar. Divers Supply carries drysuits from Aqua Lung, Cressi, Hollis, Pinnacle, and Seac - tested brands built for recreational divers, technical divers, and everyone pushing their limits in cold water.

Whether you're gearing up for your first cold-water season or upgrading to a suit that matches your technical diving, our team will help you find the right fit, material, and seal system for how you actually dive.

Browse our full drysuit selection online or contact our team directly! The right suit is one click away.

FAQs

How difficult is it to dive in a drysuit?

Drysuit diving requires additional training beyond basic open water certification, but the learning curve isn't steep. Most divers feel comfortable managing drysuit buoyancy after 5-10 dives. A drysuit specialty course covers the essentials and prevents expensive mistakes while you're learning.

Can I use my drysuit in warmer water?

Technically, yes, but it's not comfortable. Drysuits work best below 60°F. In warmer conditions, you'll overheat even with minimal undergarments. If you're diving in different water temperatures, a wetsuit for warm water and a drysuit for cold water make more sense than trying to use one suit for everything.

How long do drysuits last?

With proper maintenance, the suit shell lasts 10-15 years. Seals need to be replaced every 2-4 years, depending on use and care. Zippers can last the life of the suit if properly maintained, or fail within a few years if neglected. The full cost of ownership is lower than the cost of replacing wetsuits every 2-3 years if you dive regularly in cold water.

What's the break-in period for a new drysuit?

There's minimal break-in because dry suits don't conform to your body as wetsuits do. The adjustment period is more about learning buoyancy management and getting comfortable with the suit's specific characteristics than about waiting for the material to soften.

Do I need a custom-fitted drysuit?

Most men and women divers do fine with off-the-rack sizing. Custom suits make sense if you're outside standard sizing ranges, have specific mobility requirements, or dive frequently enough that optimizing the fit justifies the additional cost and lead time. For your first drysuit, stock sizing is usually fine.