FAQ about SEASOFT Drysuits!

Why doesn't SEASOFT SCUBA make a shell suit?

Concerning neoprene versus shell drysuits from Bruce Justinen, President of SEASOFT SCUBA

“We could make a shell suit very easily.  We could make a LOT of money by making shell suits.  The material is WAY cheaper than the expensive neoprene we are using.  So why don’t we?

Because I will not make anything I don’t believe in.  Try and convince me that a drysuit that has NO thermal protection, that has a HUGE amount of HYDRO-DRAG, that is way OVERPRICED, has UNRELIABLE seals, lousy boots, has a huge MIGRATION of air inside the suit (if you actually put air inside the drysuit,) requires an expensive, thick undergarment etc. etc. is something I should offer my customers.  Do I believe that I should make a product like this and that it is a better product than what we are making now? 

You cannot convince me, I have tried these shell suits, I have over 200 dives in them back in the 1980s and early 90s, they are inferior in so many ways and they remain inferior.  I will not take part in any of it even though there is a ton of money to be made in making these suits.”

 Shell Drysuits:

1. have NO thermal protection;

2. come with HUGE amounts of built-in HYDRO-DRAG;

3. are normally OVERPRICED;

4. have UNRELIABLE, cold and uncomfortable seals;

5. have lousy, bedroom slipper-like boots;  

6. have a huge MIGRATION of air inside the suit (if you actually put air inside the drysuit); (see Bruce Justinen's comments at the bottom of each SEASOFT Drysuit page);

7. require an expensive, thick undergarment;

Is this something SEASOFT should offer their customers?

We do not believe that we should make a product like this with these issues and until we can address them - we cannot build a shell suit. 

Why should you buy a SEASOFT Drysuit?

We entered 2 of our drysuits against the best in the dive industry in a comparison test of drysuits done in Oregon last year.  

See this link for the scorecard:  http://ads.bonniercorp.com/scuba/PDF/ScoringChart.pdf  

In a comparison test, done with real divers, in real conditions, where each diver wrote down their own scores independently from each other, SEASOFT's drysuits finished FIRST and SECOND.

Nobody makes better drysuits than SEASOFT because frankly no one makes drysuits like we do.

Again from Bruce Justinen, “The Best Drysuits reflect a great pattern designed not to save money but to make a wonderful, comfortable and dry suit!”

SEASOFT’s pattern requires the use of bigger pieces of material when cutting the suit; this drastically reduces the number of seams found in our drysuits, far fewer than other suits sold today.   Fewer seams make for a better fitting, stretchable, drier and tougher drysuit. 

All SEASOFT Drysuits incorporate this design pattern.  The front and back panels of all SEASOFT drysuits are constructed from ONE piece of neoprene.  Other suits incorporate more, (because it’s less expensive) but you end up with a cross-seam in the crotch.   This eventually leads to leaks.

SEASOFT incorporates a “RAGLAN” sleeve.  This wide, comfortable sleeve allows for full freedom of movement not found in any other drysuit.  You can move your arms without the pulling or binding found in other suits.  With no seams directly under the arms, you eliminate one of the places most other drysuits leak. 

Experienced and new divers love SEASOFT Drysuits because with both the larger sleeve AND the placement of the exhaust valve on the forearm you get a valve that exhausts approximately 5 X faster than a shoulder mounted exhaust valve. 

When you can dump air faster you have better buoyancy control and you won’t have an accidental ascent where you end up on the surface.  This is because you can dump air using the forearm mounted exhaust valve so efficiently.   When you feel the air expanding in your suit you can simply raise your arm and exhaust all or most of the air almost instantly if you have the exhaust valve open half to all the way.  This is so vastly superior to a shoulder mounted exhaust valve, which is jammed either into the suit itself or the undergarment, limiting the flow of air out of the suit.

All SEASOFT Drysuits incorporate: 

•  Our advanced pattern as outlined above;

•  SEASOFT’s built in STEALTH Boots™ with an elevated heel and an arch support underneath the sole, you won'tt find this on any other suit.

•  STRETCHTEX™ 3 MM seals that are warm, comfortable, durable and dry!

•  Forearm mounted exhaust valves (other valve placement is optional);

•  Two layers of Titanium Flake Foil Technology™ for added warmth and comfort.

Why did SEASOFT's Drysuit's finish so far ahead of everyone else?

You have all heard the expression "you get what you pay for!"   Most companies approach the development of a new product from a profit standpoint.  "We are going to make this product, how can we maximize our profitability on this product?"  Therefore, they find ways to cut corners or to cut costs to maximize profitability.  This leads to the making of choices at the design stage, all companies make these choices.  You can usually see the choices if you look.

SEASOFT SCUBA is owned by divers, it approaches all of its products differently.  We say, "if we were only going to make one of this product and it was only for me, how would I make it?"  We make the choices you would make if you were making it for yourself.  THEN, after we have designed the best product we can, we set the price.  After 28 years of business, our customers still tell us that our products are an incredible value.  We don't advertise a lot, we usually let word of mouth do our advertising for us.  

This approach to making a product "based on excellence not on profitability" is why we continue to excel and why we finished #1 and #2 in the Drysuit Shootout.

How do I care for my SEASOFT Drysuit, how do you properly care for a quality neoprene drysuit?

Your SEASOFT Drysuit should last for hundreds if nor thousands of great dives.  Here is how to properly care for your SEASOFT Drysuit.

STEALTH Drysuit Boots™ - NEVER take your boots off by stepping on the toe or heel of the boot with the other boot and attempting to pull your foot out of the boot.  This method of extracting your feet will eventually lead to leaks and the early destruction or separation of the boot from the leg.  

The correct method is to turn the leg inside out and pull your foot out by breaking the suction or vaccum of the boot by reaching a finger or fingers inside and slowly extracting your foot from the boot.  Always guard the integrity of the seam that connects the boot to the drysuit.  Never pull, stretch or tug on this seam.

SEASOFT's drysuit boots are manufactured by making a neoprene sock that is then attached to the athletic sole.  Occasionally water will penetrate the area between the sole and the neoprene sock. and you will see water exiting between the two layers.  This is not a reason to become alarmed.  Your foot will still remain dry.  It is very rare for the neoprene sock itself to allow water penetration, less than 0.5% of Seasoft boots ever leak.

STRETCHTEX Seals™ -  These seals are warmer, more reliable and more comfortable than latex or silicone seals.  However, if you tear, rip or put a hole in your STRETCHTEX Seal™ here is how to repair it.  You can even do this in the field.

Using Painter's Masking Tape - mark off the area around the tear, rip or hole leaving at least an inch from the edge of the damage to the tape.  Clean up the damaged area, make sure there is no sand, dirt, salt or other debris in the area.  If there are pieces of nylon fabric, Dina-Hide™, or fibers of loose, unsecured neoprene sticking out or up, cut them away with a small pair of very sharp scissors.

When the area is clean, dry and taped off take a tube of AQUASEAL™ and mix it with COTOL™ in a 3 to 1 mixture.  Stir them together until they become well mixed.  Keep your mixture covered between uses.  Now spread a very thin layer on the area you wish to repair, work it in well.  Let it dry, it should take 10 to 30 minutes depending on the humidity.  Now uncover your mixture and apply another thin coat and let it dry.  Repeat this one more time if desired.  Take off masking tape.  Your seal should perform well without leaking.

SEAL SEAMS - On the very rare occasion that you have a seam open up, and this information is mostly for you commercial divers who will occasionally spill a solvent on one seal causing the seal glue to delaminate, here is some useful information.  

First take COTOL or acetone and clean the edge of the seals with a brush.  Then take SEAL CEMENT™ and apply a thin layer to each side of the seal with a small fine art brush and let dry.  Repeat.  Repeat a third time and as the glue is getting tacky push the two sides of the seal together.  They should naturally stay and dry together.

Obviously, we perform all of these repairs ourselves and we do them with the expertise you will not have.  You also take a chance in voiding your warranty (not your overall warranty, we don't work that way) in a specific repair area.   We recommend you send your drysuit to us for repairs but we realize that not everyone has the time or funds to do so.

VALVES - These should be left to your Authorized SEASOFT Dealer to service.  However, they should be rinsed and cleaned in a sink while still attached to the suit.  Allow fresh, HOT (not boiling) water to run through your valves both on the inside and outside once every 10-25 dives for 60-90 seconds each.  Push the valve buttons and let water run through the valves (wear gloves to not get burned by the hot water).  Make sure you allow the water to exit the valve and let the valves dry before you store your drysuit.

Do NOT take the valves out of your drysuit unless you have been trained to do so.  Do NOT attempt to take your valves apart.

Ti-ZIP™ Zippers - No other part of a drysuit requires care like the zippers do of ALL drysuits and the Ti-ZIP™ is no exception.  This zipper is exceptional in its longevity and performance if taken care of properly.  It starts with lubrication - frequent and liberal silicone grease lubrication.  We exclusively recommend SEASOFT's new ABSILUBE™ pure, silicone grease.  This silicone grease is the same silicone grease used by NASA to lubricate satellites, rovers and other high tech applications.  Some of this equipment may only ever be greased ONE time, we wanted a silicone grease that was that good!

You should apply silicone grease to the zipper teeth every 2 - 4 dives, try to fill the space between the teeth, then open and shut the zipper 4-6 times after doing so to completely distribute the silicone all along the zipper and the zipper foundation.   You will find this keeps your TI-ZIP in "like new" condition and your zipper will glide easily and smoothly.

IMPORTANT:  The TI-ZIP must be allowed to dry out every day.  When the foundation of the TI-ZIP is allowed to stay chronically wet it is susceptible to the invasion of a common bacteria which will eventually break down the compounds that form the two rubber like strips that create the waterproof seal.  When these compounds break down you will find that chunks and pieces of these compounds break off when you open and close your TI-ZIP - effectively destroying the zipper.  Simply allow your SEASOFT Drysuit to dry with the zipper open before putting it away.  Never store a WET SEASOFT Drysuit in a closed bag for any long periods of time, especially in warmer temperatures.