Diving suits are a kind of outer suit that divers wear to keep themselves warm during dives.
How do Diving Suits help?
The human body loses heat 25 times faster underwater than in air. Hence it is essential that divers have something on hand that keeps them warm especially during dives in colder conditions.
Diving suits offer that as it helps to trap heat by allowing small amounts of water to be heated up and circulated around the diving suit using one’s body heat. This helps keep the diver warm throughout the entire dive and can help prevent potential hazards such as hypothermia in colder waters.
What are the different kinds of Diving Suits?
There are many varying kinds of Diving Suits but the most common are Wetsuits & Drysuits.
Wetsuits are made of neoprene material and are designed to fit tightly against the skin to trap a thin layer of water between the body and suit. The trapped water is then warmed by the body's heat, providing insulation from the cold water. Wetsuits are available in varying thicknesses and styles, with shorties or springsuits being ideal for warmer waters and full-length wetsuits for colder waters.
Drysuits are designed to keep the diver completely dry and are typically made of a waterproof material such as Gore-Tex or vulcanized rubber. Drysuits usually have built-in boots and wrist seals, and the neck seal is attached to a hood to create a watertight seal around the head. Drysuits require specialized training to use and require additional equipment such as undergarments to provide insulation.
In addition to these two main types of suits, there are also semi-drysuits which are a hybrid of a wetsuit and drysuit. They are designed to minimize water exchange between the body and the suit, and are typically made with a neoprene core and waterproof seals at the neck, wrists, and ankles. Semi-drysuits offer some insulation properties, but not as much as a full drysuit.