Scuba Diving Equipment: Maintaining Your Dry Suit

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy is a Dive Center in Northern Virginia that sells and services Scuba Diving Equipment.  Scuba Diving in Northern Virginia is often done in cold water so Dry Suit Scuba Diving is fairly popular in this area.  Scuba Diving with a Dry Suit allows scuba divers to dive in areas that are often too cold to dive with a wet suit.  It also allows scuba divers to scuba dive earlier or later in the dive season when the weather has turned cold.  Like any other piece of scuba diving equipment, the Dry Suit needs periodic care and some routine maintenance.

Clean Your Drysuit After the Dive

After diving with your drysuit you should make a point of giving it a thorough cleaning before storing it away.  Start by rinsing the outside of the drysuit with fresh water.  Try not to use any cleaners or detergents if possible on your drysuit.  Wipe the inside out with a moist sponge to remove perspiration.  If the dry suit leaked during the dive you might need to hose out the inside of the dry suit as well.  Gently brush the zipper with a soft brush to get grit and sound out of the zipper.  Wash the wrist and neck seals to remove suntan lotion, body oil and any dirt or grime.  Once it is rinsed and wiped clean hang the drysuit upside down to drain and to dry.

Storing Your Drysuit

When you are ready to store your drysuit away, lightly lubricate the zipper with bees wax or zipper lubricant.  Lightly dust your wrist and neck seals with pure talcum powder or corn starch.  Do not use baby powder or other scented powders as they may have petroleum based scents in them that could cause the seals to break down or degrade.  If you store your dry suit on a hanger make sure the zipper is open and let the suit breath to control odors.  If you fold your suit and store it in a bag close the zipper and make sure that you do not fold the suit over the zipper when folding or rolling the suit.  Always keep the zipper flat if possible.

Special Notes Regarding Drysuits

Get special scuba diving training before scuba diving with a Drysuit.  Courses like the PADI Dry Suit Specialist Course will teach you the basics of safely diving with a dry suit.

When diving with a drysuit it is important to use appropriate insulated underwear.  Regular underwear, even if warm enough, is not advisable.  You need underwear that will wick away moisture and perspiration to keep the surface of your body dry and warm.

When you are ready to scuba dive with your dry suit again, make sure to lubricate the zipper and dust the seals with powder to ease getting into the suit without damaging it.

Following these simple suggestions will help you enjoy your scuba diving dry suit for years to come.

Diving with a Drysuit is fun and can open up a whole new world of Aquatic Adventures.