Credit:   Waterproof

“Here at Waterproof (www.waterproof.se) we thought it was time to solve some common drysuit problems, so we went back to basics and designed the D1 Hybrid”, stated Christer Falkeborn, Waterproof CEO.

“Most divers know that water conducts heat away from our bodies far more efficiently than air, hence a drysuit should keep you warmer than a wetsuit. “I say ‘should’, but we’re also aware that the suit material and what you wear underneath also significantly impacts on a diver’s warmth - get it wrong and you freeze. In the last five years modern fabrics from the space race have certainly revolutionised thermal protection. However there is still potential for you to overheat and the body regulates this by sweating. On some dives, especially long ones in colder waters it can be possible to sweat up to two litres of water. Although the majority of thermal underwear is now designed to efficiently wick away moisture, it has to go somewhere, and it tends to end up on the inside of the drysuit. The result is a bad climate within the drysuit and potentially soggy or damp underwear. So we identified that there was a need to physically keep the wicked water completely away from the diver’s underwear.

We spotted another common drysuit problem after watching how a traditional drysuit behaves in the water during a dive. It didn’t matter whether it was a neoprene or membrane/shell/trilaminate suit, the diver would suffer from cold spots as a result of water and equipment pressure. Let me explain. One reason that trilaminate suits are popular is the behaviour of the suit material. Divers like that fact that what ever depth you dive to there is no change in buoyancy characteristics, ie the behaviour of the material remains the same, despite external water pressure increasing significantly with depth. However when it comes to the air inside the suit, it’s a different story. In traditional drysuits, be they neoprene or membrane, the pressure differential in the water column causes the air in the suit to be driven to the top of the suit, which ever orientation you are in. The effect can be quite subtle from a diver’s perspective, but there is no doubt that undergarments can get compressed in certain areas and the diver will suffer from cold spots.

Physical pressure from equipment can also produce cold spots. For example, a neoprene suit is excellent at initially protecting the body from a weight belt. However as soon as you go to depth, the closed air cell in the neoprene is compressed, hence it’s known as a variable volume insulation suit, and cold lead is effectively pressed against the divers body. So we wanted to take the benefits from both neoprene and shell drysuits and create a membrane suit in a material that would always have a constant volume of at least 4mm, regardless of the pressure caused by water or equipment.

With the launch of the D1 Hybrid Drysuit we have not only successfully solved these two problems; we’ve also created a cosy, warm yet sleek fitting lightweight suit. So what’s our secret? The DI Hybrid benefits from our patented built-in 3D high tech Mesh Spacing Material that fully lines the inside of the suit. It evenly distributes the pressure created by the water and diving equipment, whilst maintaining a constant distance to the outer shell. This constant distance ensures total body insulation as the flow of air within the suit is unrestricted, which means for the diver, no more cold spots. In addition the diver is physically protected from bumps and grazes from wrecks, and damp underwear, as wicked water is trapped against the suits inner shell away from the divers under garments.

You will also note that we have revisited traditional drysuit latex seals. Considered easy to don and doff when compared with neoprene seals, latex unfortunately has a limited life. Contact with certain chemicals (diving off RHIBs and fuel contamination) and Ozone and UV can cause them to crack and age so that they eventually fail and rip. It’s a common problem and usually occurs just before you’re about to get in the water. So it seemed appropriate to resolve all these problems by saying goodbye to Latex and sourcing a more appropriate fabric. Without a doubt Silicone is the superlative material for seals. Firstly it’s ideal for divers who have a latex allergy. What makes it perfect for the vast majority of divers is that it is not affected by chemicals, Ozone, UV and it has 40% more elasticity than latex. This combined with a glide coating on the inside of the seal gives the diver a sensual feeling of silk and makes donning and doffing the seals a wonderfully quick and easy experience. In fact it doesn’t matter if you’ve left your dive watch strapped to your wrist, you can just move the seal around it in seconds with no struggle.

We reviewed the design of the neck seal too, with the D1 Hybrid sporting a bellow shape seal. Being non centred, this is a far more ergonomic shape allowing the diver freedom of movement at all times. As with the wrist seals, they can be replaced in seconds in the field, which is a boon for any diver. With so many exciting revolutionary features we are looking forward to the D1 Hybrid Concept Suit becoming a reality”.