Drysuits

Drysuits seal you off from the water rather than warming the water around you, which is what makes year-round UK diving realistic. Our range runs from lightweight membrane suits that pack for travel through to heavy trilaminate and neoprene suits built for technical work, in men's and women's cuts. We stock Santi, Fourth Element, Waterproof, Bare, Avatar and Apeks, and we fit suits in person, including made to measure.

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What a drysuit actually does

A drysuit seals at the neck and wrists and keeps a layer of air around you. Your warmth comes from what you wear underneath and from that trapped air, not from the suit itself. That is why a drysuit lets you keep diving British water through the winter instead of putting the kit away in October.

It also changes how you dive. You are managing a second gas space, so you inflate and vent through valves on the chest and shoulder as depth changes. Every suit in this collection comes with inlet and outlet valves fitted: Apeks valves on the Santi suits and the Avatar Airon 102, SI TECH on the Waterproof range, and a choice of either on Fourth Element's Argonaut suits.

Membrane, hybrid and neoprene

Fabric is the first real decision. It sets how the suit feels to move in, how much abuse it will take, and how much you have to wear underneath it.

Membrane and trilaminate

Most of this range is membrane or trilaminate. The shell is waterproof but carries no insulation of its own, so one suit can cover a summer quarry dive and a January wreck depending on what goes under it. The Santi E.Space and Enduro sit at the tougher end, built for technical, cave and wreck work. Bare's Aqua-Trek 1 Tech Dry, Aqua-Trek 1 Pro Dry and Aqua Trek Evo use a Cordura Nylon Oxford four-layer fabric that packs down well for travel. The Avatar 101 and Airon 102 are breathable nylon membrane suits, and the Apeks ThermiQ Dry uses a lightweight four-layer breathable fabric with neoprene socks rather than fitted boots.

Neoprene

The Waterproof D10 PRO ISS is the neoprene suit here, in men's and ladies' cuts, built on a Toughtex outer fabric over limestone neoprene. Because the insulation lives in the material, the suit carries part of the thermal job itself, which many divers find more forgiving in cold water. The trade is weight and packed bulk.

Hybrid construction

Fourth Element's Argonaut Stealth Hybrid 3.0 splits the difference: flexible Stealth nylon trilaminate across the upper body where you need to reach valves, and tougher Flex polyester trilaminate below, where shore entries do the damage. The Argonaut Flex 3.0 runs the heavier Flex fabric throughout, and the Argonaut Stealth 3.0 sits alongside them. Waterproof's D1X Hybrid ISS is their insulated constant-volume design, available in standard, men's and ladies' versions.

Fit, sizing and made to measure

A drysuit that does not fit is more than uncomfortable. Loose fabric bunches, adds drag and traps air where you do not want it. Most suits here use a telescopic torso with internal braces, so you can shorten the body for diving and let it out again on the surface.

Standard sizing covers most divers. Where it does not, several of these ranges are built to order. Santi suits can be ordered made to measure from their self-measure forms, and every Fourth Element Argonaut 3.0 is cut to the diver using the BIOMAP 3D body-mapping system. If you would rather not measure yourself at home, come in for a personalised fitting. It is the single most useful thing you can do before committing to a suit.

Women's cuts

Several ranges are cut for women rather than scaled down from a men's pattern. Santi's Ladies First versions of the E.lite plus and E.Motion plus use a lowered waistline and curved side panels. Waterproof offers ladies' versions of the D1X Hybrid ISS, D10 PRO ISS and D3 Ergo, and the Avatar 101 comes in a women's cut.

Seals, valves and dry gloves

Neck and wrist seals are the parts you will replace during the life of the suit, so how easily they change is worth weighing at the point of purchase. Santi fits its SmartSeals system, Avatar its Smart Seals system, and Waterproof uses SI TECH neck rings with a QCS ring system at the wrists and silicone seals as standard. The Apeks ThermiQ Dry has a flexible neck ring and user-replaceable oval wrist seals. Fourth Element's Argonaut suits can be specified with Ellipse, Ultima, PSI or QCP seal systems.

If you dive cold water regularly, dry gloves tend to follow. The Waterproof D1X Hybrid ISS, D10 PRO ISS and D3 Ergo are optimised for the ULTIMA dry glove system, and Avatar's cuffs are built to take its Smart Gloves system. Our Drygloves collection covers what fits what.

What to buy alongside the suit

Plan the undersuit at the same time as the suit. With a membrane drysuit the undersuit is doing all of the insulating, and the wrong one will leave you cold inside an otherwise excellent suit. Our Drysuit Undersuits collection sits next to this one for exactly that reason.

Most suits here arrive with a hood and a travel bag, and several include an inflation hose as well, so check the individual listing before buying those separately. What is worth deciding is boots against socks. Fitted boots are simpler and ready to dive; neoprene socks worn with rock boots let you tune the fit inside the fin and pack smaller. Fourth Element and Apeks both offer sock options.

Frequently asked questions

Which drysuit brands does Oyster Diving stock?

Six: Santi, Fourth Element, Waterproof, Bare, Avatar and Apeks. Santi is the deepest range here, covering the E.Lite, E.lite plus, E.Motion plus, E.Space, Enduro and Edge, with Ladies First cuts on several of them. Fourth Element brings the made-to-measure Argonaut Stealth 3.0, Argonaut Stealth Hybrid 3.0 and Argonaut Flex 3.0. Waterproof covers the D1X Hybrid ISS, D10 PRO ISS and D3 Ergo in men's and ladies' versions. Bare has the Aqua-Trek 1 Tech Dry, Aqua-Trek 1 Pro Dry and Aqua Trek Evo, Avatar the 101 and the Airon 102, and Apeks the ThermiQ Dry.

Membrane or neoprene: which should I choose?

Membrane and trilaminate suits make up most of what we stock. The shell has no insulation of its own, so your warmth comes entirely from the undersuit. That makes one suit adaptable across the seasons and easier to pack for travel. Neoprene, which in this range means the Waterproof D10 PRO ISS, has insulation built into the material, so the suit itself carries part of the thermal job. It is bulkier to pack in return. If you dive UK water year-round and also travel, a membrane suit with the right undersuit is usually the more flexible answer.

Do I need a proper drysuit undersuit?

With a membrane or trilaminate suit, yes. The drysuit keeps the water out; the undersuit is what keeps you warm. A trilaminate suit worn over ordinary base layers will leave you cold no matter how good the suit is. Purpose-made undersuits also loft properly under the suit and do not bunch when you move. We stock them alongside the suits in our Drysuit Undersuits collection, and it is worth choosing suit and undersuit together so the fit works as one system.

Can I have a drysuit made to measure?

Yes. Santi suits can be ordered made-to-measure using their self-measure forms, and every Fourth Element Argonaut 3.0 is built to the individual diver using the BIOMAP 3D body-mapping system. You can also come into the shop for a personalised fitting rather than measuring yourself at home. On a suit this important to get right, we would always rather put a tape measure on you than have you guess from a size chart.

Will my drysuit take dry gloves?

Usually, but the ring system on the cuffs decides which gloves fit. The Waterproof D10 PRO ISS and D3 Ergo are optimised for the ULTIMA dry glove system. Avatar's Smart Seals cuffs are built to accept its Smart Gloves system. Fourth Element's Argonaut suits can be specified with Ellipse, Ultima, PSI or QCP seal systems, and Santi's SmartSeals rings and the Apeks ThermiQ Dry's oval wrist seals are both designed for tool-free seal changes. Tell us which suit you dive and we will point you at the right set from our Drygloves range.

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