Exposure Suits
Another important piece of Diving Gear and Equipment is the Exposure Suit. This is made and designed to protect your body against heat loss, animal stings, and cuts and abrasions. In general, this works just like your everyday clothing. One main difference is that you will use this on a different environment. One feature of an Exposure Suit is its ability to protect you from heat loss when underwater. This is important since as mentioned before, water carries heat away from the body faster than air.
Exposure Suits come in three basic types - Bodyskin, Scuba Diving Wetsuit, and Drysuit.
Bodyskin
This is lightweight, brightly-colored, and is made of nylon and Lycra for elasticity. It offers slight thermal protection so this is commonly used when diving in warm waters. Moreover, it provides ease of movement. However, Bodyskins deteriorate easily from abrasions.
Wetsuit
This type is made of neoprene which makes it elastic and easy to get into and out. Scuba Diving Wetsuits come in varying thickness. If you wear thick Wetsuits, it will give you more warmth. However, movement will not be that easy since a thick Exposure Suit is stiff. On the other hand, moving will be easier if you are wearing a less thick Wetsuit, but it will give you less thermal protection compared to a thicker one. Basically, it depends on the conditions you are diving in.
Aside from thickness, Wetsuits can be differentiated according to style. A 'shorty' covers your upper legs and upper body, while a 'long john' covers you starting from below your shoulders down to the ankles. It comes with a long-zipped jacket which serves as the second layer for your torso.
Make sure to take good care of your Wetsuit. Wash it with fresh water after every use. Turn it inside out and then hang it to dry and to avoid creasing.
Drysuit
This type covers your entire body. This is commonly used in very cold conditions, since Drysuits enable Divers to wear warm undergarments.
One feature that makes Drysuits varied is the material they are made of. A Membrane Drysuit is made of either a trilaminate of nylon, butyl rubber, and nylon, or vulcanized rubber. It has a covering that keeps water from entering the suit. However, it cannot keep you warm since it has no insulation properties so you have to wear warm undergarments.
There are Drysuits made of neoprene. This material has thermal insulation properties. The downside of this type of Drysuit is that as the Diver goes deeper, the neoprene is compressed, which results to loss of insulation and Buoyancy. That is why a modern Drysuit has a valve which enables the Diver to control Buoyancy. A low pressure direct feed is used to dump air through this built-in valve into the suit.
Knowing the different types and features of Exposure Suits makes it easier to decide what to wear on your dive. Consider some factors such as the water temperature and where you will be diving. The important thing is that your suit should do what it is designed for - to give you protection and comfort underwater.
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