Before diving into this article, we recommend checking out the piece shared by instructor 陳徵蔚: Can You Dive in Cold Winter Water? An Instructor Shares the Secret Weapon: the Drysuit. It'll give you a solid foundation on drysuits before we bust every myth surrounding them! First, take a look at the behind-the-scenes footage of our drysuit experience session below to whet your appetite!
Drysuit Myth #1: They're Too Expensive — NT$50,000–60,000+ Makes Them Nearly Impossible to Buy
As instructor 陳徵蔚 mentioned in the article above, a drysuit can last well over 10 years with normal use. If you're buying brand new at NT$50,000, consider this: a typical wetsuit compresses under water pressure over roughly three years, gradually losing its thermal protection. Weighed against that, a drysuit actually holds its value quite well!
On top of that, because Japanese waters tend to be cold, many Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI cert) courses there are taught alongside drysuit courses, meaning a lot of people buy drysuits and later sell them. The second-hand drysuit market is thriving — you might even find one at a quarter of the original price. Combine that with drysuits' long lifespan, and there are real bargains to be found!
But… and this is a very important But — fit is everything with a drysuit. Even the slightest misfit can cause a leak, while a suit that's too loose will trap excess air inside, making neutral buoyancy a nightmare to manage. For example, you and I might both be 180 cm and 75 kg, but if your neck circumference is larger, the neck seal could feel uncomfortably tight, while a neck seal that's too small may leak. Height, weight, foot length, belly size — all of these variables can determine whether your drysuit is comfortable or waterproof. That's why many top international drysuit brands emphasize custom tailoring, aiming to achieve the perfect fit for your body. Beyond fit, drysuits have many components, and every single one is a factor to consider. Buying a drysuit online without trying it on first is, therefore, an extremely high-risk move.
Getting into a drysuit is an art in itself
Drysuit Myth #2: You Only Need One in Cold Winter Water — There's No Point in Taiwan
Beyond keeping you warm by preventing water from contacting your body, a drysuit offers an added bonus: because water never actually touches you, you step out of the water completely dry, so you won't feel chilled once you're back on land. For instance, when the Editor visited Green Island for diving in April, the water temperature was a pleasant 26°C — but the air temperature on shore was only 21°C. Whether riding the boat back into the wind after a boat dive or hopping on a scooter, staying warm was a real challenge.
That's why in Taiwan you'll still see instructors suiting up in drysuits when the weather turns even slightly cool. It's a huge win for anyone who gets cold easily.
Don't forget to wear your stylish dive computer, the MISSION ONE
Drysuit Myth #3: What Do You Do When You Need to Use the Bathroom?
Some drysuits are designed with a pee valve (Pee Valve), and higher-end models even feature a zipper for convenience — though neither the inconvenience nor the price tag is insignificant. Some experienced divers doing long drysuit dives even resort to wearing adult diapers, which only adds to the perceived barrier to entry.
But… and again, this is a very important But — the reason we feel the urge to urinate so frequently in a wetsuit is that contact with water triggers a chain of physiological responses in the body, such as the effects of water pressure and the body's reaction to immersion. Because a drysuit completely isolates you from the water, your urge to go is virtually the same as it is on land. Unless you're a technical diver spending extended time underwater for decompression stops or long dives, a standard recreational scuba tank gives you a maximum dive time of around 45 minutes — and that's unlikely to have you desperately searching for a bathroom underwater.
For integrated-boot drysuits, foot size is a key consideration when choosing
A Word from Our Sponsor:
If you'd like to find out whether a drysuit suits your style of movement before committing to buying one, do you really have to bite the bullet and purchase one outright? In 2020, Divingmate has prepared a series of standard-sized neoprene drysuits for a drysuit experience session, so you can try one out before you buy and discover that drysuits aren't as out of reach as you might think.
Drysuit Experience Course
The drysuit experience course begins with a briefing covering the basic characteristics of drysuits — including how to put one on and take it off, an overview of the key components, and the all-important concepts for underwater operation. After the briefing, participants move to a shallow pool where, suited up in a drysuit, they go through a bubble test, practice rolling over and standing up in the water, and get a feel for the compression sensation of the suit. Of course, hands-on practice with inflating and deflating the suit's components is also part of the session.
The biggest fear when wearing a drysuit underwater is air migrating to the legs, causing you to flip upside-down and float up uncontrollably. So in addition to practicing neutral buoyancy (note: if you're wearing a neoprene drysuit, you may need to add around 4 kg of weight), the most critical skill is managing emergency situations.
Based on the Editor's own drysuit experience, underwater operation in a drysuit is actually not that difficult — and because air distributes evenly across your back underwater, maintaining a perfect trim position becomes surprisingly easier. Want to experience that wonderfully dry feeling when you surface? Get in touch with Divingmate and schedule your drysuit experience session now!
A drysuit extends your dive season — say goodbye to being cold
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