Drysuits are an essential piece of gear for divers in cold-water regions, but as the diving population across Asia continues to grow, drysuit market share has been climbing year after year. Beyond exceptional thermal protection, drysuits offer additional advantages such as isolation from polluted water and the ability to step straight into a cabin after a boat dive without needing to shower — benefits that have earned them a loyal following in the dive market. Historically, however, drysuit manufacturers have relied on imports from factories in Europe and North America, meaning that whenever a suit needed repair, the only option was to ship it back to the factory by air freight — a process that was both time-consuming and expensive.
Fortunately, Junior Scuba (捷你爾), the Taiwanese distributor for Waterproof, introduced Taiwan's first drysuit repair facility in 2023 and invited Waterproof's factory Product Manager Henrik Borg to Taiwan to share his invaluable drysuit repair expertise. The goal: to give drysuit users in Taiwan access to high-quality, cost-effective repair services. Follow the Editor as we pull back the curtain on Taiwan's very first drysuit repair center!
Waterproof factory Product Manager Henrik Borg
Waterproof — Winner of the 2018 Best Drysuit Award
"FACING REALITY" is the brand ethos that has driven Waterproof since the company was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1984. Every Waterproof product must confront the icy waters and harsh diving conditions of Northern Europe, and each one undergoes rigorous simulated testing in-house — using a specialized machine that Henrik Borg jokingly likens to a washing machine — to evaluate the durability of seams and materials under extreme conditions, so that every suit is truly ready to face the most demanding real-world diving environments.
Every Waterproof product undergoes rigorous testing before leaving the factory to ensure quality standards are met
Waterproof also actively embraces environmentally responsible corporate CSR policies — for example, packaging used when shipping drysuits is designed to minimize single-use plastic waste. That said, the materials used to manufacture drysuits are themselves synthetic, and a viable eco-friendly alternative has yet to emerge in the near term. For that reason, Henrik Borg believes Waterproof's mission is to engineer products that are as durable as possible, extending their lifespan for as long as they can and thereby reducing the overall consumption of the Earth's resources.
Beyond the drysuits themselves, Waterproof offers a full lineup of drysuit accessories and complementary gear
How to Check a Drysuit for Leaks
As dive time and the number of dives accumulate, leaking is an issue every drysuit owner will inevitably encounter. Causes range from cuts by sharp objects and stress on stitching to punctures from small rocks — all can result in water ingress. Before Taiwan had a proper drysuit repair facility, shops had no choice but to air-freight suits back to the factory, a process that ate up enormous amounts of time and incurred hefty round-trip shipping costs.
With the arrival of Junior Scuba's facility — Taiwan's first dedicated drysuit repair center — that headache is now a thing of the past. The process begins by turning the drysuit inside-out, inflating it, and submerging it in water. The suit must be checked from the inside out because the exterior is covered in complex stitching, multiple layers of fabric, logos, and pockets — all of which can obscure where air is actually escaping.
The drysuit is turned inside-out and submerged in water to locate air leaks
Once air bubbles appear, the leak points are marked. The suit must then be left to dry completely in the shade before any repair work can begin.
Air bubbles are spotted and their locations marked before further processing
How Drysuit Repairs Are Carried Out
Drysuit repair is a field of expertise in its own right. Different drysuit models are made from different materials, and different sections of the same suit may use different fabrics — breathable membrane materials, neoprene for the sock/bootie area, composite materials in high-end models, and so on. Each material requires its own specific adhesives, hardeners, and heat-pressing methods. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter during any repair; cutting corners can have disastrous consequences.
Different drysuit materials call for different bonding methods
During the course, we started with the simplest task: patching a hole. What looked like a straightforward job turned out to conceal the deep expertise of a factory technician. Even the adhesive alone involves a great deal of nuance — the mixing ratio of glue to hardener, how many coats to apply, the heat-pressing technique after bonding — and after working through all the steps, we finally managed to patch a single small hole.
Applying adhesive for a drysuit repair is an art form in itself
Finally — a successfully patched hole
The Factory Course Even Covers Bootie Replacement
Divers in Taiwan who use drysuits will be familiar with the fact that European and American drysuits typically come with integrated socks as the default. Given that shore diving makes up a larger proportion of diving in Taiwan, a hard-soled bootie is generally more practical for local divers. The Waterproof factory maintenance course covered bootie replacement in full, holding nothing back. That said, after a full day of training, the Editor came to the firm conclusion that it's better to leave this to the distributor — the adhesives, tools, and time required all add up to a substantial hidden cost.
The Product Manager explains the bootie replacement procedure
The Product Manager demonstrates how to replace a bootie
Course participants get hands-on experience stitching a drysuit
Taiwan's First Drysuit Repair Station, Based in Chiayi
Everything described above demonstrates manual techniques for drysuit repair, but for certain drysuit materials, machine-assisted repair is available — reducing labor costs and improving repair quality. This is precisely the equipment that Waterproof's Taiwanese distributor Junior Scuba invested heavily in bringing to Taiwan. The country's first professional drysuit repair facility is now established in Chiayi, with the express aim of providing customers with the most immediate and comprehensive after-sales repair service possible.
The Product Manager demonstrates machine-assisted drysuit repair
Machine-assisted repair can significantly reduce labor costs and improve repair quality for certain drysuit materials
Takeaways from the Drysuit Course
After an intense, full-day course, the Editor came away with a deep appreciation for just how specialized drysuit repair truly is. Beyond understanding the material composition of each individual suit, the matching adhesive, the choice of tools, and the application technique all represent a lineage of expertise passed down through hands-on experience. We are genuinely thrilled that Junior Scuba, the Taiwanese distributor for Waterproof, has taken the initiative to establish Taiwan's first drysuit repair station — so that when we invest in a drysuit going forward, we can enjoy after-sales service on par with what the factory itself would offer abroad.
The owner of Junior Scuba, Waterproof's Taiwanese distributor
As for how to choose a drysuit, the answer ultimately comes down to your budget and how you dive. Taking the Waterproof product line as an example, options range from lightweight breathable travel-oriented materials to heavy-duty scratch- and cut-resistant composite fabrics — and performance is reflected in the price. You should match your choice to your own diving habits. One instructor who attended the course that day shared his experience: because he dives frequently for work, he goes through roughly one wetsuit per year, and within three years the cumulative cost of replacement wetsuits had already been enough to cover an entry-level drysuit. Factor in the added benefits — isolation from polluted water, the ability to walk straight into a boat cabin after a dive — and it's no wonder that his club has gradually transitioned to using drysuits for all their diving activities.
It's also worth noting that drysuit use is a specialized discipline covered by its own certification course. Be sure to seek out a qualified dive instructor to complete the proper training — improper use can damage your drysuit and, more importantly, introduce real risks in the water.
The Waterproof factory drysuit training course gives you a deeper understanding of drysuit repair principles
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