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A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a Diver from the Underwater environment. Modern diving suits can be divided into two kinds:
Standard Diving Dress is now obsolete but is historically interesting. AMBIENT PRESSURE SUITS There are four main types of ambient pressure diving suits:
These types of suit are not exclusively used by divers but are often used for thermal protection by people engaged in other water activities such as Surfing , Sailing , Powerboating , Windsurfing , Waterskiing , Caving and Swimming . Ambient pressure suits are a form of exposure protection protecting the wearer from the Cold . They also provide some defence from abrasive and sharp objects as well as potentially harmful underwater life. They do not protect divers from the pressure of the surrounding water or resulting Barotrauma and Decompression Sickness . The suits are often made from Neoprene , heavy-duty fabric coated with Rubber , or PVC . Added Buoyancy , created by the volume of the suit, is a side effect of diving suits. Sometimes a Weightbelt must be worn to counteract this buoyancy. Some drysuits have controls allowing the suit to be inflated to reduce "squeeze" caused by increasing pressure; they also have vents allowing the excess air to be removed from the suit on ascent. WETSUITS See Also: wetsuit Wetsuits are relatively inexpensive, simple, Neoprene suits that are typically used where the water temperature is between 10 and 25 °C (50 to 80 °F). DRYSUITS Drysuits are used typically where the water temperature is between -2 and 15 °C (28 to 60 °F). Seals at the wrists and neck prevent water entering the suit. Even so, the diver will be damp after a dive in a drysuit due to Sweat and Condensation . The seals are either made from latex rubber or Neoprene. Latex seals survive for a maximum of two years but are supple. Neoprene seals last longer but let more water enter because, being stiffer, they do not make effective seals in the contours of the wrist and neck. A modern diving drysuit has an air inflation valve, which lets the diver control the buoyancy of the suit by injecting gas from the Diving Regulator to avoid squeeze during descent. Some old-type Frogman 's drysuits had a small "jack cylinder" to be inflated from, or the frogman (who was using an oxygen Rebreather and so limited to about 30 feet (10 m) depth) had to put up with the suit squeeze. A drysuit is intended to be worn over an insulating under the drysuit instead. A typical drysuit has an air vent valve, which lets the diver vent off higher pressure gas from the suit during the ascent. Vent valves can be automatic, operating as pressure relief valves, or manual, where the diver must raise the valve to vent. Automatic vents are generally located at the shoulder and manual vents are located at the wrist. Some drysuits have no vents, but the diver must pull one of the wrist or neck seals open to vent the drysuit. Most drysuits have built-in boots, but some have ankle seals instead. Modern drysuits have a zipper, for entry and exit, across the back of the shoulders, or diagonally across the front of the torso, or straight down the middle of the front. At least one make of old-type British Frogman 's drysuit was one-piece with a wide neck hole for entry; the bottom of the hood and the edge of the suit's neck hole were clamped together by a large circular steel clamp around his neck; there was a watertight seal in the bottom of the hood. There are two types of drysuit:
SEMI-DRY SUITS Semi-dry suits are used typically where the water temperature is between 10 and 20 °C (50 to 70 °F). They are effectively a thick wetsuit with better-than-usual seals at wrist, neck and ankles. The seals limit the volume of water entering and leaving the suit. The wearer gets wet in a semi-dry suit but the water that enters is soon warmed up and does not leave the suit readily, so the wearer remains warm. The trapped layer of water does not add to the suit's insulating ability. Any residual water circulation past the seals still causes heat loss. But semi-dry suits are cheap and simple compared to dry suits. They are made from thick Neoprene, which provides good thermal protection. They lose buoyancy and thermal protection as the trapped gas bubbles in the Neoprene compress at depth. Semi-dry suits can come in various configurations including a single piece or two pieces, made of 'long johns' and a separate 'jacket'. Semi dry suits do not usually include boots, so a separate pair of insulating boots are worn. DIVE SKINS ''Dive skins'' are used when diving in water temperatures above 25 degrees C, 77 degrees F. They are made from Spandex and provide little thermal protection, but protect the skin from stings and abrasion. This kind of suit is also known as a 'Stinger Suit'. DIVING SUIT COMBINATIONS
SEE ALSO diving dress being lowered into the water]] EXTERNAL LINKS
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