TESTCENTRE
The seals slid easily over the head , wrists and ankles and once inverted , combined to reduce flushing to an absolute minimum . The medium-sized suit was the perfect fit , neither too restricting nor suffering from any looseness under the arms or elsewhere for cold water to gather and slosh around .
Once in the water , I enjoyed an even , gradual warming process over the course of a few minutes rather than any immediate cold-water shock to the system , which can be the case with conventional wetsuits .
While semi-dry suits enjoy a much greater level of popularity overseas , I use one myself for large stretches of the year in the UK ; Northern Diver ' s offering compared very favourably with anything I ' ve used in the past . You even get a handy zippered thigh pocket on the right side .
Getting wet
Northern Diver ' s three-piece Yamamoto superstretch Semi- Tech Wetsuit aims to offer similar exposure protection , with a more layered approach .
The primary long john component of the suit is slightly more refined than a traditional ' steamer ', as it utilises semi-dry style seals at the wrist and ankle , combined with plastic zippers .
While some divers find that zips make donning a suit easier , others consider them more of a hindrance . Personally , I can appreciate the pros and cons of both and I ’ m happy with either approach .
The Semi-Tech also has a rear plastic wet zip , vertical in this instance . To overcome any discomfort from cold water entering via the zip while also providing a more efficient neck seal , the suit has an internal 3mm thermal shield which slips over the head and shoulders .
While this suit too was medium in size , it was a slightly larger fit , although not substantially so , than the semi-dry . The pre-bent arms and knees were very comfortable , and as with its stablemate , it appeared built to last .
I decided to use the long john without the 6.5mm shortie on my first dive and dived the same site as with the semi-dry , a gradual slope starting from the shore down to 25 metres .
There was definitely an ' ooh ' moment when the cold water first hit and trickled down the back of my neck , but both the
suit and myself warmed to one another as the dive progressed . I ' d anticipated the 1.5mm neoprene deficit between the two suits would have some effect , but it was negligible .
While I could bend and crane my neck with no problems using the semi-dry , I received a blast of cold water occasionally with the same manoeuvre with the Semi-Tech .
For my second wetsuit dive I wore the shortie as well , which gave a total of 12mm insulation around the torso . Tucking in the bibbed hood virtually eliminated the cold neck syndrome , and in hindsight would have substantially improved the long john-only previous dive .
Decision time
Of the two , my favourite was the 7mm semi-dry . It ’ s always been my favourite style of suit and this one ’ s slide-on seals were uncomplicated to don and doff . A dry zip makes such a difference too , compared with the standard wet type .
The wetsuit , however , is a more adaptable option . The 5.6mm long john could easily be used as it is throughout the UK summertime – just tuck that hood in for the best protection . When the water temperature begins to fall , or you fancy a little more insulation for a second dive , then adding the 6.5mm shortie more than doubles the exposure protection around your vital organs .
What ’ s more , that same shortie will also fit the bill as a warm water diving option , or for surface water sports . Neil Hope
SCUBA SAYS
Northern Diver ’ s two great options for wetsuit diving offer a similar amount of exposure protection , but in different ways . Their one-piece 7mm Semi-Dry is the closest you ’ ll get to neoprene drysuit diving while still getting wet . The layered approach of the three-piece Semi- Tech Wetsuit offers more flexibility across a range of temperatures , and just a tad more insulation when required .
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