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Tried a new cold water suit for a job in Lake Superior and got a surprise
Last month I was on a salvage job near Marquette, Michigan, and used the new Arctic Pro 7mm suit for the first time. I expected it to be stiff, but after about 20 minutes in the 38-degree water, the neck seal actually loosened up way more than I'm used to. Ended up with a pretty bad flush that cut my dive short. Learned that even with good gear, you need to do a real cold water check before you commit to the bottom time. Anyone have a go-to method for testing seals in extreme cold before you're fully committed?
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rowanellis2mo ago
My buddy swears by filling his suit with a garden hose in the driveway on a freezing morning, but that just seems like a fast way to get hypothermia on land. He did it once in January and said the wrist seal on his old DUI suit went from fine to a total gusher in under a minute. I stick to a quick chest-deep dunk at the shore for a full five minutes, even though it's miserable.
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terry_park2mo ago
Always thought that was crazy, but @rowanellis makes a good point.
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