A dry suit or drysuit provides thermal insulation or passive thermal protection to the wearer while immersed in water, and is worn by divers, boaters, water sports enthusiasts, and others who work or play in or near cold water. A dry suit normally protects the whole body except the head, hands, and possibly the feet. In some configurations, however, all of these are covered as well. Dry suits are used typically in these cases:
- where the water temperature is below 15°C (60°F).
- for extended immersion in water above 15°C (60°F), where discomfort would be experienced by a wet suit user.
- with an integral helmet, boots, and gloves for personal protection when working in and around hazardous liquids.
The main difference between dry suits and wetsuits is that dry suits are designed to prevent water entering. This generally allows better insulation making them more suitable for use in cold water. Dry suits can be uncomfortably hot in warm or hot air, and are typically more expensive and more complex to don. For divers, they add some degree of complexity as the suit must be inflated and deflated with changes in depth in order to avoid "squeeze" on descent or uncontrolled rapid ascent due to over-buoyancy.
Read more about Dry Suit: Early Examples of Dry Suits
Famous quotes containing the words dry and/or suit:
“The knowledge of an unlearned man is living and luxuriant like a forest, but covered with mosses and lichens and for the most part inaccessible and going to waste; the knowledge of the man of science is like timber collected in yards for public works, which still supports a green sprout here and there, but even this is liable to dry rot.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The grand style follows suit with all great passion. It disdains to please, it forgets to persuade. It commands. It wills.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)