So, how did my my dirt cheap backup suit work out? It took me 19 months to do hundred dives in it. With hundred dives and signs of wear and tear starting to appear a quick status report is due.
All though it was not the intention, the Nova immediately became my primary suit. I actually haven’t dived my DUI at all since I got it. This is due to the perfect fit, lighter weight and quicker drying vs crushed neoprene material. The experience may have converted med back into membrane suits for good. Note, it may. 2mm crushed neoprene with stretch may win me back in one dive.
So top score to Seaskin for fit, besides a note on their boot sizing. My boots are just big enough, and they are already one size up from what I normally use. I prefer plenty of space for socks, and for that I would have needed two sizes up on Seaskins size range. Seaskin is way off, and really need to align with the rest of the world when it comes to boot sizes.
I ripped the neck seal after 96 dives. My bad, these things happen. I keep a spare and changed it in an hour. For the last ten dives or so I have been getting a bit moist around the belly. So while I was at it I did a leak check. The good news was that the zipper is fine, it was a bit of tape that had actually cracked along the seam. This was an easy fix with a few drops of Aquaseal.
However, seing this makes me think about the quality of the tape in the rest of the suit. A crack here and there I can easily fix, but potentially re-taping the whole suit is not a very appealing thought.
Otherwise, the suit seems to hold up very good. So far. With the knowledge of the tape, I know what to first look for when it leaks somewhere. It happens to every suit sooner or later. The next hundred dives or so will tell how many leaks I will have to fix. I’ll keep you posted.