Had a drysuit zipper blow out at 60 feet off the coast of San Diego last month

I was doing a standard inspection dive on a pier piling about 20 minutes into the bottom time when I felt a weird tug at my chest. Looked down and saw the zipper on my drysuit had popped open about three inches. Water started flooding in fast and I couldn't get it sealed back up. I signaled my tender topside and started a controlled emergency ascent, but I was shivering hard by the time I hit the surface. Got back on the boat and my buddy had to peel me out of the suit because my hands were shaking too bad. The zipper was a 10 year old brass YKK that I'd been meaning to replace for months. Has anyone else had a zipper go bad on them during a dive and how did you handle the situation?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby8361mo agoTop Commenter

Did you say the zipper was 10 years old? I had one go bad on me once and honestly I thought I was gonna freeze to death right there in the water. Water came rushing in and I was shaking so bad I could barely pull my buoyancy valve. Ended up doing a rapid ascent and hit the surface looking like a drowned rat. Ended up switching to a front entry suit after that, makes zipper replacement way easier. What brand of suit were you wearing when yours blew?

rosek731mo ago

Read something about those front entry suits being safer for cold water diving. Do you prefer that style now?