My drysuit zipper gave up the ghost 60 feet down in Lake Michigan last Tuesday.

I was doing a routine hull inspection on a ferry and felt a sudden, icy trickle that turned into a full-on flood. I had to surface and basically waddle back to the boat like a freezing, waterlogged penguin. Anyone have a good zipper repair guy in the Chicago area who won't charge an arm and a leg?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.mila6d ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling in the world. Total system failure right there. For a solid repair, you gotta go to Great Lakes Scuba over on Elston. They've saved two of my suits, one with a blown neck seal and another with a zipper that looked like a broken zipper. They're fast and their prices are fair, not like some places that see a drysuit and add a "scary repair" tax. Tell them the penguin waddle sent you. And @west.casey, duct tape is a bold choice, man. I admire the spirit, but that's a level of cold commitment I just don't have.

nathan1006d ago

Oof, that sounds brutal, man. A flooded drysuit in Lake Michigan is no joke. That icy trickle feeling is the absolute worst, just a total gut punch. I had a wrist seal blow once in January and I still remember that shock. Hope you find a good repair spot.

west.casey6d ago

Ever wonder if that cold shock is just your body's way of telling you to take up knitting instead? I once patched a leak with duct tape so poorly, @nathan100, that I basically turned my drysuit into a very slow, cold shower. Some of us are just meant to admire the water from the shore with a hot coffee.