Typhoon Dry Suit
This suit forms part of the standard equipment worn by crew members of the "St. Brendan" on every occasion that the lifeboat is launched. Watertight seals around the neck and wrists, and a watertight zip prevent water from entering the suit, keeping crew members completely dry if they need to enter the water during a search or rescue operation. The suit also incorporates heavy duty rubber integral boots which protect the feet from unknown sea bottom content in shallow waters.
The rubber construction of the suits, and a certain amount of air that inevitably gets trapped inside the suit also provides additional buoyancy should a crew member need to enter the water. However, care has to be taken to minimise the air trapped inside a suit, and to ensure that any trapped air is near the top half of the suit and not in the lower half. Air trapped in the lower half of a dry suit could cause a crew member to be turned upside down in the water as the air rises to the surface of the water.
Staying dry is an important factor in protecting crew members from hypothermia, but in the cold autumn, winter and spring waters of Bantry Bay, dryness alone offers inadequate protection from the elements. Maintaining body heat is vitally important, and one-piece fleece suits like these are also worn underneath a dry suit for extra protection.
