A weird thing I noticed about my drysuit zipper after a job in Seattle

Three years ago on a cold water job in Puget Sound, my main zipper started to feel stiff halfway through the dive, but I just figured it was the cold. Last week, I was cleaning my gear and saw a tiny bit of green corrosion right where the slider meets the teeth, and I realized salt had been getting trapped there for years without a proper rinse. How often do you guys actually take apart the slider to clean it, or am I just bad at gear care?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseyflores5mo ago

Mine seized up last spring, same exact spot.

murray.cole5mo ago

Maybe the ground's cursed there.

paige_west2mo ago

Whoa, hold up, a whole three years without taking that slider apart? That blows my mind a little. @murray.cole might be kidding about the ground, but that green stuff is definitely real salt damage building up over time. I clean mine every couple months after salt water, but I guess we all learn the hard way.