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If you're into serious wreck diving with long decompression in cold water, your drysuit isn't “just another bit of kit” – it's mission‑critical. After about 15 years of abuse on deep North Atlantic wrecks, this is why the O'Three Ri2‑100 drysuit is STILL my go‑to drysuit for deep wreck diving and colwa ter technical diving.
In this O'Three Ri2‑100 drysuit review, I cover:
• How warm it keeps you on multi‑hour deco stops in cold water
• What happens when it floods, and how usable it still is
• Why the suit’s construction has survived years of hard use
• The real trade‑offs: weight, buk and flexibility
• Who this suit is perfect for – and who should probably look at something else
⚠️ Ambassador disclosure: I’m an O'Three ambassador, but this video is not sponsored. All opinions are based on ~15 years of real‑world use on deep wreck and technical diving dives.
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*Highlights*
00:00 The Ri2-100 Drysuit
01:31 Why is it so warm?
02:49 PBB+ Undersuit
03:39 Neoprene neck seal
04:42 The warmest suit!
05:46 What if it floods?
07:07 Durability
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0:00
For the sort of diving I do, there are
0:02
two pieces of kit I put in a completely
0:05
different category to everything else.
0:07
My rebreather and my dry suit. Fins,
0:11
lights, computers, masks. I can swap and
0:14
adapt those. But if my rebreather isn't
0:17
right or my dry suit isn't keeping me
0:19
warm, the dive simply doesn't happen.
0:23
That means that for me, a dry suit is
0:25
the second most important piece of gear
0:28
I own. on deep wreck dives with long
0:31
decompression. It's a key part of my
0:34
safety system. Not only is it my thermal
0:37
protection, but it's also what I use for
0:39
buoyancy control. So, it has a huge
0:42
impact on how the dive is going to go.
0:44
If I'm cold, tired, hanging on a line,
0:48
and shivering, then my awareness is
0:51
going to suffer. My decision making is
0:53
going to suffer. And frankly, that's not
0:55
where you want to be on a big wreck
0:57
dive. So, the suit I choose for these
1:00
dives has to be something I absolutely
1:02
trust. The last 15 years, that suit has
1:06
been the 03 RI2 100. Not because it's
1:11
the lightest or the most fashionable
1:13
suit on the market. Arguably, it isn't,
1:16
but because when the water is cold, the
1:19
wreck is deep and the decompression is
1:21
long. I'm still warm and still dry and I
1:25
don't even have to think about my suit.
1:28
Now, before getting into why I like it
1:30
so much, I think it's briefly worth
1:33
explaining what this suit actually is
1:35
because that's where a lot of the
1:36
inherent warmth comes from. It's made
1:39
from 2.1 mm resin impregnated compressed
1:44
neoprene. That's a tough material. It's
1:47
compressed neoprene, not crushed
1:49
neoprene. So it retains the thermal
1:52
properties of neoprene.
1:55
This material has been taken to over 300
1:57
meters and it doesn't compress any
2:00
further. That means that when you're
2:02
diving, you've got a dense material that
2:05
provides insulation in its own right.
2:08
Its buoyancy isn't going to change. And
2:11
for you as a diver, that's great because
2:13
it means you get consistent warmth and
2:16
consistent buoyancy, which is absolutely
2:19
what you want. Instead of a thin
2:22
triaminate shell that relies almost
2:24
entirely on a massive undersuit, you've
2:27
got a dense material that provides real
2:30
insulation in its own right. It traps a
2:34
thin layer of gas close to the body. And
2:37
because the suit is relatively close
2:39
fitting that minimizes internal gas
2:42
movement.
2:43
Quickly on undersuits because the dry
2:45
suit and undersuit should be considered
2:47
as a system. I use the 03 PBB Plus
2:52
undersuit which is relatively snug and
2:55
nonbulky.
2:56
That's fine due to the integral warmth
2:58
in the suit.
3:00
It's constructed from fleece with
3:03
primoloft insulation in the core and
3:05
thighs. So adds warmth where you
3:07
actually need it without any extra bulk.
3:11
It also handles moisture well. On long
3:14
dives, you're going to sweat probably
3:16
quite a bit and the PBB+ wicks that away
3:20
instead of keeping it close to your skin
3:23
where it will turn cold later on. And
3:26
just like the suit itself, the undersuit
3:28
is fairly forgiving if things aren't
3:30
perfect. A bit of dampness or a small
3:34
leak doesn't instantly turn the dive
3:36
into a misery exercise.
3:39
I also really like the neck seal on this
3:41
suit. It's neoprene, so it doesn't just
3:45
keep the water out. It adds warmth of
3:48
its own.
3:50
On long cold decompression, I find
3:52
having a warm, snug seal around your
3:55
neck makes a noticeable difference
3:58
compared with a thin latex seal that has
4:01
no thermal properties. The wrists also
4:04
have neoprene seals that have similar
4:06
benefits.
4:08
Should you wish, you can also run Kooby
4:11
dry gloves with the added benefit of
4:14
removable neoprene seals. These are
4:16
trivially easy to change. There are also
4:19
other options for boots, pockets, P
4:22
valves, and Pzips to accommodate
4:25
whatever your needs are. Now, that's a
4:27
brief outline of the suit. In the rest
4:30
of the video, I'm going to discuss the
4:32
key reasons why I've dived the RARI200
4:36
for so long, but also flag some of the
4:38
compromises that you're going to get
4:39
with a suit like this. Let's start with
4:42
the main reason I still dive it after
4:44
all these years, and that's warmth. Most
4:47
of the dives I use it on are deep wreck
4:50
dives with long periods of decompression
4:53
in cold water, which means multiple
4:56
hours of stops.
4:58
I really feel the cold, so a suit that
5:01
keeps me warm is incredibly important.
5:04
The RRI 2100 isn't just cozy on the boat
5:08
or the surface. It stays warm when it
5:11
really counts. When I'm not moving much
5:14
and I'm hanging on a line trying to keep
5:16
my head in the game while the long deco
5:18
ticks down, that's when I need to be
5:20
warm. Now, I've tried lighter, more
5:23
flexible suits that feels great until
5:26
you start getting cold. At that point,
5:29
my mind becomes totally focused on how
5:32
cold I am. I don't want to be doing
5:34
that. I want to be thinking about the
5:36
wreck, the conditions, the team, not my
5:40
core temperature. The other thing that
5:42
matters to me is how a suit behaves when
5:44
things go wrong. Specifically, when it
5:47
floods. No one plans to flood a dry
5:50
suit, but if you dive long enough, it's
5:52
probably going to happen. A damaged
5:55
seal, a zip issue, a neck seal folded
5:58
over. With very thin suits, once they
6:01
flood, it feels like you're in a bag of
6:03
cold water. I saw exactly this happen to
6:07
a good friend of mine last year who
6:09
became so cold he couldn't keep his loop
6:11
in his mouth and had to bail out to open
6:14
circuits. Even having completed all his
6:16
decompression, he still required
6:18
recompression treatment because he
6:20
started showing the signs of
6:22
decompression sickness. Now that's an
6:25
awful situation to be in and frankly not
6:28
where I want to be. The RRI200,
6:32
even with a significant leak, there's
6:35
still a load of integral warmth. It
6:38
starts to behave more like a wet suit,
6:40
so you don't instantly go to miserable
6:42
and shivering. Now, that's it's not
6:45
ideal, obviously, but it buys you time
6:47
and comfort to finish the dive and the
6:50
deco without it turning into a survival
6:53
exercise. Now, that forgiveness is a big
6:56
part of why I use this suit for serious
6:59
dives. It's not just about how warm it
7:02
is when everything goes right, but also
7:04
how it behaves when things don't.
7:07
Durability is the other major strength.
7:10
I don't baby my suits. They get dragged
7:13
through engine rooms, thrown around on
7:15
boats. They go over hole plates, into
7:18
holes, and squeezed through hatchways.
7:22
Cosmetically, it's scratched and
7:24
scuffed, but structurally it is still
7:27
super solid. the kind of suit where you
7:30
stop worrying about brushing against
7:32
something sharp on a wreck. If you're
7:34
doing wreck penetration, loads of
7:36
training, or just regular cold water
7:38
diving, not having to constantly send a
7:41
suit away for repairs is a huge
7:43
advantage.
7:45
Even when something goes wrong, repairs
7:47
are straightforward. I fixed issues
7:50
myself in the field without needing to
7:52
send the suit away. And in fact, one of
7:55
my suits still has the repair that I did
7:58
on it, I've it's been so effective, I've
8:00
not needed to consider sending it away.
8:03
So, what are the compromises? Because no
8:05
suit is perfect. Firstly, weight and
8:09
bulk. The 03 RI1200
8:13
is noticeably heavier than a modern
8:15
triaminate suit, which makes it less
8:17
travel friendly. If baggage weight or
8:20
long carries are something that concern
8:22
you, then lighter options are probably
8:24
going to make sense. Second is
8:27
flexibility. I can do all the usual
8:30
technical skills in this suit, but it's
8:32
definitely stiffer than a triaminate
8:35
one. On the surface, especially, it
8:38
feels very different. If you're used to
8:40
a flexible suit, you will definitely
8:43
notice it. The bottom line is you're
8:46
trading convenience, lightness, and
8:48
flexibility for warmth and durability.
8:52
Now, for my kind of diving, that's not a
8:54
difficult decision to make. For yours,
8:57
it might be, and you may feel
8:59
differently. So, who is this suit
9:01
actually for? Well, if you're a deep
9:04
wreck diver doing TRIX, CCR, long
9:08
decompression in genuinely cold water, I
9:11
cannot think of a better suit. It's
9:14
exactly what it's built for. If you're a
9:17
cold water recreational diver, you may
9:20
feel that it's more suit than you need,
9:22
but trust me, you'll definitely
9:24
appreciate the warmth and security,
9:27
especially if you feel the cold like I
9:29
do or are planning to do multiple dives
9:32
a day or dive in one of those horrible
9:35
nasty quaries where it's freezing cold.
9:38
If most of your diving is in travel or
9:41
warm water, or you simply want a suit
9:43
that packs small and does everything,
9:46
then this probably isn't the suit for
9:48
you. To sum up, the 03 RRI1200
9:52
is warm, tough, and built to be used
9:55
hard in cold water over a long period of
9:58
time. That's why after 15 years, it's
10:01
still the suit I reach for when the
10:03
dives are serious. deep wrecks, long
10:06
decompression, and any dive where I
10:09
really don't want to be thinking about
10:10
being cold.
10:12
I've traded weight, bulk, and some
10:15
flexibility for that performance, but it
10:17
wasn't a difficult decision at all. If
10:20
warmth and durability matter, then this
10:22
is the obvious choice. Now, if you've
10:25
got questions about sizing, then you
10:27
probably want to push them to 03. If you
10:30
want to talk about undersuits or
10:32
comparisons with other suits, drop them
10:34
in the comments and I'll pick them up
10:36
with you. Thanks very much for watching.
10:39
I hope you've enjoyed this video. I've
10:41
got a load more videos on similar topics
10:43
and I hope one of those will take your
10:45
fancy. But for now, I'm Dom Robinson,
10:48
Deep Wreck Diver, and I look forward to
10:50
seeing you on the next one.