Our recent trip to dive the warm waters of the Indian Ocean in Mauritius couldn’t have come at a better time as we were asked by Scubaverse to review a unique wetsuit from Truli. Designed specifically for women, we were intrigued to see what it would offer, particularly as I myself have a strong dislike for the often constricting neoprene of diving wetsuits. We hadn’t heard of Truli Wetsuits before the trip, but on researching the brand and exploring the products we had a good feeling about what was to come.

Mia Toose, the creator and CEO of the company, is passionate about solving the same issues many women face when wearing a wetsuit with the motto “you deserve a women’s wetsuit that is true to you!”, quoting that it delivers “more freedom in the water with less wetsuit all while keeping you warm and cozy”. Mia’s aim is to provide a wetsuit that fulfills high-performance gear and captivating style. As an avid scuba diver and water sports enthusiast, she could not find one on the market that would deliver both of these qualities – so set out to design one herself… and what a wetsuit it is!

Location

We were heading to Mauritius primarily for the wedding of 2 of our closest friends, and seeing as we were to be located in the North East Grande Gaube region we took the initiative to plan headed with local Dive Centre Dodo Divers who organised a variety of diving over the week from shallow reef diving to deep wrecks – what a lucky find they were! As it was the start of the summer season air temperatures averaged 28 degrees and water temps ranged from 24-25 degrees, making conditions perfect. As part of a 12 dive itinerary, we had arranged a shark safari near the famous Round Island and Snake Islands (Round Island isn’t round, and all the snakes from Snake Island live on Round Island) and also opted for a sunset dive on the Djabeda wreck and night dive at Confetti bay. Depths ranged from 12m to 40m with a strong current present at some of the deeper sites.

Truli Wetsuit Features

Sleeveless: The Truli Wetsuit is sleeveless to provide maximum flexibility and freedom of movement when Diving. It also makes it very easy to get on and off as you don’t need to force your arms into tight sleeves. This does reduce the amount of protection and exposes your skin more but keeps the focus on your core. I wore my thermal rash vest with long sleeves underneath to maintain the flexibility whilst providing additional protection.

Blindstitched: A method of joining two pieces of neoprene so that the stitch thread is almost invisible. This form of stitching locks in the seam offering greater warmth by trapping water in the suit which warms against the core body temperature. For diving, I definitely prefer this method to the traditional flatlock seam that allows water to move in and out, keeping the body at an average temperature and is less suitable for cooler waters. Blind-stitching is also stronger, ensuring your wetsuit copes with the strenuous conditions of diving. Because of the benefits, this method is more expensive, but generally better value for money if you are a diverse diver.

Fleece lined: In addition to the blind-stitched neoprene, Truli Wetsuits have really focused on keeping your core warm and incorporated a fleece lining to the design, ensuring an additional 0.5mm of warmth. Soft to touch, this is extremely comfortable and easy on the skin. It’s also nice and toasty when you are out of the water on those surface intervals!

Ultraspan neoprene, Form-fitting Custom Fit: When I initially read about the Truli Wetsuit I heard this term and wasn’t sure what it meant – some fancy technical term no doubt! However, ultraspan neoprene is all about flexibility – the fabric providing high elasticity and comfort. This, in addition to the form fitting custom fit adapts to the shape of your body, ensuring complete movement without restriction. It really did mould to my skin yet maintained suppleness dive after dive so it didn’t lose its shape like some other wetsuits do – meaning it became more comfortable the more I wore it. The wetsuit comes in a range of sizes from XS – XL ensuring you find the right fit for your shape.

Front Zip & V-neck: A sturdy and strong zip hidden beneath the Dura glide neoprene secures the wetsuit with a snug fit. It’s easy to get on and off just like a jacket meaning even when wet there is little hassle changing and kitting up. The V-neck adds a comfortable setting to the neck and I found this particularly good when wearing my rash vest underneath as it avoided the usual pinch you find with a rounded neck and back zip. Another added benefit of the Truli Wetsuit is the lack of velcro or dangling straps that you would usually find on traditional wetsuits. My current O’Neill wetsuit has velcro on the neck and has pulled a lot of the neoprene on the inside, not to mention catching and pulling out my hair!

Colour blocking: The Truli Wetsuit comes in 3 colours, Blue, Orange and Yellow. As you can see from the images, I chose the blue as I really liked the tone. The colour blocking adds personalisation and interest without looking old fashioned like the coloured wetsuits of the 90s.

Unique style: There are no other wetsuits on the market currently quite like the Truli. With it’s unique design and fit, is definitely not what you would expect. When it arrived, I wasn’t sure if it would appeal to me simply because I get cold diving even in warm temperatures and the lack of arms and legs may make it unsuitable. However, I was really surprised how warm it does keep you and I loved how versatile it was. The shape of the design is really appealing and flattering, defining your curves with the stitching patterns and suppleness of the neoprene.

Check out our video review of Truli Wetsuits:

Summary of pros

1. The most comfortable wetsuit I have worn, very flexible!
2. Really good warmth given the size and thickness
3. Versatility – can be used on its own, with a rash vest or over a full wetsuit
4. Fantastic design made with robust, quality materials
5. Great addition to every woman’s dive kit, lightweight  (0.7kg) and really stylish

Summary of cons

Struggling to find many of these!

1. The price is high for the amount of neoprene but it does deliver a high-performance product (approx £200 – excluding delivery).
2. In temperatures below 24 degrees, it may not keep you warm enough on it’s own (can be worn over a long wetsuit for added warmth to your core).

Overall

For each review we write about we will give a rating out of 5 Mantas using the Black Manta Logo.

The Truli Wetsuit scores 5/5 for its quality, versatility and design.

Check out the Truli Wetsuits website below for everything you need to know and how to buy one of your own!

www.truliwetsuits.com