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Drysuit Seals
After the zip, the seals are the next important part of a drysuit. They create a seal between your neck, wrists (and possibly your ankles) and the suit, preventing water getting inside. Why not order a set of spare drysuit seals that can be fitted yourself, or make up a dry suit repair kit for those longer dive trips.
For the neck and wrist seals there are three options, either Silicone, Latex or Neoprene. Seals are best considered as consumables and are likley to require replacing during the life of the dry suit.
Latex Drysuit Seals
Latex Seals offer the most waterproof seal when compared to neoprene, especially for the neck. Latex seals are cheap and simple. If you know your size it's pretty easy to swap them over yourself. Latex seals are soft and give a reliable seal, they come in a few thicknesses, the thicker they are the tougher they are but thinner ones give a softer seal so you don't loose circulation.
Latex stretches over time so your neck and cuffs feel really tight when you first fit them, to the point of cutting off circulation, so you have to stretch them over a cylinder for a few hours so they're more comfortable. You can cut them down to make the seal larger but if you do it too early and they continue to stretch you'll end up with a loose seal that leaks.
Silicone Drysuit Seals
Silicone seals have all of the best features of latex with very few of the drawbacks. Silicone is thin and flexible so you can don and doff your suit more comfortably. It's hypoallergenic so people who suffer from latex allergies are fine to use silicone seals. Silicone is more flexible and stretchy than latex, but some find them to be more fragile than similar latex seals.
Because very little sticks to silicone once it's set you need to use a ring system around your wrists and neck. While they first looked uncomfortable, the rings are now comfortable and practical thanks to newer more flexible and ergonomic designs.
Silicone seals are sandwiched between a hard internal ring and a softer external ring glued to your drysuit so you can change broken seals in minutes not days. Carrying spare seals in your bag is easy and can save a dive even when you're off shore on a boat as you only need a simple tool to swap seals over.
More and more divers are using dryglove systems that fit almost any drysuit, which is an added benefit of rings. The design of some neck seals adds a bellow so you can move your head around without breaking the seal. Silicone can also come in a range of shapes and colours instead of standard black. Bright colours are a great way to personalise your suit and stand out of the crowd.
Neoprene Drysuit Seals
Neoprene seals are warmer to wear compared to latex seals and are sometimes considered more comfortable. They also have a tendancy to last longer. Neoprene is good at spreading the pressure over a wide area so you don't end up with Latex love bites, but getting the right size can be tricky.
Neoprene does stretch, but nowhere near as much as Latex or Silicone so they can be harder to put on and the glideskin sticks to your skin so you need to lubricate to get them on. The glideskin is great at sealing against your skin but is quite fragile so you have to be careful pulling it on or it can tear. Ripped neoprene cuffs can be easily fixed if the rip isn't too catastrophic.
Gulf of Carpentaria
Wreck Dive | 
Boat access
Iron Screw Steamer | Max Depth: 50 m (164 ft)
Gulf of Carpentaria Shipwreck Dive
Source: Heritage Victoria
On 15 September 1885, the Gulf of Carpentaria (aka SS Gulf of Carpentaria) steamship, bound for England, struck an uncharted rock off Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia, and sank. Now, 130 years later, the shipwreck lies mostly collapsed near the Anser Island Group within the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park. Nature is reclaiming her.
The Gulf of Carpentaria is historically significant as the wreck of an international cargo and passenger ship, and for its role as a link between Britain and her colonies. It's archaeologically significant as it was wrecked without having been salvaged.
Diving the Gulf of Carpentaria Shipwreck
SS Gulf of Carpentaria shipwreck
from Allie Beckhurst
on Vimeo.
Bass Strait Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive in Bass Strait on Victoria's coastline. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-in-bass-strait before diving or snorkelling this site.
Gulf of Carpentaria Shipwreck History — Built in 1881
The Gulf of Carpentaria was an iron screw steamer of 2,454 l-ton (2,493 t). The overall length of the vessel was approximately 289.7 ft (88 m), beam 38.1 ft (12 m) and draught 17.7 ft (5.39 m). Built in 1881, by W. Gray and Co., West Hartlepool, UK, the hull was double bottomed and divided into six water-tight compartments by bulkheads.
Gulf of Carpentaria Sinking — 15 September 1885
Early Bass Strait shipping rounding Wilsons Promontory would pass through the Anser Group of Islands and in particular between Anser and Kanowna Islands. This was thought to be a safe and deep water passage of about 50m in depth and around 1km in width. Some distance north-west of Kanowna Island there is an area of lesser depths but mostly still 20m or more.
What was not known at that time was that a small "nipple", just 40m in extent, protrudes further upwards to a minimum depth of just 5m. There must have been lots of unnoticed "near misses" in this much used channel over the early years.
On the morning of 15 September 1885 that luck ran out! The steamer S.S. Gulf of Carpentaria traveling westward at full speed under the command of Captain Robert Thompson "discovered" that rock peak. It tore the bottom out of parts of the ship and gave birth to the previously uncharted rock from then on being known as "Carpentaria Rock".
Carpentaria Rock
Latitude: 39° 8.739′ S (39.14565° S / 39° 8′ 44.34″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.727′ E (146.29545° E / 146° 17′ 43.62″ E)
135 m, bearing 60°, ENE
It appears the vessel washed off the rock some time later and went down head first in deeper water nearby. Today's shipping channel around the Prom skirts around well south of the all the Anser Group of Islands and has separated eastbound and westbound lanes for added safety.
See also, Heritage Council Victoria: SS Gulf of Carpentaria,
Australian National Shipwreck Database: S.S. Gulf of Carpentaria, and
Trove: Foundering of the Gulf of Carpentaria, The Brisbane Courier (QLD: 1864-1933) Friday 25 September 1885, Page 3.
Heritage Warning: Any shipwreck or shipwreck relic that is 75 years or older is protected by legislation. Other items of maritime heritage 75 years or older are also protected by legislation. Activities such as digging for bottles, coins or other artefacts that involve the disturbance of archaeological sites may be in breach of the legislation, and penalties may apply. The legislation requires the mandatory reporting to Heritage Victoria as soon as practicable of any archaeological site that is identified. See Maritime heritage. Anyone with information about looting or stolen artefacts should call Heritage Victoria on (03) 7022 6390, or send an email to heritage.victoria@delwp.vic.gov.au.
Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park
This site lies in Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park, Victoria's largest marine sanctuary. There is a huge diversity of marine life within the waters at the Prom. Brilliantly coloured fish are present such as the Red Velvetfish, Eastern Blue Groper and Wrasse as well as Leafy Seadragons and schools of Barber Perch. Intertidal molluscs such as limpets and snails, as well as anemones, brittlestars and seastars, are also common within the waters.
Divers will experience fascinating sponge gardens which consist of a techni-coloured assemblage of sponges, sea tulips, sea whips, lace corals and seafans. Octopus emerge at night whilst sharks and rays roam the sandy areas.
The offshore islands support many colonies of fur seals and oceanic birds such as Little Penguins, Fairy Prions, Silver Gulls and Pacific Gulls.
See also, Parks Victoria: Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park,
Park Note: Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park, and
Wikipedia: Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.
You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.
Finding the Gulf of Carpentaria Shipwreck
We have other GPS marks for the Gulf of Carpentaria other than the GPS mark we're using.
- GPS:
Latitude: 39° 8.775′ S (39.14625° S / 39° 8′ 46.5″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.645′ E (146.294083° E / 146° 17′ 38.7″ E) - Dive Victoria:
Latitude: 39° 8.640′ S (39.144° S / 39° 8′ 38.4″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.968′ E (146.2994667° E / 146° 17′ 58.08″ E)
527 m, bearing 61°, ENE - eChart:
Latitude: 39° 8.666′ S (39.144433° S / 39° 8′ 39.96″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.978′ E (146.299633° E / 146° 17′ 58.68″ E)
520 m, bearing 67°, ENE - Packo's Suggestion:
Latitude: 39° 8.666′ S (39.144433333° S / 39° 8′ 39.96″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.983′ E (146.29971667° E / 146° 17′ 58.98″ E)
526 m, bearing 67°, ENE - GetUnder Dive Club:
Latitude: 39° 8.547′ S (39.14245° S / 39° 8′ 32.82″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.572′ E (146.292866° E / 146° 17′ 34.32″ E)
435 m, bearing 346°, NNW - Allie Beckhurst:
Latitude: 39° 8.389′ S (39.13981667° S / 39° 8′ 23.34″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.733′ E (146.29554722° E / 146° 17′ 43.97″ E)
726 m, bearing 10°, N
It would be interesting for someone to check them out and report back to us what, if anything, is there. It would be awesome if someone with an accurate verified GPS location could provide us with it.
See also, Bayonet and Gulf of Carpentaria GPS Mystery Marks
Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country
Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.
Gulf of Carpentaria Location Map
Latitude: 39° 8.775′ S (39.14625° S / 39° 8′ 46.5″ S)
Longitude: 146° 17.645′ E (146.294083° E / 146° 17′ 38.7″ E)
Datum: WGS84 |
Google Map
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-01 10:45:13 GMT
Source: GPS
Nearest Neighbour: Kanowna Island, Seal School, 1,179 m, bearing 115°, ESE
Iron Screw Steamer, 2434/ 1569 ton.
Built: West Hartlepool, UK, 1881.
Sunk: 15 September 1885.
Anser Island Group.
Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.
Depth: 48 to 50 m.
Dive only on: SWF, SWE.
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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.
The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.
![Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]](/diveshop/images/halcyon/Halcyon-Evolve-Wing.jpg "Halcyon Infinity 30lb System [SS Small Backplate]")
