My dive partner in Louisiana swore by using a specific brand of neoprene glue for suit repairs, said it held better underwater. Tried it on a tear last week and the patch peeled right off after an hour.

3 comments

3 Comments

That brand might work for some tears but not others, depends on the type of neoprene. Read a scuba forum thread where people said you have to rough up the area around the tear really well first, no matter what glue you use. Some glues also need a longer cure time than the instructions say, especially in humid places. Could be your partner got lucky with a perfect set of conditions that one time.

kellygrant1d ago

Amyh12 is totally right about the prep work making a huge difference. I had a wetsuit tear that wouldn't hold until I really went at it with sandpaper like those forums say. The surface needs to be scuffed up way more than you'd expect for the glue to grab. Humidity messed up my first try too, left it for a full extra day in a dry room and it finally set. Your partner probably did everything exactly right without even realizing it.

shanec611d ago

Sounds like you're overthinking a simple patch job. Glue is glue, and neoprene is neoprene. Your buddy probably just got a good seal that one time. I've fixed plenty of suits with basic stuff from the hardware store and it holds fine. Sometimes a tear is just too big or in a bad spot for any glue to work forever. Maybe try a different patch instead of chasing the perfect glue.