Dry suits are the warmest exposure suit available for recreational diving, and are popular with many cold water divers. These suits use watertight wrist and neck seals to prevent water from entering the suit, and a special water and airtight zipper seals the suit's entry.

Most dry suits are made of a laminate of rubber and nylon, and are called shell suits. This material is thin and lightweight, but provides no thermal protection. To keep the diver warm, the shell must be worn with special thermal garments made of fleece or other warm synthetic materials. The advantage of this system is the ability to add or remove layers of thermal garments according to water temperature.

Another popular style is the neoprene dry suit. These suits are made of insulating neoprene similar to a wetsuit, and do not require additional thermal garments. However, because neoprene compresses at depth, some divers choose to wear additional thermal garments to prevent chilling at depth.