If there was a competition for the most widely seen logo underwater then the red and blue lettering of Northern Diver would have to be near the top of the list. The fact that their suits have been seen in more diving photographs and in more locations than you can shake a stick at, is a true testament to the popularity of the products.

I've used these suits almost since I began diving (perhaps not that surprising as they're only half an hour up the road from where I live). The suit I've been using for the past three seasons is their bog standard workhorse - the Reef Master - and it has stood up well to the normal rigours of mixed UK diving. Recently, while my suit was in for modification, I was asked if I would like to try out their top of the range CNX200.

The CNX200 along with the 'Mixed Gas Suit' and 'Tech Suit' are Northern Diver's flagship compressed neoprene drysuits. The suit is normally constructed from either 2 or 4mm compressed neoprene, the seams are glued, cross-stitched and then finally a bead of polymer sealant is run over the joint. I chose a 4mm suit - personally I like the idea of a thicker neoprene that would offer a small amount of thermal protection should it leak, especially if you're faced with 40 minutes of decompression.
The suit's construction is completed with neoprene neck and wrist seals, large Kevlar knee patches and two large cargo pockets. Northern Diver have been fitting a new style of rubberised boot to their suits for a while now. They are much more 'shoe-like' when compared to the neoprene sock style which are fitted to my old Reef Master.

The cargo pockets are cavernous and easily hold a self-inflating D-SMB plus reel. The zips on the pockets are long and wide enough to avoid the great struggle to deploy the D-SMB while underwater. The suit is fitted with a low profile swivelling inflate valve, handy in avoiding kinking your hose to get a good connection, and also has a low profile ratchet style auto-dump.
So how have I found the suit? Well donning the suit and getting out of it is no problem - I prefer a traditional back mounted zip although a front entry self-donning one is available. The internal braces are comfy enough and the suit is flexible enough to allow for getting the rest of your kit on. I carry my D-SMB & reel in one pocket with a mask and camera slave flash unit in the other.

The suit dives well, there is no noticeable air migration as you would expect from a tailor made suit, it's warm and comfortable. The suit has been used down to 60m and the longest run time was about 90 minutes. So far the dives have been 100% dry.

After 30 odd dives in a short space of time the suit still looks good and apart from a self inflicted nick the material is perfect. My Reef Master has given me good service, only leaking when the material has been damaged and when seals needed to be changed (and as I said that was a bog standard off-the-shelf suit). I'm sure the CNX200 should prove equally durable.
For those who want a suit capable of the demands of more adventurous diving but without the designer label of 'Tech' the CNX will certainly be up to the job. For details of the CNX200 contact Northern Diver on 01257 254444

Review by John Lee