Cover photo by Raffaella Schlegel bluerush

I’ve never ended a dive because I was too warm, but I’ve sure called some prematurely because I was freezing. Not anymore. Enter the Cressi Medas Lady, the answer to all my underwater shivering problems.

A recent trip to the Azores meant water temperatures in the low 60s F (around 16 C). I was sure I’d chatter the regulator right out of my mouth. The warmest suit I had was a 5 mm fullsuit, and after one toe-dip in the water, I knew it wouldn’t be sufficient. Luckily, the dive shop had the Cressi Medas Lady on hand for guests. My weather woes were solved.


Tech specs

  • Wetsuit made up of jacket with incorporated hood and dungaree style trousers.
  • Jacket and trousers in 5 mm double lined neoprene
  • Pre-shaped sleeves and legs
  • Jacket with zip from groin to cheek and toggle fastening at the groin
  • Anti-wear inserts on knees, shins and shoulders
  • Wrists and ankles with the Aquastop system (seals in single-lined 1.5 mm neoprene)

The Medas offers wearers a 5 mm farmer john, plus a 5 mm long-sleeved jacket with a hood to wear overtop. This, friends, means a full 10 mm of exposure protection on your core. This makes for some very comfortable temperate-water dives. The newly restyled suit also features pre-shaped arms and legs. This means you’ll be comfortable while you’re swimming around underwater, with your extremities in natural positions. Both the jacket and farmer john are made of double-lined 5 mm neoprene, while the area around the face and neck are single-lined. And with a front zip on both the bottom and the jacket, along with the single-lined 1.5 mm neoprene seal at the wrists and ankles, the Medas is extremely easy to get to don and doff.

After a week of diving in the Medas, I was completely sold. The tailored look, the great fit, and the overall warmth and comfort of the suit made it a winner, even in temperatures I consider bone-chilling (I’m no ice diver). And best of all, the suit offers flexibility. In warmer water, divers will be comfortable with just the farmer john portion of the suit and a rash guard. In chilly waters, the whole suit does the job. I knew I had to have one for myself. My only real complaint about the suit has to do with its availability. Luckily, I was able to obtain a Medas for review. But others in the United States aren’t so lucky, as the wetsuit isn’t available here. But our loss is Europe and Asia’s gain — divers looking for warmth, flexibility and style won’t go wrong with the Cressi Medas Lady.

Wrap-up

Cressi Medas Lady

  • Flexibility — dive in just the farmer john in warm water and throw on the jacket for colder temps. You’ll never need another wetsuit again.
  • Comfort — the pre-shaped arms and legs mean the suit stays comfortable underwater and moves with you as you move.
  • Durability — the tough 5 mm neoprene is designed to last. The knee and shin areas also feature anti-wear inserts.
  • You must step into the women’s over-suit, like a bodysuit. I’d prefer the toggle-fastening at the groin, like the men’s suit.
  • It would be ideal if the two pieces were sold as separates so that someone with a bigger chest (ahem) and a smaller bottom could mix-and-match.
  • I’d like to see the suit for sale in the United States. Our worldwide readers get to have it, so it’s only fair.

After a week of diving in the Medas, I was completely sold. The tailored look, the great fit, and the overall warmth and comfort of the suit made it a winner, even in temperatures I consider bone-chilling (I’m no ice diver). And best of all, the suit offers flexibility. In warmer water, divers will be comfortable with just the farmer john portion of the suit and a rash guard. In chilly waters, the whole suit does the job. I knew I had to have one for myself. My only real complaint about the suit has to do with its availability. Luckily, I was able to obtain a Medas for review, but others in the United States aren’t so lucky, as the wetsuit isn’t available here. But our loss is Europe and Asia’s gain — divers looking for warmth, flexibility and style won’t go wrong with the Cressi Medas Lady.