Bare Aqua Trek 1 Drysuit Review

The Bare Aqua Trek 1 is the drysuit you will see most often on a southern Australian dive boat, and there are good reasons for that. It is a lightweight trilaminate membrane suit with thigh pockets, proper valves and neoprene socks for rock boots, listing around $3,499 but very frequently discounted well below that. For a diver who wants one suit that handles Port Phillip in July and a Great Barrier Reef trip in the same year, this is the sensible middle of the market.

Overview: Bare Aqua Trek 1

Membrane drysuits work on a simple principle: the suit keeps water out and does nothing else, and all your warmth comes from the undergarment you choose. That sounds like a disadvantage until you dive across Australia's range of conditions. The same Aqua Trek that keeps you comfortable in 12 degree Tasmanian water in a heavy undersuit works in a South Australian summer with a thin base layer. A neoprene suit cannot do that.

Bare builds it from a lightweight Cordura Nylon Oxford trilaminate, which is the practical compromise in this class: tougher and more abrasion resistant than the lightest travel laminates, considerably lighter than a heavy commercial shell. Entry is a rear dry zip under a protective cover, which is the conventional arrangement and means you will need a buddy to seal you in.

The details are where it earns its place. Two large velcro thigh pockets take an SMB, spare mask and reel without dangling anything off your harness. Adjustable internal suspenders let you drop the top half in a car park without the suit falling around your ankles, which on a hot day between dives is genuinely welcome. The inflator and exhaust valves are low-profile Apeks units, a known quantity that any Australian dive shop can service.

It ships with neoprene socks rather than attached boots, so you buy rock boots to suit. That is an extra cost, but it means a stiff sole for basalt and barnacle shore entries at the Mornington Peninsula piers or Bass Point, and a replaceable walking surface when it wears through.

Bare positions it for travel, cave and temperate diving. In Australian terms, read that as the all-rounder for anyone diving south of Sydney.

Key Features

- Lightweight Cordura Nylon Oxford trilaminate construction - Rear-entry dry zipper with protective cover - Two large thigh pockets with velcro closures - Low-profile Apeks inflator and exhaust valves - Adjustable internal suspenders - Neoprene socks designed for use with rock boots - Slim anatomical cut, with dedicated men's and women's patterns - Supplied with inflator hose and carry bag - Australian RRP around $3,499, frequently discounted

The Good

- One suit genuinely covers the whole Australian range. Change the undergarment and the Aqua Trek goes from a Hobart winter to a warm afternoon at Rapid Bay. No neoprene drysuit manages that, and for a diver who travels within Australia it removes the need for a second exposure suit entirely. - Neoprene socks plus rock boots is the right call for shore diving. Australian shore entries are unkind: sharp basalt, oyster-covered piers, long walks in gear. A proper rock boot gives you a stiff sole, ankle support and grip that no integrated dryboot matches, and you replace the boot rather than the suit when it wears out. - The thigh pockets are not a gimmick. Once you have dived with a suit that swallows an SMB, a spool and a backup mask, going back to clipping everything to a D-ring feels careless. They also keep your profile clean, which matters in current and in wrecks. - Apeks valves mean it is serviceable anywhere in Australia. Proprietary valves on obscure suits become a problem five years in. Apeks is stocked and understood by every decent Australian dive shop, so a leaking exhaust is a routine repair, not a shipping exercise. - It packs and dries like a membrane suit should. Rinse it, hang it, and it is dry in an hour or two. It rolls small enough to fly with, which matters if you are combining a Tasmania trip with anything warm.

The Bad

- It is a shell, so budget for the undergarment before you celebrate the price. A discounted Aqua Trek looks like a bargain until you add a decent undersuit at $400 to $900. Compared honestly against a neoprene suit like the Fourth Element Hydra, the gap is narrower than the sticker price suggests. - Rear entry needs a buddy every single dive. Self-donning front-zip suits exist and this is not one of them. If you regularly dive solo from shore or arrive at the water alone, that is a genuine daily friction. - Membrane suits demand better buoyancy control. A loose shell holds a shifting bubble of air. Divers stepping across from a wetsuit will need a drysuit course and a few dives before trim feels natural, and the suit is less forgiving of sloppy technique than closer-fitting neoprene. - The frequent heavy discounting is a mixed signal. Seeing a suit at $1,899 against a $3,499 RRP is great for buyers, but persistent clearance pricing on specific sizes can mean a model refresh or a run-out. Check with the dealer what you are buying before assuming long-term size and spares availability.

Verdict

The Aqua Trek 1 is the safe recommendation in Australian drysuit diving, and safe is not an insult here. It is tough enough for shore entries, light enough to travel with, serviceable in any capital city, and adaptable across every water temperature the country offers. The thigh pockets and Apeks valves are the sort of details you appreciate in year three rather than week one.

Buy it if you want one suit for all of your Australian diving and you usually dive with a buddy who can zip you in. Look at the Fourth Element Hydra if the total system cost is the deciding factor, or the Argonaut 3.0 Flex if you dive weekly and an off-the-rack fit has never worked for you.

Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)