Any of you SoCal divers who think I'm retiring from diving myself don't know me well... I have a few decades left in this old body.
No, I'm retiring from SCUBA service my "classic" Seaquest 7mm X-Flex "wetsuit" (and I do mean "wet"). Yes, the one with the missing legs and the holes through the arms (thanks to the defective pale blue fabric Seaquest used in making this particular model).
No, it isn't too cold to dive with this suit. I did three dives yesterday in it. Last night I arrived at my house after diving on the King Neptune. I had to deal with a certain biological function (ever notice how the urge to do so increases exponentially as you get closer to the toilet?). I stood out on my front deck trying to unzip the wetsuit and it just wasn't happening. I finally acknowledged the zipper was stuck so I pulled upwards on it and it came loose. I quickly peeled the zipper down, pelled of the wetsuit and fulfilled my basic biological need. The wetsuit will not be wearable until I get the zipper fixed.
So this morning I pulled out my "new" (sitting in my dive locker the past 3 years) Tilos 7/5mm full suit. Yes, it shocked those who saw me fully covered in neoprene, but I love shocking people!
For those of you who don't understand, I love my classic wetsuits. My previous one, an M&B custom 7mm suit, lasted 13 years including the last few when I had the legs cut off and stitched. It is a very sad thing for me to retire a suit. Now people see me and think I'm a newbie (well, until they see my BCD and non-DIR rig). All those years of diving masked by one new wetsuit. I figure this one will lose its legs in about 500 dives (2 years).
So, fellow SoCal divers, don't be shocked when you come out to Casino Point, or dive on the King Neptiune, and see Dr. Bill in a brand new wetsuit. You are not having a nightmare. Just look for that beaming smile (with the two vampire teeth) and you'll know it is the real (or unreal as the case may be) me!
Picture #1: The good Dr. (bad if you're looking for a medical doctor) and his buddies Valerie, Mark and Mina at the Casino Point Dive Park. Note Dr. Bill's legs are entirely covered for the first time in years (and not for modesty).
Picture #2: the previously retired M&B custom 7mm full suit showing battle scars from 13 years of diving. No pictures of the Seaquest available at this time. As you can see, I get my money's worth!
No, I'm retiring from SCUBA service my "classic" Seaquest 7mm X-Flex "wetsuit" (and I do mean "wet"). Yes, the one with the missing legs and the holes through the arms (thanks to the defective pale blue fabric Seaquest used in making this particular model).
No, it isn't too cold to dive with this suit. I did three dives yesterday in it. Last night I arrived at my house after diving on the King Neptune. I had to deal with a certain biological function (ever notice how the urge to do so increases exponentially as you get closer to the toilet?). I stood out on my front deck trying to unzip the wetsuit and it just wasn't happening. I finally acknowledged the zipper was stuck so I pulled upwards on it and it came loose. I quickly peeled the zipper down, pelled of the wetsuit and fulfilled my basic biological need. The wetsuit will not be wearable until I get the zipper fixed.
So this morning I pulled out my "new" (sitting in my dive locker the past 3 years) Tilos 7/5mm full suit. Yes, it shocked those who saw me fully covered in neoprene, but I love shocking people!
For those of you who don't understand, I love my classic wetsuits. My previous one, an M&B custom 7mm suit, lasted 13 years including the last few when I had the legs cut off and stitched. It is a very sad thing for me to retire a suit. Now people see me and think I'm a newbie (well, until they see my BCD and non-DIR rig). All those years of diving masked by one new wetsuit. I figure this one will lose its legs in about 500 dives (2 years).
So, fellow SoCal divers, don't be shocked when you come out to Casino Point, or dive on the King Neptiune, and see Dr. Bill in a brand new wetsuit. You are not having a nightmare. Just look for that beaming smile (with the two vampire teeth) and you'll know it is the real (or unreal as the case may be) me!
Picture #1: The good Dr. (bad if you're looking for a medical doctor) and his buddies Valerie, Mark and Mina at the Casino Point Dive Park. Note Dr. Bill's legs are entirely covered for the first time in years (and not for modesty).
Picture #2: the previously retired M&B custom 7mm full suit showing battle scars from 13 years of diving. No pictures of the Seaquest available at this time. As you can see, I get my money's worth!
