Monterey Wetsuit Part II

Hey again!

Just moved to montery and I am looking for places for my girlfriend to try on wetsuits.
Right now the goal is to get her more comfortable in the water by snorkeling/free diving so a dry suit isnt an option and renting gear for her is getting expensive. I have put some consideration into a custom suit but the cost is way to prohibitive considering that if she decides that diving isnt for her then I could be out alot of money in short order...

So far I have been to:
Aquarius - one scubapro wetsuit that fits and seems way overpriced. I like this shop, its small but the staff is helpful and they are pretty nice about giving discounts
Bamboo Reef - one pinnacle suit that almost fits and is priced pretty well. Asking about a discount got the sales rep all defensive, alot of stuff is way overpriced big inventory with an attitude that got me running out the door...
Monterey Dive Center - nada nice little shop without a lot of selection.

I really like the thought of supporting a local dive shop especially when the lds makes an effort to take care of you... But when they make it clear that the goal here is to take me for all they can I have to draw the line and go elsewhere...

So where else can I go around monterey to look at wetsuits???

If you know what your size is already, you can order some of the wetsuits on scuba.com. This was where I bought my wetsuit from. Unfortunately they don't have anything scubapro, but they do carry alot of pinnacle stuff. Hope this helps.

Leisurepro.

I live in Monterey and I buy all my big ticket items there.

Take care,
John

If you feel like it, you can take a short jaunt to San Jose and try a couple places like Diver Dan's (http://www.diverdans.com/) or Anywater Sports (http://www.anywater.com/).

When I lived in Monterey, I sometimes went up there just for a change of scenery even though I knew the folks at the local shops. I did get my Henderson Hyperstretch from Diver Dan's.

I'm also really surprised that you had the experiences at those shops. I've never had a problem with them.

Oh, there's also Glen's Aquarius II (http://www.aquarius2.com/) right there near the boat ramp at the Breakwater. And if you want to spend some $, you can go to Otter Bay Wetsuits (http://www.otterbaysuits.com/) and get yourself a custom suit.

Good Luck!

Getting a good fit for women in a wetsuit is a big problem. Their bodies are more variable. I know I had to drive my chica around to several stores and still haven't found one that was "yes this fits right everywhere, buy it". Unfortunately it's a niche sport so there are no superstores with hundreds of variations to try that I've found in Northern California. Another aggravating aspect for me was trying on suits in all these WARM stores with no fans in the changing rooms. A very short time modelling different suits can make you overheat and quite ill, not a fun shopping experience!

Best bet is look at the new stretchy neoprene stuff with goes by varying names like AquaFlex from AquaLung, or HyperStretch from Henderson, etc. I have an AquaLung suit and love it. For me a suit has to fit like a glove. So I'll shop and think, shop and think. You must ignore the desperate salespeople who will try to convince what they have on the rack is "good enough" and will try to talk you into when your first instinct was it wasn't right. When I find one I like I just buy it without looking much at the price. I am going to be in the water for hours with it and want to be comfortable. A good suit will last 10 years easily if well-cared for. I buy lots of stuff from LeisurePro and similar over the web, but not my suits. My first wetsuit in 1997 was custom-fit, I paid extra for that and it was a great suit until it wore out. The stretchy neoprene stuff let me avoid doing custom-fit this time around.

Today we got a chance to stop by Glens Aquarius II and all i have to say is WOW, this is my new lds. Finally good customer service and a care for making repeat customers! Glen gave me an all around good deal on an Akona wetsuit and hooded vest to match. The Akona fit the best out of all the wetsuits that we tried so far. Now all we need is gloves booties and fins and she will have all the gear needed for snorkeling!

ghost68:

Today we got a chance to stop by Glens Aquarius II and all i have to say is WOW, this is my new lds. Finally good customer service and a care for making repeat customers! Glen gave me an all around good deal on an Akona wetsuit and hooded vest to match. The Akona fit the best out of all the wetsuits that we tried so far. Now all we need is gloves booties and fins and she will have all the gear needed for snorkeling!

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Thats good to hear. Glenn is a great person top deal with and have bought my fair share of gear from him also.