Wetsuit Suggestions for California

[BrendanTheGreat408]

Hi there!

My name is Brendan and I am new to Scuba/scubaboard. I recently got my certification during vacation in the Cayman Islands and have fallen in love with Scuba. I will be attending UCSB as a junior starting in October and want to further my diving career as well as do some local spear fishing. When school is not in session I live in the Bay Area, California where the water is god damn cold lol.

I am looking to purchase a good wetsuit, I want to get something that will work for socal waters as well as norcal waters and I don't mind spending a little extra to get the "right" equipment. Scuba Dan's in San Jose recommended a 7mm wet suit and another dive friend of mine suggested a 7mm full suit, with a vest. Can anyone recommend some good brands/suits to start doing research on? I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you,

Brendan

 

[decompression]

You're on the right track, a 7mm is about the minimum, really depends on you're tolerance but a semi-dry is also recommended. However, if you plan on diving deeper than 60' or so, a drysuit is the way to go for a multitude of reasons.


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[BrendanTheGreat408]

You're on the right track, a 7mm is about the minimum, really depends on you're tolerance but a semi-dry is also recommended. However, if you plan on diving deeper than 60' or so, a drysuit is the way to go for a multitude of reasons.


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I would like a dry suit, but that is far out of the price range at the moment and I think it is a little over kill for the time being. Can you recommend any specific 7mm suits?

 

[Keith.M]

There are many different options.

I currently dive an Aqua Lung 4 way stretch one piece. That is a very good suit. But adding a hooded vest with 5 mill torso and 7 mil hood would be nice.

You can go the farmer john route. That is one piece that covers legs and torso with a tank top type of top. Then you use a step in jacket/overcoat that cover upper legs, body and arms. This gives you 14 mil on your core. Typically these do not have as much stretch and on my certification dives, I felt that it was very constricting. But that is coming from an over 50 year old guy. A skinny college student may not feel the same way.

There are 8mm "semi dry" suits. Also known as semi wet... I never really have seen the need for this, but I have never used it either.

You will use 7mm anywhere in California. You might be able to not use the hood or gloves or both, but 7mm is what you need here regardless of location.

In Monterey, you will be using the hood and gloves, always.

And don't blow off the dry suit that quickly. There are lots of used deals to be had as well as some others that are new and well worth considering. Craigslist and ebay can be your friend.

 

[mrdre]

On the high end of the price range there is a 7mm Henderson Aqualock. It would probably cost $500. It's very comfortable (it's very soft), warm, but doesn't last long (because it's soft). On the lowest end there are some $150 7mm-s of various brands. I would add some dive skin vest or T-shirt under. Makes a big difference.

It also depends on your cold tolerance. I have pretty high cold tolerance. I dove without hoods and gloves in Cali waters 3 dives in a row in December (57-ish waters). Yet I know several divers who never dive wet in California. Try to rent some wetsuits to see if 7mm (and possibly with something under it) is enough for you.

Don't rule out the dry suits. Actually good dry suits cost less per dive than wetsuits. If you are planning on diving a lot in cold waters then dry suit will actually save you money in the long run as they last much much longer than wetsuits.

 

[dshorwich]

I dive Monterey wearing a 7mm Pinnacle jumpsuit over a Henderson 5/7 hooded vest (with an extra 3mm beanie under the hood).

Some friends of mine dive in so-called semi-drys, e.g. the Aqua Lung Solafx; they generally seem to like them. I tried one of the Aqua Lungs on, but it just didn't fit me right.

You might want to ask a moderator to move this thread to the NorCal or SoCal forum.

 

[Vegan Shark]

Get a semi-dry with an attached hood (Hollis NeoTek or Aqualung SolAFX), and put a 5mm vest/short john underneath it. Way warmer than just a one piece suit, and vests aren't that expensive.

 

[covediver]

when you get to UCSB, check out the dive club. It is very active with many good activities, discounts at local dive shops (Santa Barbara Aquatics is a good one in my book). I dived that area for many years. UCSB is a hotbed of diving activity. You are gonna love it. I have been using an XCEL wetsuit, 7mm when I go down there to dive. Lots of others I know are using the Oneill 7mm hooded suits and swear by them.

 

[drbill]

Since you are going to UCSB (where I did my graduate work), you may be faced with a wide variety of water conditions and temperatures ranging from chilly San Miguel Island to warmer Anacapa and the mainland coast. A 7mm or a 7/5mm is the right choice. I have found that one critical factor is choosing a wetsuit that is a good fit. I have had to overlook wetsuits made by excellent manufacturers because their cut did not match my body. Try them on to make sure they fit properly. That may limit your choice of brands.

 

[StefinSB]

Hi Brendan, why don't you stop by at one of the local dive club meetings in Santa Barbara and talk to the locals (paradise dive club dot com)? For just one tank beach dives almost everybody here dives wet. On multi-tank boat dives you see a mix of dry and wetsuits. There does not seem to be a particular brand of wetsuit favored. The most important aspect is fit anyway and that is almost impossible to predict. So go and try some. The local store in Goleta is not fancy by any stretch of imagination but they price match Internet prices and have a decent selection of wetsuits.