New to the South Bay LA area

[beaner1]

Hi everyone, I'm just in the process of moving to the South Bay LA area after two years in Thailand and looking to meet some fellow divers socially and for diving. I'm relocating for work and don't know many people in the area, so it would be great to connect and hang out and get some diving in.
I'm used to 82 degree water in South East Asia so I'm a bit apprehensive about diving in SoCal... it's gonna be coooold! (even in SEA I dived with a full 3mm because I get cold so easily) Maybe you all can allay my fears on the temperature as I really do want to take advantage of what the area has to offer in diving and make some new friends.
I've got all my own equipment but I'm not sure it will suffice for these waters. Would totally appreciate some advice on that.
I look forward to meeting some of you at an upcoming gathering - wet or dry.

[Selchie in LB]

Hi & Welcome to sunny So Cal. The best investment I made was a semi-dry wetsuit. There are several manufacturers of this style of wetsuit. It has the intergrated hood so it zips in the front. Mine has a neck & shoulder covering as well. I don't get that rush of cold water down the back of my neck, burrrr. You definitely need a 7mm suit. The water temps below the thermocline have been 50-53 this summer. Since you are coming from 82 water you may want to go dry. I am not there yet, but lot's of regular divers out here choose that route.

Check out the local clubs as they are pretty active & there are lots of divers on the board here.

[JMdiver]

If you are near Long Beach check out Pacific Wilderness they have a good dive club. You may hve to go to a 8-9 wet suit if you get cold easily.

John

[liuk3]

I consider myself fairly thermally tolerant, and even I got fairly cold as my dives started getting longer and longer as well as more repetitive dives in a single day. The best thing I ever did was switch to a dry suit. If you plan on doing a ton of diving frquently here in socal, it really helps. To this day, I think that the dry suit is my most valued piece of dive gear. Also, at depth, that wetsuit just won't keep you as warm due to the compression of the suit at depth.

If you do decide to dive wet in socal, I was wearing a 7mm full wet suit along with a 5mm hooded vest underneath. My gloves were either 5mm or 7mm gloves. Also, since my body was not shaped off the rack, I found myself warmed getting a custom wetsuit made from JMJ Wetsuits in Torrance. Really reasonably priced for a custom wetsuit and kept me warmed since it fit better.

Welcome to southern California!

[beaner1]

Thanks everyone! So kind of you to connect and offer your advice.
Can you recommend some dive clubs to join? I'll check out Pacific Wilderness as John suggested.
Sounds like I'm going to need a dry suit, and I understand that they are incredibly expensive. I'm not sure I'll be diving for a while until I save up some money to buy one. I'll have to have one custom-made - had to have my 3mm made custom as I'm 5'11" and 135lbs with annoyingly long legs. Not exactly your average body for buying a suit - it's nothing but frustration.
This is looking like a pretty expensive hobby in SoCal! Diving in Southeast Asia is obviously a LOT cheaper. Oh, and the drysuit training! ugh.
What about my equipment - other than the wet/drysuit - can I use the same equipment in cold water that I use in warm water? (regulator, BCD, etc.)

[surfinusa555]

Your gear will be fine, it's not really cold enough for your regulator to freeze up. Your bcd will be fine as well, as long as it fits ok when you are wearing a 7mil suit. You should rent a 7 mil and see if it works for you. The only thing other than exposure protection you will need is extra weights, and you should probably rent those until you get what you want sorted out.

[beaner1]

Thanks so much for that sufinusa555! I'm pretty nervous about the cold.
Seems like the season is ending now though, so maybe it'll be the new year before I get out there.
I signed up to receive a newsletter called TWARS (This Week at Reef Seekers) by Ken Kurtis, so hopefully I'll be able to hook up with some divers through his trips.

[ligersandtions]

Thanks so much for that sufinusa555! I'm pretty nervous about the cold.
Seems like the season is ending now though, so maybe it'll be the new year before I get out there.
I signed up to receive a newsletter called TWARS (This Week at Reef Seekers) by Ken Kurtis, so hopefully I'll be able to hook up with some divers through his trips.

Our season is not ending....we dive year round. In fact, fall / early winter generally has the best conditions. I'm not gonna lie -- the water is cold. I'm one of those people who gets cold quite easily (sounds like you're the same way). I dive exclusively in a drysuit. It's a bit of an investment (though you can often buy used and get a good deal on a nice suit) and requires more maintenance than a wetsuit, but it's soooooooo worth it!

[ItsBruce]

I agree that the best diving is fall. This year has been unusually cold. I hate the cold, but seem to do just fine with a 7mm suit and a hooded vest. I hate gloves, but have been practicing using them. They actually make a difference. One of my best investments was in a "boat coat" that I could wear over my wetsuit between dives. I felt it made a big difference in my comfort.

BTW: we have lots of shops where you can rent wetsuits.

The biggest thing you will need to get used to is the bulk of a heavier wetsuit or a drysuit. A lot of warm water divers have trouble when they make the switch and that's especially true when they then start getting into kelp. However, it just takes a bit of practice and a calm mind. A good buddy also helps there. Diving kelp is great fun. And, if you can dive SoCal, you can dive just about anything.

[beaner1]

Thanks again guys.
Let me know if/when you head out and I'll try to join... I think I'm going to do drysuit training in the next little while to alleviate the Fear Of The Cold. I'm just not convinced that a 7mm is going to do it for me. I mean, honestly, I'm cold when a wind blows through! So I'll do the training and rent a suit until I can afford to buy one (gulp).
Can't wait to get out there!