wetsuit thickness???

[I GO DOWN !]

Hello all, I'm a new member that is relatively new to diving and want to purchase a wetsuit but im not sure what thickness I need...most of my diving will be in Southern Cali even though I'm still in NJ for a few more months... I get cold pretty easily and was looking at a 6mm... think this is overkill?... I am strictly recreational and not planning to go into deep diving... talk to me... thanx!

 

[Mario S Caner]

Eric, I'm in San Diego here in Southern Cali and I use a 7mm O'neil suit. Anything less than a 6.5 is inadequate in these waters. Unless that is you use a two piece suit which is terribly restrictive for me. Drop me an e-mail when you get back into SoCal, and I'll help you pick some stuff out.

 

[I GO DOWN !]

What is the difference in restriction between the one and two piece suits?.... I was actually looking at the 2 piece...

 

[Ladydiver]

HI Eric,

I also dive with a 7mm one piece suit. I tried on several "Farmer Jane's" before I made my purchase and I felt like the Michelin Man. Trying to bend at the waist was a feat in and of itself and I was told that the amount of extra weight I would have to use would be significant. I then tried on several one pieces and the range of motion seemed much more natural. I also only have to use about 14# of weight.

The one piece is also much less bulky to try and load into a divebag and there is one less piece of equipment to try to keep track of when diving with a group or on a boat.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

 

[Mario S Caner]

Eric,
Looks like LadyDiver hit it right on the head. When you use a two peice suit, it overlaps in the torso and waist areas. This means you are going to have about a half of an inch of Neoprene to have to work around. This reduces mobility and since you have to compesate for the extra Neoprene with more weight (Archimedes' Principle)... well you get the idea, it's a vicious circle.

Some people chill easier than others and therefore require the added thermal protection of a two peice suit. I for one am not one of those people. You will have to evaluate your own physiology and judge your needs for yourself.

More often than anything else, people simply buy a bad fitting suit. A good fitting 5/3 will keep you warmer than a bad fitting 7mm suit will. Make sure you are careful when purchasing a suit.

 

[Fishkiller]

When I went to the diveshop today I was greeted by the new Henderson Hyperstrech wet suit and the 7mm had more movement than my 3mm. check around with the new products

 

[joewr]

Most of my youth was spent in San Bernadino, but we used to go to Malibu, Doheny, Santa Monica, etc. and do all the things teenagers did in the 50's. The water seemed warm in those days. Then I went back after an 8 year absence and discovered that the climatic changes had made the So. Cal beachs frigid places...as I got older the climatic changes kept making the water colder and colder...

So, now I am a candy a-- diver and only go to places where a dive skin, a 2.5mm fleece suit, or a 3.0mm Henderson will do. But, all my braver friends who tangle with kelp, cold and murky water here in Nor. Cal use 7mm suits or, that amazing invention, the dry suit.

By the way, they also use hoods, thick boots, gloves that look like gauntlets, etc. They tell me they are having fun---sure looks like it!

Last Fall, though we met a guy who is a dive master on Catalina--Catalina Divers Supply (800)353-0330--and he claimed they dove in 74 degree water--so next Summer I am going to give it a try, but I think a 5 or 6 mm suit is still in order.

Mario, what do you think? Ever dived off Catalina? Is it true that the temp is around the mid 70's in the Summer? That sounds almost "civilized"!

 

[Mario S Caner]

Of course I dive Catalina, it's illegal not to dive there! But seriously, my favorite Channel Island is San Clemente. The island is uninhabited except for some military presence and is thus not cluttered with dive boats and teenagers joyriding in their daddies boats. It's more peaceful, better kelp beds and has more fish.

 

[Piper]

I, too, am a Californian, but from the northern waters, and a newly certified diver (as of this weekend). As such, I don't know how often and how varied my dives will be. I certainly plan to dive on vacation in warm waters (like Hawaii) but would also like to dive locally. Can I use the same suit for both? I'm not concerned about being too warm (I'm a woman so I'm always cold!). Would a 7mm just be too much for warm water diving? Oh yeah, I don't really like 2-piece suits so would prefer the simplicity of a 1-piece.

 

[Warhammer]

I'd say a 7mm would be too much for warm water, depending on your definition of warm. It's not so much that it'll keep you uncomfortably warm, but more the aggrevation of wearing such a thick suit. You'll have less mobilty, more buoyancy and etc. Course you could always go the drysuit route for a one suit fits all category, but chances are you'll end up with several wetsuits in your closet. You may also want to consider buying a full/shorty combo which gives you more versatility than the farmer john/jane type suits. You could mix and match thickness that way and wear either or both suits depending on conditions.