Best wetsuit for Uk diving??

[Neilwood]

Just a quick question as I will be looking for a wetsuit in the near future (Xmas, black friday etc coming up) and am looking real life reviews of some options.

Not really keen on a drysuit as it will involve considerably more expense and time (£200 minimum for the course and a premium of a few hundred on the suit over a wetsuit). I have no plans for any dives beyond 30m ever and dives over 18m are out in the near future (possibly doing AOW in the spring).

Thinking about a semi dry suit as it appears to give an edge over a traditional suit with the relevant accessories.

Temperature range is likely to be about 5 deg C (41 deg F) to about 15-18 deg C (59-65 deg F).

 

[Redshift]

You're in the dry suit range of temperatures Furthermore, think also about air temperature. Being out of the water in a cold wetsuit can be very uncomfortable.
I've seen over there people calling semi-dry to two-piece suits... but a proper semi is one with waterproof back zipper and good ankle, wrist and neck seals. Those will not be cheap (Scubapro Novascotia, for example. Although many brands have them, Aqualung, Cressi, Mares... see if you can try them on and check how they fit). The scubapro is around £400 (only checked one website) and for £426 you can get a MTM compressed neoprene dry suit (or a trilam for £500, from Seaskin, although for both I'd suggest some additions, such as pockets). O'three also has some clearance suits from time to time.
As for training, can't you get someone to teach you? Do you belong to a dive club?

 

[tbone1004]

drysuit

 

[Rhone Man]

I have dived in Aberdeen in February in a wetsuit, and this is not something that I would force even my worst enemies to do. I am pretty sure that it is banned under the Geneva Convention. I think I even saw a guy from Amnesty International lurking in the car park.

Honestly, invest in a drysuit.

 

[scoobydrew]

If you go to a popular dive site in the UK you will see the majority of divers in drysuits, even in the summer.

Diving a wetsuit in the UK is going to limit you considerably and if you do manage to tough it out it probably isn't going to be that much fun for you.

I would seriously go dry and if you decide to do so then look up "O Three" who are a British company that make very good dry suits.

 

[Storker]

Temperature range is likely to be about 5 deg C (41 deg F) to about 15-18 deg C (59-65 deg F).

Fourthing the DS recommendations.

It's not just while you're underwater. Surviving an hour or so in a WS is doable. Getting out of a WS after the dive, trying to get warm again in cold weather just plainly sucks compared to getting out of a DS, dry and (decently) warm. Not to mention the SI in 10C and NW winds if you're doing more than one dive during the day...

 

[buddhasummer]

If you plan to dive regularly and want to be comfortable I too would strongly recommended re considering a drysuit. You don't need to do a drysuit course, I picked it up fairly quickly by myself and I'm no rocket scientist. Being in the UK I'd check out the O'Three suits they have a great reputation with the local divers. If you can dive in 5 degree water in a wetsuit you're a snowman.

 

[Centrals]

I have no plans for any dives beyond 30m ever and dives over 18m are out in the near future (possibly doing AOW in the spring).

Not even those SMS Battleships at Scap Flow?

 

[Neilwood]

Not even those SMS Battleships at Scap Flow?

Not for a good while as I need AOW, Nitrox and practise with doubles (which are almost a necessity from what I have been told) before I would even consider it.

Strange that everyone has said almost all UK divers use drysuits, the group I have dived with so far almost exclusively dive wetsuits.

 

[buddhasummer]

Not for a good while as I need AOW, Nitrox and practise with doubles (which are almost a necessity from what I have been told) before I would even consider it.

Strange that everyone has said almost all UK divers use drysuits, the group I have dived with so far almost exclusively dive wetsuits.

Not trying to be an ass, but not entirely accurate. Only one poster said they'd seen "the majority of divers" in drysuits, all other posters have merely recommended/suggested a drysuit. If you can survive those temps you can of course ignore the suggestions of diving dry, although I wouldn't.