Buying some new gear (some time soon)

[Darcimus]

Getting some new fins, boots, odds and ends (DSMB and a few other things like that) and probably a 9/7/6 XCel suit with a hood because apparently I'll need one that thick when we start lake diving in May-ish. Then I'll need a 5 mm suit for the summer as the water "warms up" a bit. (I miss Mexico )

I wear a shorty right now, so I have my weight "down" as far as that's concerned. With a full suit that's a lot thicker, I know I'll need more weight to get neutral, I'm okay with that.

I would like to have a better idea of how much weight I'll need, so I'm considering getting that sorted out in the pool. With a suit that thick, and with the pool averaging 75 degrees, do you think I'll overheat too bad if I take ten minutes or so doing a weight check to get that sorted out? Or should I just wait and do that when we do the first dive. Trouble is....I'm not sure if the first dive will be from shore or from a boat, and I'd rather not be dicking around with weights for several minutes while everyone else is descending and my buddy's sitting on the surface looking at me like "dude wtf"....any advice?

 

[tbone1004]

you won't overheat that fast, though i would consider looking at a drysuit for cold water diving up there. there are quite a few brands that are not going to break the bank and you'll be a lot better off with one

 

[halocline]

I agree, if you're going to dive in Canada, sooner or later you'll want a drysuit.

 

[SeaHorse81]

I think you'll probably want a dry suit eventually as well but in the meantime, I can't imagine you overheating while working out your weighting in the pool. But, if somehow you do, you can just get out, so no biggie.

 

[stuartv]

+1 on a drysuit. For the cost of a 9/whatever mm plus a 5 mm, you can probably get a drysuit.

I'm fairly cold tolerant. I wear my 3/2 wetsuit comfortably in water down to around 70F/21C. But, if the water is cool enough for me to want anything more than my 3/2, I just wear my drysuit. If it's really hot surface conditions (say, over 90F/32C), then I might choose a 5mm or maybe even a 7mm wetsuit. But, even then, ever since I got a breathable tri-lam drysuit, I would still probably wear it. I wore my drysuit on a boat in NC last September. The water was right at 80F and air temps were in the 80s, I think, with clear sunny days, and I was still perfectly happy to be wearing my drysuit (and only shorts and a t-shirt underneath).