Diving in Norcal

[MBrady]

So, after a layoff of a few years I am ready to "dive" back into scuba. I am stationed at Beale AFB so it looks like the majority of my diving will be split between San Francisco and Tahoe. But I have a question about exposure suits. The last time I did any diving was when I was living in Guam, so I wore shorts and a T-shirt. I am pretty sure that wont work here.
For my sins I fall into the "buy once, cry once" crowd. I have been looking at either the Hollis NeoTek semidry or the BARE Velocity semidry. I was wondering if any of the divers here can offer any advice of the type of suits they use and if the two semidrys are any good.
Thanks for any help and hopefully once I get my gear sorted and my skills refreshed I can meet up with some of you and hit the local dive spots.

 

[ParaMike]

I use a Hollis Neotek and it works well for me but I still get a little cold at times-


Mike

 

[Wilki48]

Welcome aboard!

I also use the Hollis Neotek. It works well for me and I like the pockets.

- Gary

 

[NorCalDM]

Breakwater Scuba rents the Hollis suits so you can give one a try to see how it fits you they are located steps from San Carlos beach in Monterey. My wife tried one out and said it was not as warm as her Aqualung Soliflex but she gets cold easily.

 

[elgoog]

For NorCal "buy once, cry once" is going to be a drysuit, not a semi-dry. Assuming, of course, you're going to dive at least semi-regularly.

Before I went dry, I dove an Aqualung SolaFX with a Lavacore baselayer (for slightly extra warmth and also to make getting the semidry on/off easier). This setup was fine but I would get a little cold on the 2nd dive. This started to get exacerbated as I got more experienced/better buoyancy control/better kicking techniques and was able to stay more still in the water - that's when I would get cold on the first dive and ended up getting a drysuit.

I've been meaning to put the SolaFx up for sale but just haven't gotten around to it. I have a MLL size if you're interested ...

 

[NorCalMola]

+ 1 for Hollis NeoTek! I was sold after I rented one from Breakwater Scuba, and they give discounts to returning customers.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The suit you use here in Norcal has a lot to do with the type of diving you intend to do.
Surprisingly I didn't see anyone mention this.

If you're the type that likes to go on long excursions, sometimes fairly deep, and go at a snails pace to look at things and enjoy the scenery then I would positively recommend a drysuit. The water right now is in the high 40's according to the bouy reports. Monterey can get really cold and icy because of the deep water trench and the upwellings.

If you're just into short shallow beach dives then you could get away with a quality 7mm wetsuit, hood, gloves, booties. Some use a 7mm one piece and wear a hooded vest inderneath, which isn't a bad way to go.

If you're into hunting I would also consider a wetsuit since hunting/gathering can be hard on suits depending on how much bottom contact you make. Harvesting scallops for instance can mean wiggling into crevices to pry them off. This type of activity can ruin drysuits quickly with chafing.
If you are interested in coming up to the North Coast (north of San Francisco) to freedive for abalone you will want a good wetsuit. I use a Yazbeck freediving suit for both abalone diving and scuba, but I don't go long or deep. I'm mostly into close inshore reef hunting in the 25 to 50 foot range.

If you just want to get wet and aren't too concerned about getting a little cooled, a wetsuit will work.
If you're worried about getting chilled and want to do longer deeper dives or maybe do three dives a day (Charter boat?) then I would definitely look at a drysuit. A drysuit is the default "buy once, cry once" option.

 

[MBrady]

Thank you all for your comments. I had considered a dry suit but I have slated that for next years tax return. It is definitely on the to buy list though.
As for the type of diving; I am hoping to fulfil all the requirements for Master Diver. I am also hoping to get into Technical Diving and Cave Diving.

 

[Spack9]

Congrats on taking the plunge again. I am in the same boat just the opposite coast. I'm at Mcguire AFB. There is a member here on SB who teaches vets and active duty for free. Really a great person and very experienced diver. I am a C-17 Crew Chief and travel out that way time to time. I will look you up if we get some decent crew rest and maybe we can make a dive!

 

[MBrady]

Congrats on taking the plunge again. I am in the same boat just the opposite coast. I'm at Mcguire AFB. There is a member here on SB who teaches vets and active duty for free. Really a great person and very experienced diver. I am a C-17 Crew Chief and travel out that way time to time. I will look you up if we get some decent crew rest and maybe we can make a dive!

Absolutely! Let me know when you think you'll be here and we will see what we can do.