Blue Sparkle
Contributor
Hello everyone,
I'm a new diver, and this is my first post here. Thanks for having such a great forum!
(I wonder if I should have put this in the "New Diver" area?)
In a nutshell, I've done quite a bit of snorkeling in Panama and Belize (was lucky enough to be cruising there on a friend's sailboat about five years ago), but am fairly new to diving.
I got certified in spring of 2005 and did two dives in the Keys that year, and then two more in the Keys in 2008. Now I'm planning a trip there later this month.
Before we sailed to the tropics, I went to a LDS in San Diego for advice on a wetsuit, and the consensus of the staff was that no wetsuit was needed and I should get a full coverage dive skin. I did that, and while the full coverage part was great, I *froze* Even though the water was normally around 80º, and I'm a fairly active swimmer when snorkeling, and the sun was out, and I was on the surface.... my hands and feet would be numb in an hour or so, and the rest of me cold after just a half hour. I was wearing neoprene gloves, and occasionally booties too (they did not fit in my favored fins though). My friends were not uncomfortable, so I think that means I tend to be chillier than most people. And I don't like to be chilly when I'm supposed to be having fun!
When I went diving the previous two times, I wasn't cold, but the rental wetsuits did not even come close to fitting me. I vowed not to dive again without my own wetsuit.
I've since found that even the wetsuit companies that make a large variety of wetsuit sizes don't make any that will even come close to fitting me ("womanly" hips but kind of tomboyish on top...). So I'm thinking custom suit, and have (almost) chosen to go with Liquid Fit (more on that in another thread).
What I would like some help in deciding is what style(s) to get and what thicknesses. I did spend a couple of hours searching and reading older posts, but I still have questions.
Edited to add: The upcoming trip is to the Florida Keys in winter, but I would like to be able to use the suit(s) for, say, a summer Keys or Belize trip too. So I am thinking of two or more pieces for flexibility (I realize that one suit can't do everything, but I'm thinking about a water temperature range from 75º to 85º
I really like the one piece coveralls style to my dive skin, so I think I would like that for sure. Then maybe something else to go over the top to make it less or more warm? Hooded vest? Sleeveless shorty type with mini legs? And what options to get, if any?
On the thickness of the main suit, I feel like it comes down to three choices:
All 3mm
5mm body and 3mm arms and (?) legs
All 5mm
I'm wide open on the thickness for any additional piece(s).
I'm kind of an "I like quality but not gadgets for the sake of gadgets" sort of person, so... do I want any options on that full suit?
What about style and thickness for "accessory" pieces?
Thank you very much, and I hope I was not too wordy. But I figure it's hard enough to address such a subjective issue, and that more background info will help.
B.
I'm a new diver, and this is my first post here. Thanks for having such a great forum!
(I wonder if I should have put this in the "New Diver" area?)
In a nutshell, I've done quite a bit of snorkeling in Panama and Belize (was lucky enough to be cruising there on a friend's sailboat about five years ago), but am fairly new to diving.
I got certified in spring of 2005 and did two dives in the Keys that year, and then two more in the Keys in 2008. Now I'm planning a trip there later this month.
Before we sailed to the tropics, I went to a LDS in San Diego for advice on a wetsuit, and the consensus of the staff was that no wetsuit was needed and I should get a full coverage dive skin. I did that, and while the full coverage part was great, I *froze* Even though the water was normally around 80º, and I'm a fairly active swimmer when snorkeling, and the sun was out, and I was on the surface.... my hands and feet would be numb in an hour or so, and the rest of me cold after just a half hour. I was wearing neoprene gloves, and occasionally booties too (they did not fit in my favored fins though). My friends were not uncomfortable, so I think that means I tend to be chillier than most people. And I don't like to be chilly when I'm supposed to be having fun!
When I went diving the previous two times, I wasn't cold, but the rental wetsuits did not even come close to fitting me. I vowed not to dive again without my own wetsuit.
I've since found that even the wetsuit companies that make a large variety of wetsuit sizes don't make any that will even come close to fitting me ("womanly" hips but kind of tomboyish on top...). So I'm thinking custom suit, and have (almost) chosen to go with Liquid Fit (more on that in another thread).
What I would like some help in deciding is what style(s) to get and what thicknesses. I did spend a couple of hours searching and reading older posts, but I still have questions.
Edited to add: The upcoming trip is to the Florida Keys in winter, but I would like to be able to use the suit(s) for, say, a summer Keys or Belize trip too. So I am thinking of two or more pieces for flexibility (I realize that one suit can't do everything, but I'm thinking about a water temperature range from 75º to 85º
I really like the one piece coveralls style to my dive skin, so I think I would like that for sure. Then maybe something else to go over the top to make it less or more warm? Hooded vest? Sleeveless shorty type with mini legs? And what options to get, if any?
On the thickness of the main suit, I feel like it comes down to three choices:
All 3mm
5mm body and 3mm arms and (?) legs
All 5mm
I'm wide open on the thickness for any additional piece(s).
I'm kind of an "I like quality but not gadgets for the sake of gadgets" sort of person, so... do I want any options on that full suit?
What about style and thickness for "accessory" pieces?
Thank you very much, and I hope I was not too wordy. But I figure it's hard enough to address such a subjective issue, and that more background info will help.
B.
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