Not a diver but have a question.

[rsoderberg]

I am not a diver & you might laugh me off this forum, but I have a question for the experts.

I do metal detecting as a hobby, 50 % of the time wading up to my chin in water. I live in Michigan but once a year take vacation to Florida. I sometimes spend the whole day detecting in water. Season starts & ends roughly between Memorial & Labor day. Here is my question.
What would you recommend for a wet suit & boots for wading in? What under garments to use for long periods of time? I currently just go in swim trunks & water shoes with a T-shirt on. It obviously gets cold at start & end of season.

Thanks for any help & not laughing.
Ross

 

[glbirch]

Best thing might be to go check out some local dive shops and look at the options. There are various combinations of wetsuit in different thicknesses, depending on how cold you get and how much protection you want. You might also want to look at some of the surface dry suit options, which would keep you dry and let you control the level of insulation that you wear underneath. Here's a link to what Bare has: http://www.bare-wetsuits.com/bareshop/waterdept.asp?dept_id=420 Not the only ones on the market, but I happen to like Bare products. Depending on what you buy, you might also want to think about adding some weight somewhere as the thicker suits can be quite bouyant.

 

[SDAnderson]

If fishing waders aren't enough, then you could move up to a wet suit. It will help keep you warm without the flooding worries and they aren't horrifically expensive, like a dry suit.

You're going to be looking for maximum flexibility in warmish water, so I'd start by looking at one piece jumpers, instead of two piece farmer johns. The next question is how thick - how much insulation - and only you can answer that. At a minimum I would think that you'll want a 3mm suit for the long exposures you're talking about, thicker is warmer but also harder to move around in.

I'd spend some time in a dive shop or a surf shop looking at some of the options. A surf suit, which is designed with greater flexibility in mind, might well be a better solution than a dive suit.

There are a lot of good names out there, including Henderson, Bare, O'Neill and Body Glove. They're all decent brands, just skip the titanium.

Good luck.

 

[MRM]

While you're in the dive shops looking at what's on the market you might also consider renting different styles, brands, and thicknesses of suits. Renting a wet suit is usually relatively inexpensive, and this would let you try different suits at minimal expense.

 

[rsoderberg]

Thanks for the quick responses. One of the reasons I am looking for a wet suit is not only to protect against exposure to long time periods in the water but also to extend my season in water. I like the idea of a 2 piece suit for better protection from colder weather & removable top to replace with T-shirt for warmer weather. Last question:
Are most dive boots comfortable for long periods of wading. I like the idea of boots vs shoes to keep sand out which is a problem in the surf. Thanks again
BTW, waders don't cut it. Too bulky, boot part rubs on your legs & will definitely fill with water. Really limits depth at which I can detect.

 

[SDAnderson]

Heh, we'll make a diver of you yet...

Dive boots are very comfortable, you'll want to tuck the boots under the legs of the wet suit to keep the sand out.

Promise, no walking on the corals, though. That's a hanging offense around these parts.

 

[glbirch]

Heh, we'll make a diver of you yet...

Dive boots are very comfortable, you'll want to tuck the boots under the legs of the wet suit to keep the sand out.

Promise, no walking on the corals, though. That's a hanging offense around these parts.

There's coral around Chicago? I had no idea...

 

[jonnythan]

Man, screw a wetsuit. I'd go on ebay and buy a cheap kayaking drysuit for about $100. Put on some sweats underneath and you're in business.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22712&item=3670549972&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36071&item=2237083319&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=15266&item=3671306374&rd=1

MUCH more comfortable. You'll be more flexible, less restricted, more comfortable, warmer, more versatile, and not look as stupid.

 

[Rick Inman]

I agree with gbirch that a dry suit "shell" might be your answer. You control the insulating properties by the amount of undergarments you wear. You can use it in 90f water with nothing underneath, or 30f ice-water with a good dry suit underware. This might extend your season all year.
Not as good as Bare, but much less money, check out O.S. Systems diving and (even cheaper) water sports dry suites:
www.ossystems.com

 

[jonnythan]

The Bare and OS Systems drysuits are pretty expensive. Kokatat makes kayaking drysuits, and they're sold new at online at many stores for $350 or less.