Okay, so how many of you....

[DawgDiver]

still dive 'round these parts in a wetsuit? I have this problem, I don't want to wait for the summer to dive. Not even the spring. But my 3/2mm fullsuit and 3mm hooded vest isn't gonna cut it methinks in the month of february. And based on my last experience at DiveHaven (last august) I found that the water there once you hit that thermocline is cold even in the hot months). So I'm looking at buying a 7mm Bare Alpine full-suit w/hood to open my schedule up a bit. What I want to know though, is will this purchase be worth it? I can get the suit for $200.

Basically if any of you are diving wet, what suit are you wearing and is a 7mm gonna keep me happy?

 

[erparamedic]

I'm in Indiana... dove a couple weeks ago. Air temp was mid 40s.... and the water temp was 44/45 degrees. A 7 mil farmer john worked well. It's even nicer if you have your buddy pour hot water (very warm... don't burn yourself!) down your wetsuit before you go in. Then once the cold water starts to seep in, it's not so bad. My dive wasn't very long... got vertigo from the pressure of the hood, but I was IN the water for about 45 minutes... long surface swim, and it took a few to get properly weighted. I was not cold till I got out and was peeling off the suit. Once the cold air hit me, then I was cold.

 

[Lone Frogman]

Go dry. Don't waste money on 7mm wetsuit. But If you have to I will sell you mine. I bought a 7mm used it twice and went dry. When its 40 in the water and air you may get in one dive. Are you going to put that cold wet suit back on after your SI? I don't think so. :shakehead

 

[Puffer Fish]

Go dry. Don't waste money on 7mm wetsuit. But If you have to I will sell you mine. I bought a 7mm used it twice and went dry. When its 40 in the water and air you may get in one dive. Are you going to put that cold wet suit back on after your SI? I don't think so. :shakehead

It depends on how deep you go and the quality/fit of your suit. Coldest I have been in this year is 37 F, and that was in an o'neal j suit, and was toasty warm, except the face and that would have been cold in a dry suit. And two dives was easy.

I normally use a Pinnacle arctic 7/5 mil (5mm arms and legs), with a hooded vest and 7mm boots and 5mm gloves down to 55 or so, but be aware if you are going deeper than 60 ft, there is not much left of the suit, due to compression.

Deeper is the land of drysuits.

Fit is everything in a wetsuit. A lot of people that get cold in a wet suit are cold because of spaces in the suit that fill with water and get flushed as you move. I'm lucky that I get an excellent fit. Most of the time, no water ever gets to my chest.

I had to try three different suits to get one that really fits my wife, she went from being too cold to being too warm. She tried Akona, an Oceanic and finally a X-scuba. The X-scuba did the trick.

Bare makes a great suit, if it fits you. And the price sure beats a dry suit.

 

[Lone Frogman]

I normally use a Pinnacle arctic 7/5 mil (5mm arms and legs), with a hooded vest and 7mm boots and 5mm gloves down to 55 or so, but be aware if you are going deeper than 60 ft, there is not much left of the suit, due to compression.

Deeper is the land of drysuits.

Bare makes a great suit, if it fits you. And the price sure beats a dry suit.

Yes compression :11doh: "Deeper is the land of drysuits." Said like a pro.

Ok I rest my case.

 

[Diving Doc]

Yikes....thats cold!!! Dry suit for me but im a wimp!!

 

[DawgDiver]

I know that ideally I should go with a drysuit, but for me it's just impossible, after adding up the cost of a decent drysuit and the undergarments (which everyone agrees not to skimp on), the price is just wayyyy out of my range (i'm not one of those college kids that has a daddy who pays for everything). Plus a drysuit would benefit me maybe 2 months out of the year, where the other 10 months i could probably dive wet and be okay.

I'm basically planning here for diving in Lake Lanier and the nearby quarries (Dive Haven, ABWA). I'm not sure about the temps, but I think Lanier generally gets no colder than 50*, and the quarries drop down to the mid 40's i believe, at their coldest. Someone correct me on that if I'm mistaken. So I'm thinking I can get away with a wetsuit for these most of the time.

 

[philmottrek99and02]

Go dry. Don't waste money on 7mm wetsuit. But If you have to I will sell you mine. I bought a 7mm used it twice and went dry. When its 40 in the water and air you may get in one dive. Are you going to put that cold wet suit back on after your SI? I don't think so. :shakehead

What size is the suit and how much you asking for it? You gonna make it over to Pelham on the 10th?
Howard
I'll be in Alpharetta the 3d and 4th for a wedding.

 

[Bratface]

I know that ideally I should go with a drysuit, but for me it's just impossible, after adding up the cost of a decent drysuit and the undergarments (which everyone agrees not to skimp on), the price is just wayyyy out of my range (i'm not one of those college kids that has a daddy who pays for everything). Plus a drysuit would benefit me maybe 2 months out of the year, where the other 10 months i could probably dive wet and be okay.

I'm basically planning here for diving in Lake Lanier and the nearby quarries (Dive Haven, ABWA). I'm not sure about the temps, but I think Lanier generally gets no colder than 50*, and the quarries drop down to the mid 40's i believe, at their coldest. Someone correct me on that if I'm mistaken. So I'm thinking I can get away with a wetsuit for these most of the time.

I'm in the same situation here in NC. I don't like to wear anything heavier than a 3mm either but hate being cold. We're going to Florida next month, and I also do early season diving in the 50 degree water of the lake. I've worn a 3mm jacket over my 3mm suit which worked well, but the 3mm is getting worn out now, so I'm looking for more practical ways to dive when it's cold out. (In the south, we are cold when the air temp is 60 degrees).

I just finished trying on a Mares semi-dry suit that I ordered. It has an inner vest and inner seals at the arms and legs plus a horizontal dry-suit zipper across the back. It was tough getting it on and even harder getting it off....thought I was going to have to go beg for help from the neighbors. I think it will be a good suit, but it seems a little long in the body, but then again, it was my first time struggling into it alone.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of suit? Should I go for another kind of suit? I have the option of taking this one back, so I'd like to get the best fit and the best thermal protection.

PS: I am a female, so any input from the ladies would be especially helpful.

 

[JKSteger]

I know that ideally I should go with a drysuit, but for me it's just impossible, after adding up the cost of a decent drysuit and the undergarments (which everyone agrees not to skimp on), the price is just wayyyy out of my range (i'm not one of those college kids that has a daddy who pays for everything). Plus a drysuit would benefit me maybe 2 months out of the year, where the other 10 months i could probably dive wet and be okay.

I'm basically planning here for diving in Lake Lanier and the nearby quarries (Dive Haven, ABWA). I'm not sure about the temps, but I think Lanier generally gets no colder than 50*, and the quarries drop down to the mid 40's i believe, at their coldest. Someone correct me on that if I'm mistaken. So I'm thinking I can get away with a wetsuit for these most of the time.

Lanier gets very cold at depth even in the summer months. I will dive with my drysuit even in the summer at Lanier and the local quarries.

Before my drysuit I dove with a SeaElite 7/5 semi-dry for a couple of years. This worked ok but left me cold if I went to any real depth. Also once I peeled out of the semidry I didn't want to put it back on so I usually only did one dive per day when it was cold outside.

You will probably like the Bare and it will work okay but don't expect to be really warm on thoes cold days and if doing multiple dives. I kept my semi-dry for the florida spings. Since going dry my tolerence for cold water has went WAY DOWN!

Good luck,
Jeremy