Wet suit thickness

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Painter

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Location
Provincetown, MA
# of dives
100 - 199
Out of 30 dives, I only have one in cold water, but I want to do more. I talked to a dive shop owner today and he was saying that I should strongly consider a 5mm Thermoprene because he feels that it would be as warm as a cheaper 7mm and that I would find the flexibility of the 5mm to be more comfortable. I will be diving in New England.

Naturally, you don't know anything about my cold tolerance, and I'm not sure of it myself, though the only other cold water dive that I did was in 60 degree water and I was wearing a farmer john and a top, both 5mm, and I felt comfortable.

Any opinions?
 
The other thing to think of when you are doing cold water diving is how many dives are you doing. Lots of people may be fine with a single cold water dive in whatever suit they are wearing, but when you add another dive or cooler weather all that plays a part. So what I would do is try a few rental suits and see how you do.

You can also get great deals on "last years" model when it comes to wetsuits. My buddy originally bought an old year model Scubapro OneFlex for $125 and the factory price tag on it was in the $270 range.
 
I did my first diving in in cool (60° is not cold) water as a DM assisting classes. We used the shop's two piece, 7mm suits for water that was about 60°, meaning we had 14 mm on the core. Then the shop got rid of those and went with one piece 7mm suits made of a stretchier material that fit the body much better. I thought the one piece 7mm stretchy suits were warmer than the two piece ones made of stiffer material that did not conform to the body as well. Your dive shop owner could be right.

I am going to agree with Ron, though. If you plan to dive locally, look into getting a dry suit. They can be very expensive, but you can get used ones pretty cheaply. You will be much happier diving locally with that.

I have not done any diving in really cold water, but one experience I had should give you an idea. I went diving with some friends in Puget Sound, with a water temperature about 46°. I brought my drysuit, a thick hood, and my warmest undergarment, one that I had never used before. What a mistake that was! At the end of a one-hour long night dive, I was sweating. I should have used my medium weight undergarment.
 
I like to move slow and look at stuff. I like to be comfortable. I have a 3, 5, 7 and hooded vest which can be worn with any of the three. If the water is 60 or below I am in the 7 with hooded vest, 5mm boots with 3mm socks, and 5mm gloves.

A high end 7 can be pretty flexible and easy to take on and off.
 
I dove comfortably in the low 60's deg.F for multiple dives / day in multiple days in Galápagos with 2mm shorty over 5mm full wetsuit, so total neophrene thickness was 7mm in the main core body area. Definitely you need hood with the wetsuits. The shorty over full wetsuit was to keep the flexibility while keeping the core body temperature warm.
 
Temp out of the water matters for multiple dives. Is it 30 with a howling wind? Is it sunny and 95? Both can have 60 degree water.

OP has to keep in mind how long their dives will be and above water conditions were they will be diving.
 
Out of 30 dives, I only have one in cold water, but I want to do more. I talked to a dive shop owner today and he was saying that I should strongly consider a 5mm Thermoprene because he feels that it would be as warm as a cheaper 7mm and that I would find the flexibility of the 5mm to be more comfortable. I will be diving in New England.

Naturally, you don't know anything about my cold tolerance, and I'm not sure of it myself, though the only other cold water dive that I did was in 60 degree water and I was wearing a farmer john and a top, both 5mm, and I felt comfortable.

Any opinions?

I dive in freshwater lakes where the temps are typically 40 or so at depth, year around. Temperatures above the thermocline are more variable.

In general, if you're doing these sorts of dives in a wetsuit, you will want the warmest setup you can get for at least some of the dives. Deeper dives, and dives when it is cold and cloudy at the surface, will ask more of your wetsuit. Temperature plays a minor role by comparison, not much difference between 35 and 50.

With experience you may decide you need a 5mm suit also for shallower dives in cold weather.

In cold water, I dive a 7mm two piece freediving suit with an integral hood, from freedivestore.com. It was not expensive as wetsuits go, and it is warm.

I have an identical suit in 3mm that I use as a midrange suit for water temperatures between about 65-75 degrees. It offers more mobility and more comfort on the surface than the 7mm. For tropical dives I have a cheap one-piece 3/2.

An integral hood makes a big difference.
 
Out of 30 dives, I only have one in cold water, but I want to do more. I talked to a dive shop owner today and he was saying that I should strongly consider a 5mm Thermoprene because he feels that it would be as warm as a cheaper 7mm and that I would find the flexibility of the 5mm to be more comfortable. I will be diving in New England.

Naturally, you don't know anything about my cold tolerance, and I'm not sure of it myself, though the only other cold water dive that I did was in 60 degree water and I was wearing a farmer john and a top, both 5mm, and I felt comfortable.

Any opinions?
While I think a drysuit makes more sense in NE, if you're getting a wetsuit, why would you look at a 5mm themaxx vs the 7mm? The 7mm thermaxx is plenty flexible, and paired with a hooded vest, will keep you about as warm as you will ever be in NE in a wetsuit. If money is the deciding factor, consider that when you discover you're not warm enough in the 5mm (and you will unless you only plan to dive in August and September), you'd have to buy a whole new suit to get a warmer one vs putting out a bit more money on the first purchase.
 
Out of 30 dives, I only have one in cold water, but I want to do more. I talked to a dive shop owner today and he was saying that I should strongly consider a 5mm Thermoprene because he feels that it would be as warm as a cheaper 7mm and that I would find the flexibility of the 5mm to be more comfortable. I will be diving in New England.

Naturally, you don't know anything about my cold tolerance, and I'm not sure of it myself, though the only other cold water dive that I did was in 60 degree water and I was wearing a farmer john and a top, both 5mm, and I felt comfortable.

Any opinions?

As you've already pointed out we don't know anything about your cold tolerance. Heck, a lot of us aren't completely aware of our own cold tolerance under a wide range of conditions. But, perhaps we can offer enough options that you can arrive at a combination of equipment that may minimize what you have to buy to be comfortable.

If you're going to be diving extensively in New England, you'll most likely eventually decide that you need a drysuit (as has already been pointed out). Personally, I'm diving quarries in NC a lot right now and I know that a drysuit is going to be a necessity for me.

Anyway, I currently only have a 3mm full wetsuit. And, I can dive in some pretty cold water with the 3mm full, a beanie hood, and gloves (as low as 59°F to date but, for a short duration). Based on your description, it sounds like your cold tolerance may be similar to mine. I have ordered a Pinnacle V-Skin to wear under my 3mm wetsuit. It basically gives another 3mm of exposure protection without increasing your buoyancy (an aspect I found very desirable). Plus, the V-Skin (or Sharkskin or Lavacore Skinsuit whichever you choose), can be worn under a drysuit for extra warmth. And, most of them come with an optional detachable hood. The attraction for me in this was getting multiple uses out of one suit.

It sounds like you already realize that by layering wetsuits, it gives you more options as far as exposure protection. That will allow you to dive later into the year and start earlier the next spring. You're just going to have to experiment with different combinations until you find what works best for you. However, if you plan to dive year round, wetsuits won't cut it through the winter months. A drysuit is your only option (IMHO).
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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