Wetsuit: Full or Shorty?

[g1138]

How much harder is it to dive while wearing a suit? Are they really that buoyant when saturated? When snorkeling, we are constantly diving (down to 30') so, this could be a problem!

If you have a good dive technique you'll be able to get down to 30ft easy with a 3mm full suit.
Having 2-4lb on will allow you to stay there until you decide to kick back up.
As a little reference, I wear a 4/3mm in the school pool. With 4 lbs I'm a slight bit floaty at 8ft, but start sinking after 10ft.
I also have little to no body fat.

 

[Dave C]

Unlike g1138, I have always found that I needed at least an 8 lb weight belt to help me get down when I am snorkeling with a shorty wet suit. I consider myself more of a snorkeler than a free diver, and spend most of my time in the top 12 feet or so, with an absolute max of perhaps 25 feet. With a full 3 mm wet suit, I am now using 11 lb of weight. (I've got a little flab on me, but I don't think I would be characterized as fat.) If you get a wet suit, you will have to experiment yourself with how much weight you need.

 

[waterproof mp3]

I definitely would buy a full suit to keep you warm and so less heat will be escaping your body while you're in the water. Besides, you can also use the full wetsuit when you go surfing.