What is the best wet suit?

[ems_is_4_me]

Hello all i was just wondering what the best wet suit for year round diving would be i no dry would be better but dont have the money right now i live in central oklahoma and dive lakes and quarrys any help thanks

 

[Oki Dirt Diver]

Depends on how cold the water? I have a 3mm suit and if it wont keep me warm then it's too cold for me?:errrr: Where in central OK you live?

 

[ems_is_4_me]

I live at sasakwa but no one knows where that is i am around 20 miles north of ada between konawa and wewoka

 

[Oki Dirt Diver]

Have you been to murray yet? Maybe we can get together down there if ya need a buddy.

 

[hudson]

You want a 7mm with an all-around 7mm zippered hooded vest (not a 7mm hood with a 3mm vest).

Best is having it custom made from Rubatex material, will cost you about $550 IIRC.
Wetwear - Rubatex G-231-N100% Neoprene

 

[piffle]

You'll want a 7mm for winter for sure, and even in the summer if you dive to any depth below the thermocline. I know when the air temperature is in the 90's, mid 60 degree water below the thermocline just feels colder.

 

[Blu Diver]

I would agree that a 7mm is best for year round diving. I have a 5mm and recently switched to a Drysuit. However, I like my 3 piece 5mm O'neil (Farmer John, Shorty and chicken vest). This way I can layer my wetsuit. Also having a 3 pc allows you to use just on specific piece for the water conditions oppossed to always wearing a full wetsuit.

 

[mudhole]

Welcome to Oklahoma diving. . . Ice diving to hot water diving in the late summer. Only a very small number of divers dive year round, I did at one time, but now mostly dive in the summer only, 5 months a year. If you have a 3 mil suit, it will do well those 5 months, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, and usually early October. In May and October I'll usually add a "Beanie" thin head cover with a strap under the chin.

A second wetsuit, can be a 5 mil farmer john. A bib style long leg "bottom" and a waist length, long sleeve top, with 2 layers of material over the core of the body, will extend your diving year to all of October, into November and early December, also April and early May. Depending on surface temps and wind chill index those conditions may stop comfortable diving.

January, February, March are left for the hard core divers, wearing 7mm farmer john suits or dry suits. There are a few dry suit divers who can outlast all the rest of us. . . but your dive buddy must also be wearing a dry suit or you're left alone.

3 mil suits are more comfortable because they are thin. . . A 5 mil suit starts to get harder to move in because of the thickness of the material, and when you increase to a 7 mil suit It is uncomfortable trying to move. All that changes if you order a custom suit that fits you perfectly. A custom suit is a huge improvement in any of the thicker materials. On a dive with my first custom suit, I was with a partner who got cold at the same rate I did, the week before. . . While still warm and wanting to keep diving, my partner, who was shaking ended the dive because he was too cold, we had been down twice the length of time as the week before, and I was still warm. You and your partner must have similar equipment.

Hoods are uncomfortable if they fit you perfectly. . . and torture if they are not perfect. Too tight, with thick material, can feel like it is breaking your jaw, or squeezing your head. A hood can come with a vest, or a skirt to go under your jacket, or a short neck length skirt, depending on the temperature you're trying to endure.

If you dive in colder water, carry a thermos of bath temp water, to pour into your suit at the end of the dive and you'll recover body heat faster. Also, cold water can leave you feeling exhausted, bring something to maintain your blood sugar level.

 

[ems_is_4_me]

Very helpful, Mudhole what part of cen oklahoma you in.

 

[mudhole]

I'm living in Oklahoma City, now, and heading for south Texas in a few days to help a sister move. Hoping to be back at Tenkiller in a few weeks.