What kind of exposure suit to wear?

[Cafka]

Hey everybody,
I live in Ventura and I'm just getting into diving. I plan to dive my local beach breaks and make the weekend trips out to the channel islands.
My question is what kind of exposure suits do you wear?
Right now I'm leaning towards a 7 mm wetsuit and I don't think I'll be able to afford a dry suit. What do you think?

Thanks,
Cafka

 

[RichLockyer]

You can never be too warm underwater.
The 7mm suit should be enough, but you will still get cold.

Personally, if the water is below 75 (at depth), I'm wearing my drysuit... which means always here in SoCal

 

[Arnaud]

Though some people react differently. Rent a 7 mil. , go diving deep enough until you hit the thermocline and see how it feels.

If you SAC rate goes up, your jaw starts shaking and you feel like taking a nap after the dive, you probably need more insulation...

I wear my DS year-round too, with the same undergarment. I just sweat a little more topside in the summer than in the winter