What would that under shirt be called??

[EFB]

Hello all,

Hubby and I went to sign up for our Open Water certification course today (starts June 28- I am excited and nervous at the same time). While signing up, they fitted us with equipment and I had a heck of a time with trying on the wetsuit. We had on a full suit and a "shorty" (is that what the sleeveless one with the shorts is called) and MAN it was tight. Thank God I have lost 40 lbs in the last 18 months or this wouldn't have worked at all.

The young guy in the shop said "That's how it is supposed to fit" and the more experienced guy came over and said we would only wear the shorty during the course and the full one during the dive (July 16/17)- oh, and you should probably know I am in Canada. He also recommended a type of shirt to wear under the wetsuit (kinda made out of athletic wick material for lack of a better word). I looked at a couple there...thought it was strange they didn't have sizes (that can't possibly be a one size fits all deal, right?). I want to compare cost online as well, but I don't know what it would be called. An under shirt??

Also, I was asking the guy at the store about what type of wetsuit I should buy if this works out (I think after a mask and fins, this may be a good purchase..kinda a personal garment) and he said I would need one for this area and another (less thick) for "going down south". He recommended a full suit for both situations, though I kinda liked the long sleeve/short leg one we wore in Jamaica. He said you would just change the thickness.

Do you have mutilple suits of different diving locations? Also, how does the thickness scale work?

Thank you in advance for helping this newbie!

 

[hypertech]

It was probably a rash guard. Some people wear them underneath the suit to make it easier to get on and off. They are not necessary. Rash guards are very stretchy. They very well could be one size fits most. But, I have certainly seen them with sizes.

Thick wetsuits can be a trick to get on and off before you get used to them - and a little after that too. They should be snug. To a new wearer, probably a little snugger than you would think. They need to be tight so water doesn't get in and out of them because this will cause you to lose heat and get cold. If they are too loose they will do that. Also remember you will be swimming in a horizontal position, not walking around. So how it feels in the dressing room is a little different than how it will feel in the water.

For thicknesses, I wear a 3mm full suit in warm water. I recommend sticking with the full suit. It will offer you protection from the sun, jellyfish, etc and even in 80 degree water, your body is loosing heat. I have a 8/6/5 that I used to use down to about 45 degrees before I got my drysuit. Now, if it is below 70, I dive dry. Above that, I'll either dive dry or in the 3mm.

I'm actually pulling the 8/6/5 out of storage to dive tomorrow for a rescue class. Its just too darn hot on the surface to dive dry.

So, the short answer is - you'll likely end up with a closet full if you dive different conditions and start diving a lot.

 

[JBRES1]

I wear this type of shirt under my wet suit.
Under Armour ® | Men's UA Tech™ Shortsleeve T | 1000382 | $19.99

You don't need to go the under armour brand, anything just like it will work.
Also panty hose works along with some baby shampoo or hair conditioner.
I have also seen people use those plastic bags you get from most stores.
They put the bag over their feet to allow them to get into the suit easier.
Then they take the bag off of their feet once they are in the suit.

Jim breslin

 

[diversteve]

My buddy wears a full lycra diveskin under her 7mm wetsuit. It helps with donning the suit. She dives in cold lake water - not Canada but it is Colorado River water so high 50's and up.

You can also wear a lycra in the tropics for better protection against small stinging organisms in the water. It will help slightly with thermal protection also. In the tropics it may be all you need - or a 1mm or 3mm wetsuit. Or both.

Something like this:

Amazon.com: Women's Lycra Dive Skin Warm Water Heavy-Duty Nylon/Lycra Spandex Dive Suit Scuba Diver Snorkel Snorkeling Sun Protection Sun Guard Rash Guard Wetsuit Wet Suit

A woman on a trip last May - Turks/Caicos 82-84^o - dove with her skin during the day and added a 3mil at night or when she was cold.

The shorty you used in Jamaica was probably a 3mm.

LeisurePro sells them and rash guards also. Skins & Rash Guards at LeisurePro.com And ship to Canada.

 

[JBRES1]

I wear a dive skin under my drysuit bunny suit. I have to say I sure look good during the surface intevals in my dive skin and timberland boots.
Nothing says Sexy like a dive skin and boots. I am glad that scuba divers don't care much for fashion during the dive.

Jim Breslin

 

[2905luvsbubbles]

In response to your question about how wetsuit thickness, they are based on mm of neoprene. A 3 mm is fairly thin but great for warm water. A 7 mm will be used in cold water. I have multiple wetsuits depending upon where I dive and the water temperature. The nice thing about wetsuits and cold water is you can layer them just like you do clothes in the winter. A 5 or 5/3 wetsuit is a good choice for multiple water temperatures as you can add a 5 mm hooded vest over it and you then have 10 mm on your core with a hood, which is good for cold water diving. I have worn this combination into the mid 50's with gloves, especially when it is to hot on the surface to put on my dry suit. If the surface temperature is in the 60's I will typically go with a dry suit. In Canada, I would think you would want to eventually consider a dry suit do to it being cold water. Their is nothing worse than getting cold on a dive and then actually having hypothermia set in. Warmth and comfort are key in diving.

 

[EFB]

Thanks for all the great replies!!

 

[TSandM]

EFB, where in Canada are you? If you are in Western Canada, you may really be looking at a dry suit, if you intend to dive regularly at home. Very few Puget Sound divers dive in wetsuits past their first year of diving.

Wet suits insulate not by trapping warm water against your skin, as many people think, but by minimizing water flow through the suit. Therefore, they have to be snug, and are often uncomfortable when dry and on land, but much better when there is a lubricating layer of water between you and the rubber. A suit which is truly comfortable on land will probably not insulate very well.

 

[fnfalman]

Dive skins will work (one-piece thin jumpsuit). As is rashguard top and some sort of stretchy short (Speedo but not the banana hammock kind). Or UnderArmor compression T-shirt will do.

I prefer the UnderArmor long sleeve compression T-shirt because it's not as thick as the rashguard long sleeve top and it dries faster too. For short, I wear the thigh long Speedo.

 

[EFB]

I'm on the Other coast...in Ottawa..and I have no desire to dive here when its not warm outside...that's what going south is for. Already planning our next trip in February to either go back to Jamaica (south coast this time) or St Lucia. The guy at the shop was saying that even in July (when my OW certification would be), I would need a thicker suit here than the one I used in Jamaica in February. I was told that the St Lawrence seaway (which is about an hour away) is pretty great too.