Wetsuit options for cool water

[Boneyarddiver]

I agree with Lostsheep. I'm on the east coast in NC where most fair weather divers stay on land from November to May. With a drysuit I'm able to dive 365 weather permitting of course. I too started with a 7mm in with cold season and would then switch to a 5mm. Now I dive a TLS350 for tooth diving and an SF Tech TNT for wreck diving. The TLS350 is light enough to use in warm weather as well.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you want a warm wetsuit try a 7mm freediving suit. They are skin-in (raw neoprene inside) and the rubber becomes a second skin. Freediving suits don’t have any zippers and require suit lube to get in. They are a two piece beaver tail style with an attached hood, some have pants cut off at the chest and some have 3 mil shoulder straps.
It sounds like a pain with suit lube, but it’s really not. The suits slide right on and there’s no tugging and pulling. I warm up my spray bottle of suit lube so on a chilly morning it’s nice to get into. Also the suit never smells because the skin-in dries quickly and holds no moisture to mildew. Plus the suit lube made from hair conditioner and water smells nice.
Other than that you could order a custom from JMJ wetsuits in Torrance, CA. They make two piece attached hood suits out of really good neoprene which you can choose. Just like In-n-Out Burger they have options that aren’t on the menu, like commercial suits out of 9mm, special kevlar padding if you need it, etc.
Attached hood is the key because the neck is always a leak point along with zippers. That’s why no zipper attached hood wetsuits are the warmest option.
A really good wetsuit is great.
@MAKO Spearguns has great freediving suits.
Seals Water Sports in Santa Rosa has some Omer freediving suits on sale right now.

I can tell you that most standard off the rack scuba suits sold in dive shops these days suck.
That’s what most of these people who go dry have experience with, and so in their minds all wetsuits suck. I personally like the very low maintenance trouble free nature of wetsuits. I also enjoy having salt water on my skin and being wet in the ocean.

 

[paddydiver]

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Not sure what temperature you're diving in but I use this suit for diving in Ireland end of May to around October. I will occasionally use it in winter ( 7-9 'C) but for short shallow dives. It's a fantastic suit, very warm and comfortable and has lasted me well but to be honest even in Summer I will dive dry if I'm going deeper then about 18m, for longer dives or for repetitive dives.

 

[TahoeDive]

PRO V3 Waterproof Heated Diving Undersuit

Is the only way I would use a wetsuit below 50 F.

The warmest wetsuit I have used would be the Hollis NeoTek 8/7/6.

Pair that hollis with NEOTEC or another warmth keeping undergarment and you should be OK in the lower 50s.

Problem is going to be when you get out of the water and staying warm (well at least in lake tahoe)

 

[34109411]

My worry about the dry suit is that it's a lot of money to spend on something I may not be using much after this year, I may be fooling myself about how much diving I would actually do in the summer in Canada. Not to mention I'm still shopping for gear like a reg set (and just bought a bpw).

Also, it seems like a lot to figure out with all the custom options available (looking at Seaskin here). And wetsuits just seem like a simpler all-in-one solution for single tank dives, no?

if you are coming to canada in the great lake or near by during summer month a good 7 mm will do the job you could always add up layers.

 

[Natmart]

Look into a 7ml hooded step in vest over a 7ml wetsuit to get more options

 

[hfx]

Thanks for all your input in the thread. I went to my LDS and tried on an Apeks Thermiq 9/8/7 suit, just to see how it would fit. The fit was technically ok but it was quite bulky and kind of a nightmare getting it on and off. Certainly not a one-man operation at this stage. I think the Hollis Neotek would be similar, and I know it'd get easier with time, but this experience definitely made a good case for a dry suit!

 

[KenE]

I have been diving a wetsuit for many years. I have not found a drysuit that I can don comfortably with existing past injuries. So, wet it is. I started diving in the great lakes and now spend most of my underwater time in Puget Sound. Both have water temps down to 45 deg at depth. I use a semi dry one piece wetsuit to minimize flushing and do not get cold. Hands get cold first. So, skipping a dive has not occurred due to exposure suit. I do believe you get what you pay for in a wetsuit. The cheaper wetsuit is not the same as the more expensive. Freediving suits can be warmer, but a pain in the arse to don and doff without lube. I use a lycra skin underneath, primarily to help with don and doff. It may add a bit of warmth. Warmth is highly dependent on the individual. Those highly susceptible to cold temperatures need a drysuit to be comfortable. Those like me, don't. It really depends on you. You need to be comfortable or you will just not dive, and that ain't a good thing!

 

[Wallowa]

I have dove cold twice - once in Lake Tahoe for two dives and at blue hole in NM for one dive. 7mm wetsuit both times. Wore a hood for Tahoe, and a neoprene beanie for blue hole.

Tahoe was no fun. 52 deg at 42ft in early June. Didn’t see much and froze my ass off. Dreaded the second dive.

Blue hole was okay. Knew what I was getting myself into (62 deg year round) and dove in the summer when the air temps were in the high 90s.

If I was going to dive cold on the regular I’d absolutely go dry. For two or three dives once a year I’ll go with a good fitting 7mm semi dry wetsuit with gloves and a beanie (I get OE with a hood) and still I’ll only do it if it’s pretty hot out to warm up between dives.

If you had dropped a little deeper [depends on air/surface temp] you would SEE [pycnocline] the thermocline in Tahoe [always found below 90ft]....once below it is 40F..."brass monkey cold"...first wet suits we in the Nevada Desert Divers [50s] used, already mentioned from Dive & Surf Dive Store Redondo Beach, were 3/16", high waist, beaver tail, separate hood and we often got dressed inside a vehicle during blizzards...so to echo what others have said, like Eric, within limits you adjust to the environment before and during dives....all good! Never optimal but close enough....and like Eric, getting wet and feeling the water is for me an essential part of being a diver....with the half dozen different dry suits I have owned, I always come back to a wet suit...

May not be every one's cup of tea, but for me the feel and mobility of a wet suit can't be beat...oh, and I am an addicted freediver.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you had dropped a little deeper [depends on air/surface temp] you would SEE [pycnocline] the thermocline in Tahoe [always found below 90ft]....once below it is 40F..."brass monkey cold"...first wet suits we in the Nevada Desert Divers [50s] used, already mentioned from Dive & Surf Dive Store Redondo Beach, were 3/16", high waist, beaver tail, separate hood and we often got dressed inside a vehicle during blizzards...so to echo what others have said, like Eric, within limits you adjust to the environment before and during dives....all good! Never optimal but close enough....and like Eric, getting wet and feeling the water is for me an essential part of being a diver....with the half dozen different dry suits I have owned, I always come back to a wet suit...

May not be every one's cup of tea, but for me the feel and mobility of a wet suit can't be beat...oh, and I am an addicted freediver.

A lot of what we like to do is kayak dive, and using a drysuit for kayak diving (or even kayaking) is a holy nightmare. Wetsuits on the other hand are great, if you get hot and it's a nice day you can pull off the top which gives you freedom to paddle better. We also have a large community of freedivers here.