What do you recommend to make it pleasant?

[Blackwood]

I agree with all that's been said above, but want to address one point in your post:

Currently water temp is 62-63 at where I am :cold: and I want to feel like it is 80 degrees.

Three words: not, gunna, and happen.

Short of surface supplied warm water circulating through your suit, it's not going to feel like the tropics.

 

[Capt.JimDavis]

Thanks for all great advices guys. Like I mentioned I am here at the Catalina Island and working as a tour boat captain. I worked as a captain all over the world throughout my life but I never got a chance to get certified or just simply ignored it since I was younger and could dive to good depths while snorkeling to chase fish, octopus or lobster. That was enough for me then...
I became friends with guys at LDS here in Avalon called Catalina Diver Supply and I'll refer their help when I'm ready to get certified. First I will go to an introductory dive session to see if I will feel comfortable. If I do, the rest will follow quickly. I also do have a 30 ft. boat here at Avalon which is very suitable for a small group private diving. I want to get the most use out of that boat.
Again thanks for all the good advice.

 

[openhelix]

Agreed that drysuit is the way to go for your size and preferences. Drysuits don't need to fit skin-tight like a wetsuit so that opens up your options a fair amount. You'd need to get drysuit certified but that's a pretty quick n' easy course from what I hear.

I dive wet in monterey but I also don't get cold very easily... I wouldn't recommend it for most.

 

[Sas]

Yes I agree with the others who say drysuit as well. You can get custom fit ones too but it will cost more. If a drysuit is out of your budget a 7mm semi-dry with a thick vest might be ok... You can get wetsuits custom made also

You'd need to get drysuit certified but that's a pretty quick n' easy course from what I hear. .

You don't have to do a drysuit course, depends on one's comfort level and if they've got a drysuit using friend to show them the ropes.

 

[openhelix]

You don't have to do a drysuit course, depends on one's comfort level and if they've got a drysuit using friend to show them the ropes.

Sure... and you don't have to get a c-card to dive either, but it's a pretty good idea. The drysuit class is worth taking given the different buoyancy characteristics of diving wet versus dry.

 

[Sas]

Sure... and you don't have to get a c-card to dive either, but it's a pretty good idea. The drysuit class is worth taking given the different buoyancy characteristics of diving wet versus dry.

I would not compare getting an OW card to getting a drysuit card personally, not even close. I would compare it more to doing a night diving course, or a drift diving course, both of which I feel are unnecessary for the majority of people. As I said, it depends on the person's comfort level and whether a more experienced person can give some tips as to whether it is worth it. I personally think diving dry is not much harder than diving wet, and trust me, I am not someone who is a natural at diving.

 

[Teamcasa]

I am 51 years old 6' tall and (unfortunately) 250lbs.
My weight is in the middle section of my buddy. You know, that typical big bear belly type. But I have still skinny arms and legs.
Is there any special recommendations that could make my OW certification dives a little more pleasant?

If a drysuit (recommended) is not in the offing just yet, contact Horizon Wetsuits (Formally New Wave Wetsuits) and have one made for you. They are very competitively priced and the fit will be perfect. You won't be sorry.

And of course the mask. I have a big head and I want a really good quality mask. What do you recommend. For the mask money doesn't matter. But I don't mean that I am looking into one of those masks with the HUD.

You are right in that money does not matter - the fit does. There are hundreds of masks on the market and most are of very good quality. Keep trying masks until you find one that fits and does not leak, the money won't matter.

 

[TSandM]

Although I wholeheartedly agree with the folks who are saying that a dry suit is the way to go, if you are going to dive regularly in you region, I think some folks may have missed that these are your OW certification dives, and you are going to be doing them in the near future.

Shallow water temperatures are on the way up where you are. I don't know about this year, but last year in June, surface water was in the 70's. You will probably be fine with a relatively thick wetsuit (for your tolerances, probably 7 mil) and a hooded vest. The hood is key, and I would suggest wet gloves as well. The certification dives are likely to be brief (no more than 30 minutes) so you will not be in the water long enough to get very cold. Make sure you have a big jug of hot water with you to pour into your wetsuit before and after the dive. A heavy, fleece-lined coat (like the True West parkas) is a great thing as well. Get out of the wetsuit between the dives (at least to your waist). Although it is tempting to believe that the suit, being thick, will keep you warm on land, it isn't true. Getting DRY is the best way to get warm.

Have a thermos full of warm liquid ready, as well. The key to the second dive is getting as warm as possible during your surface interval. A lot of wetsuit divers will say that they're pretty much the same as dry suit divers for the FIRST dive . . . it's the second one where they suffer, because they couldn't get warm between dives. Warm doesn't just mean comfortable, either -- it means being on the edge of, or starting to sweat. Wrap up, drink hot stuff, and stay cocooned until you HAVE to get back in the wetsuit. Then use the hot water you brought to warm the inside of the suit, so you don't have to spend body heat doing it. Eating something between the dives helps as well, because digestion produces heat.

I dive in Puget Sound, where the water temps are in the mid 40's all winter long, and I HATE being cold (worse than being hungry, tired or in pain). I have become the mistress of conservation of thermal units, because cold is what drives me out of the water.

If you find that diving calls to you, early transition into a dry suit is absolutely the way to maximize your fun.

Good luck with your certification class, and I hope we soon welcome you into the ranks of people who get OFF the boat

 

[Diver0001]

I am 51 years old 6' tall and (unfortunately) 250lbs.
My weight is in the middle section of my buddy. You know, that typical big bear belly type. But I have still skinny arms and legs.
Is there any special recommendations that could make my OW certification dives a little more pleasant?

Everytime I look at those wetsuit catalogs their model guys have bodies like Fabio. They carry six pack abs and I carry a keg. Is there any brand out there who makes wetsuits more fitted for the people with my body type?

Also I hate cold water and when I say cold water I mean anything below 70+ degrees is cold for me. What thickness is good for people who will dive in Southern California waters but still sensitive to the temperature.
Currently water temp is 62-63 at where I am :cold: and I want to feel like it is 80 degrees.

I remember from my snorkeling days that cold water made my hands swell and made my fingers itchy and that was not a pleasant feeling.

is 2mm or 3mm enough thickness for wetsuit under the conditions I described?

And of course the mask. I have a big head and I want a really good quality mask. What do you recommend. For the mask money doesn't matter. But I don't mean that I am looking into one of those masks with the HUD.

I just want the best glass and silicone with the best visibility (undivided view) if it's possible I don't want to see the mask basically.
Thanks in advance guys...

Can't wait water to get a little warmer...So I can go for it...

I haven't read any of the other posts yet so forgive me if I'm repeating.

First of all I love posts like this. We're all human and I love reading posts from people who just put it out there like it is instead of acting like cyber-hero's. My hat's off to you for that.

Secondly, I think given your situation that you would be a good candidate for a drysuit. A trilaminate drysuit can be used in a very wide range of conditions, including what you cited, and unlike a wetsuit they make everyone look good. Not only that, a drysuit will seldom if ever (in your neck of the woods) leave you feeling cold during or after a dive.

As for masks I can't recommend one over the internet. I can only tell you how to find one that fits but don't worry there's a mask out there for you somewhere. The TUSA "Look" fits just about everyone and Mares has a couple of masks call liquid-....something ... liquid vision or something like that, that offer high levels of piripheral vision and a very supple skirt that will fit the majority of people.

R..

 

[ivobj]

Already mentioned... go for a dryduit!