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Really if you are diving in California you should consider a drysuit. You’ll be much more comfortable, and I find it easier to dive with than a 7 mm. I’m a pretty big guy and even I get a little cold at 65 in a 7 mm.I would be diving in SoCal, the water temps average around 65f-75f depending on the months.
Henderson was the brand I was going to check out, luckily my local shop carries them and a decent variety of suits.
Thanks for all the suggestions. All are greatly appreciated.
Hello. I did my first "Solo." dive on the day I got certified. so, for me.......the main factor was whether, or not....I could get in, and out of the suit by myself. (Just a thought.)I've recently wanted to get into the sport of diving and the first piece of gear I would like to get is a fresh new Wetsuit. Getting into a used one in a time like this is a no thanks for me. I'm a Male,120lbs, 6ft, 28in waist, 34in chest and hips.
I've looked online for sizing and from what I've seen is that I am either in between sizes and require a tall or somewhat fit into a womens size. I can find mens sizes for my height but waist and weight is usually a problem, but if I look at sizes for womens, the weight and waist are good but the height is too short and the hips and chest are slightly too big.
I am eventually going to go to my local dive shop and try on multiple sizes and brands to feel the difference. From what I've seen/heard from others brands and sizes can vary so trying a bunch on is probably the best action to take before going to a local custom shop.
Any other suggestions are welcome.
I think this is really true, you don't want to overestimate water temps, and California, even SoCal can be really cool.Hey there @KyleP, welcome to ScubaBoard.
I dive mostly the Monterey area, roughly 300 miles North of LA. The water temps here are in the 48* - 58* range at depth. Down in San Diego it's a bit warmer, but 65* - 75* sounds like an overestimate. Surface water temps in that range are typical, but the water is much cooler at diving depths. Planning for 50* - 60* sounds more realistic. Take a look at this San Diego dive shop's chart, for example.
With that in mind, I am 5'11", 160 lbs, 39" chest, 32" waist. I tried on a bunch of thick suits at the local shop and picked the one that fit best, which happened to be an AquaLung SolAfx, an 8mm single-piece wetsuit w/ integrated hood, in size MLL (medium-large long), $450 or so. They call it a "semi-dry," which is just a wetsuit with better-than-average seals. Really nice suit, it worked for me for a year or so and about 50 dives. Eventually I decided to replace it with a drysuit from SeaSkin for about $1400, and am much, much happier. I don't think I'll ever dive cold water in a wetsuit again.
Everyone's comfort level in cold water is different. Since I've got more meat on my bones than you, I would guess that my cold tolerance is around the same or a little better. And SoCal water is pretty close to NorCal water temps. So I would recommend a drysuit. If you're not ready to cough up 1-2 grand for one right now, well, fair enough, neither was I when I first started! In that case I recommend a single-piece wetsuit, at least 7mm, preferably a semi-dry, preferably with an integrated hood. As mentioned above, open-cell wetsuits are substantially warmer than closed-cell (although I have not dived them personally).
For either a wetsuit or a drysuit, the most important thing is the fit. It should fit really, really good -- great fit is more important than any of the features like pockets or integrated hood or whatever. If it's too loose in the neck/wrist/ankle seals, then it will flush water in and out more readily, which will make you cold. If it's baggy somewhere on your body, then the bagginess will fill up with water, which will make you cold. If it's too tight, it will be really uncomfortable, especially in the shoulder and crotch areas, since that's where your body moves the most. So keep shopping until you find one that fits. If you can't, then keep in mind that custom wetsuits are not much more expensive than off-the-shelf ones. I had a vest+hood made by New Wave in Orange County last year, and am really happy with it. There are lots of other custom wetsuit companies in SoCal if you're not close to OC.
Best of luck.