Wetsuit Suggestions

[KyleP]

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.

 

[drk5036]

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.

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.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

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.

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.)
Cheers.

 

[uncfnp]

Hi KyleP!

Yes. I am a Mako fan so keep that in mind but given your info I have to recommend a Mako 2 piece 5 or 7 mil wetsuit. I think it might be the ideal wetsuit for you. The 2 pc design is perfect for hard to fit/tall divers and the open cell neoprene is warmer then the standard closed cell wetsuit.

https://www.makospearguns.com/Yamamoto-3D-Reef-Camo-2-Piece-Open-Cell-Wetsuit-p/m2y3drc.htm

@MAKO Spearguns

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Thanks for the suggestions and recommendations. The freedive suit is a very warm design because of a number of factors. However, the OP indicates a height and weight (120lbs, 6ft,) that is somewhat outside of our size recommendations.

In some respects, it is better to be a "little short for your weight" since you can buy a suit that matches your weight and if the sleeves and ankles are a little long, this is not too much of a problem. But in this case, the OP may need to look for a custom suit if diving in cool to cold water where a good fit is necessary.


Size Chart
Wetsuit
Size

Height

Weight

Youth Large (48)

4'10" to 5'2"

95-115

S

5'1" to 5'6"

120-140

M

5'4" to 5'9"

145-160

ML

5'7" to 5'11"

160-170

L

5'9" to 6'2"

175-190

XL

5'10" to 6'3"

190-205

XXL

5'11" to 6'4"

210-225

XXXL

6'0" to 6'6"

230-250+

 

[Brett Hatch]

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.

 

[drk5036]

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.

I think this is really true, you don't want to overestimate water temps, and California, even SoCal can be really cool.

But, I do want to make one specific point in response to @Brett Hatch 's nice post above. I also was considering this same problem. Where I dive, the water generally falls between 8 and 20 C (something like 45-70 f). And I figured for this condition, my options were a semidry for about 450-500 dollars, or a drysuit for 1500 dollars. Trying to save the money, I went for the semi-dry initially.

Many people really enjoy their completely kitted out drysuits, but what I mainly want to impress upon you is most of these features are not necessary (I truly believe this is a case of scubaboard causing people to over-engineer far beyond what they need. There's not reason why a regular OW diver can't use a shearwater DC...but also they probably will notice effectively no difference versus a puck.)

What you REALLY should be considering, when you think about the semi-dry at 450-500 dollars is something like this:

Seaskin Ultra - 3mm Compressed Diving Drysuit1 Colour ways - Colour: All black1 £355.00
Suit Option - Compressed Neoprene Socks
Ultra Option-Braces Set £10.64
Suit Option - Name Badge Ultra £5.10
Eezycut Trilobite on forearm or pocket Poz: Left Arm £25.79
Suit Option - Change Mat Drysuit Bag Upgrade £7.23
Subtotal £403.76
Shipping (First Class Post or FedEX) £60.09
Total £463.85

This is 590 dollars, including shipping to the USA. My stance is for most people, a neoprene drysuit is a better choice, and is completely overlooked on scubaboard. Also, neoprene seals are completely acceptable, and I really, really like them. I think they're easy to put on, and keep additional warmth. I haven't noticed any leaking. I think the drysuit is so easy to don and doff, I don't think pee-valves/convenience zips are necessary. Socks with dry boots are definitely the way to go. Get a trilobite on your arm, just in case. If you want, you can add pockets which will increase the cost about 40 dollars each, if you think it's necessary for you.

Anyway, my point is, getting a dry suit, that works, and you will be happy with, doesn't have to cost 1500 dollars. It's possible to do it for ~600, and not cut corners to the point that you regret it.

I feel like this is my pilgramage on scubaboard, haha.

(and just to be a troll, TRI-LAM SUITS WITH A DIAGONAL ZIP LOOK COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS AND NEOPRENE SUITS LOOK 1000X COOLER)

Just my two cents

 

[Brett Hatch]

@drk5036 brings up a good point. Drysuits do not have to be super expensive, compressed neoprene suits are substantially cheaper. I've never dived them, but the SeaSkin neoprene suits have a good reputation.

Just to avoid over-stating things, if you do go down the drysuit road, then you will need warm clothes to wear underneath. I wear a wicking layer (aka a base layer), with a thermal layer over that. SeaSkin offers both of these for a good price, as well as your local dive shop. If you are into winter sports like skiing or snowboarding, then you might already have a usable wicking layer, so can skip that one. But the thermal layer is mandatory -- the suit's job is to keep water out, and the thermal undies' job is to keep warmth in.

Wetsuits do not require layering like this; they work by trapping air in the material itself. The downside there is that the material compresses as you go down, so becomes colder at depth. For some people that's OK in California, for others it's too cold.

 

[living4experiences]

Here's an informational guide to wet suit sizing. Though it is written for surfing wet suits, it may be useful for sizing in general. HOME