I dive in Northern California where the water is between 42 (coldest I can remember) and 60 (El Nino years) normally the water sits at between 48 and 53.
I started in wetsuits, went to a drysuit, and back to wetsuits.
My drysuit was a full 7mm Techno Diver Commercial drysuit that I bought from a dive shop in Seattle WA.
The zipper finally went out and when I found out it was going to be $600 to replace it I decommissioned it. Part of the reason for leaving the drysuit world for me was because I would sweat something terrible then I would get cold. There were other things too I didn’t like with the drysuit like being isolated from the water too much, I like being wet and being bathed in the salt of the sea. To me there’s something very therapeutic about being in contact with the sea. I feel more like a part of it rather than just an isolated visitor like a moon walker.
So I began looking into high quality custom wetsuits. I found out a whole world of wetsuits way beyond off-the-rack suits found ready made online and at dive shops. I’ve had several custom wetsuits built by M&B Wetsuits in Long Beach, CA they are commercial grade suits mostly for the urchin industry. I’ve worn out both my M&B suits so now I’m using a skin-in two piece freediving suit for scuba, which works OK but it’s a little spongy for going too deep. My next suit will be a custom built suit from JMJ Wetsuits in Torrance, CA.
Your body will get used to whatever you put it through. To me being wet is a thousand times more pleasurable than being stuck in a sweaty stinky drysuit with sweat soaked undergarments, plus the hassle and potential missed dives.
I’ve had buddies who dive dry and several times I have been left to go solo that day (in my trusty wetsuit) while they sat on the beach waiting for me because a seal ripped, or there was a hole, or a zipper leaked or some other tragedy with their drysuit.
You can keep it.
I love diving wet...even in cold salt water.
