Any advice for first wetsuit purchase?

[sonofzell]

Greetings!

After obtaining our NAUI ow certs a few years back, my daughter & opted to "slowly" assemble our gear collection bit by bit as opposed to purchasing pre-assembled bundles. Admittedly, this was more a budgetary limitation than a strategic choice lol, but in retrospect, I'm happy and comfortable with our piecemeal setups.

At this point, our only required rentals for dives are tanks and wetsuits. While it's certainly something I can live with, I've recently started putting my feelers out for purchasing the latter. While my diving is purely recreational, my daughter is an aspiring marine biologist and just a year away from college (my point being that a suit of her own is likely a solid investment at this point since I expect her logbook to double mine in the near future).

So, my question is: Is there a recommended or common strategy for purchasing wetsuit gear for divers that really have no "typical" diving environment? We live just outside of Philadelphia, but have family on Florida's treasure coast... it's not uncommon for us to have a dive using 3m shortys, followed by a quarry dive at home in 7m full suits with hoods & gloves the next week.

I'm hoping those of you with more experience can share some advice for the most practical "first purchase" advice, so that I can avoid dumping a bunch of cash on items that may not necessarily be the most versatile. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

K

 

[tbone1004]

unfortunately there isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid multiple suits.
I posted this in another thread, but here is my "wetsuit lineup"

• Deep6 3mm-great alone for me to the high 60's, obviously with a hood which I usually start in the low 70's depending on exposure duration
• 3mm+Pinnacle 5mm Hooded vest-Good to the low 60's or for longer exposure durations. Keeps the flexibility of the 3mm while sacrificing some thermal comfort on your arms and legs.
• Deep6 7mm-used from mid 60's down to mid 50's with a hood
• Othree 6x5 semidry-depending on exposure, specific dive etc, but good to low 50's with a good hood. Has almost no water ingress compared to the Deep6 in the lower back which is why a slightly thinner suit is better for me to lower temps
• 7mm+hooded vest-good to low 40's, or longer exposures in the 50's/low 60's

The Deep6 7mm and O3 are largely redundant, but I have both, so I use both. I do have a drysuit, but that is used largely as a function of surface conditions and exposure duration. Drysuit may start in the low 70's and goes down to freezing with varying undergarments.

I know that doesn't really help, but if primary diving is in Florida, I'd get a good 3mm suit and potentially a good hooded vest with it. Depending on her personal cold tolerance, and time of year you dive in PA, it may be sufficient.

I really can't recommend the Deep6 suits enough. I just got done using both the 3mm and 7mm interchangeably while teaching for the past 10 days *the thermoclines are wicked right now with the surface at 72, dropping down to 51 at 60ft....*. @cerich did an incredible job on both of them and while they're not cheap, they are truly incredible with a lot of small features put into them that make a big difference.

 

[GrafCanuck]

Outside of the usual fins, mask and snorkel, my first real scuba purchase was a 3mm full length wet suit. Since that time (roughly 3 years ago) I've purchased all of the other scuba essentials. I dive in the southern Caribbean (Bonaire, Curacao) as well as the St Lawrence River in Ontario and New York in the summer. Thus far the 3mm has been ideal but everyone has a different tolerant level. I'm 6'2" and 210 lbs. I would definitely recommend a full length suit. My other takeaway from researching this topic on ScubaBoard and talking to more experienced divers is that buy a wetsuit that fits you the best. In terms of warmth, it's ok to be warm on the dive as you can always cools down a tad (e.g. an infusion of water into your suit) but it is difficult to get warm once you are cold, and in particular on multiple dives. I think if I did a do over I would go for a 5mm full length wetsuit. PS - I have a ScubaPro Definition 3mm. Also pays to buy good quality and after 3 years it looks brand new. Cheers, D.

 

[sonofzell]

there isn't a whole lot you can do to avoid multiple suits

Indeed. I should have mentioned that I've already come to terms with this, especially given our varied environments. This is all very helpful info, though - very much appreciated!!!

 

[tbone1004]

Indeed. I should have mentioned that I've already come to terms with this, especially given our varied environments. This is all very helpful info, though - very much appreciated!!!

it all comes down to personal comfort with cold in the water though. For me, growing up in New England, I'm used to cold water, so I'm OK with being cold on my arms and legs. Not a lot of people are though so you've got to figure out where you fit into the temperature spectrum

 

[TMHeimer]

I won't address cold tolerance since it's highly personalized and there are a zillion threads about it. My strategy was to buy a used 7 mil farmer john from a shop in FL and replaced it 10+ years later with another used one from our shop here's class used inventory. I also have a used shorty and a body suit I bought new (Henderson). So I'm covered for the various temperatures I dive in.

 

[outofofficebrb]

The most important thing is fit. Try out some brands to figure out what fits you best because even if a wetsuit is great and rated well for and by everyone else, respectively, it isn't going to help you if it fits you poorly and you have water sloshing in and out. Comfort is also key.

I have a 3mm, 5mm, and an 8/7 semi-dry. My workhorse is the 5mm. I have a lower cold tolerance than most people and can wear it comfortably in the tropics. I also have not been "hot" on a dive and even then, a flush of water through the neck would easily solve. It might be best to get a full 3mm suit and then get a hooded vest or a vest to layer over/under it as you need. The full suit is great for protection from bumps on corals or brushing of hydroids/sea lice, etc. Alternatively, you can also do the same with a 5mm......

As someone said before, only having 1 suit is tough but maybe you can layer to make it work.

 

[Esprise Me]

If your daughter is a year away from college, she might not be done growing. Some women reach their adult height at age 12, and some wear the same size from high school to middle age, but lots of us change significantly between high school and college graduation. I grew another whole inch (yes, vertically) after I got my driver's license. Just something to keep in mind when shopping for wetsuits; you might prefer something less expensive even if it's less durable, for instance.

 

[Nasser]

I dive mostly in the Red Sea and it's year round diving but in the winters it can get down to around 21C so I decided my first purchase would be a 5mm steamer as it's always preferable to be warm year round (its also good overall skin protection). Then I purchased a 3mm shorty for the Summers and warmer locations - in the deep South of Sudan for example the water temp can go up to 29C. I prefer diving in a shorty hands down, much more comfortable and less weight needed, but being warm and having good protection is important when you really need it.

 

[sonofzell]

If your daughter is a year away from college, she might not be done growing.

Ah, yes - don't think this isn't front-and-center in my mind as well! I'd LIKE to say she's filled out, but all three of my kids have thrown me curve balls with this in the past (my diving buddy is my oldest).


Thanks to all for the advice! I'll continue to research, but at the moment I think I'm leaning towards a 5mm full as a base purchase, with the thought that she (we) can always add a jacket as an additional layer if needed (or rent in the interim). I agree with those of you suggesting it's better to be over-insulated than vice-versa; the "water flush" is a great idea I hadn't really considered.

Ultimately, it sounds like the best plan will be to build our collection ad-hoc over time, and I appreciate the guidance on a starting point.

Thanks to all!