BP/W & Reg for Monterey + Travel

[lexvil]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what thickness suit are people wearing in Monterey? I'm considering the Hollis 8/7/6 semi-dry that seems to be on sale right now, or is a regular 7 mil with just the hood or a hooded vest combo a better option?

Hollis is a good suit, drysuit is better.

 

[lostsheep]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what thickness suit are people wearing in Monterey? I'm considering the Hollis 8/7/6 semi-dry that seems to be on sale right now, or is a regular 7 mil with just the hood or a hooded vest combo a better option?

The Hollis 8/7/6 is a great choice for Monterey and I’d take it over the 7 mil with vest any day; the 1 piece semi dry will be warmer and more comfortable.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

You could also explore using a freediving wetsuit for Monterey. I just bought an Omer 7mm from Seal’s in Santa Rosa on a closeout sale.
@MAKO Spearguns (Dano) here in scubaboard also has some awesome freediving suits.
Freedive suits with their attached hoods and beaver tail design and no zippers are the warmest suits available. The only thing is they are skin-in and require lube to get in. But they slide on very easily and they are easy to get out of too. The raw neoprene inside is very delicate and can be damaged easily so trim your finger nails and toe nails and lube it up well. To make it less shocky and more luxurious, you can keep your spray bottle of lube in a bucket of hot water. I use hair conditioner and water mix.
The raw neoprene inside side will form a second skin and be like a whole body seal, very warm.
But the neoprene is generally a little softer and a little less crush resistant so taking them deep for too long can crush out the neoprene. But for moderate recreational dives, no problem.

Or, (and I never thought I would day this) get a drysuit

 

[hfx]

Appreciate all the advice. Dry suit cost is so high and I'm only a casual diver, so it's hard for me to accept that it's worthwhile.

If there's a cheap-ish course and suit available somewhere nearby, I'd consider it.

 

[lostsheep]

Appreciate all the advice. Dry suit cost is so high and I'm only a casual diver, so it's hard for me to accept that it's worthwhile.

If there's a cheap-ish course and suit available somewhere nearby, I'd consider it.

Seaskin dry suits are made to measure and not much more than the Hollis.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Appreciate all the advice. Dry suit cost is so high and I'm only a casual diver, so it's hard for me to accept that it's worthwhile.

If there's a cheap-ish course and suit available somewhere nearby, I'd consider it.

I had a drysuit years ago and it was a two edged sword for me. Mine was a 7mm neoprene Teknodiver commercial suit that I ordered from a place up in Seattle. I used to get too hot in it and sweat so bad I was ringing wet. I thought it leaked but I never felt cold water come in except for once when I got sent into a wall of red urchins from surge when we were passing through a corridor. I chased those leaks for months. The only time it was comfortable and came into it’s own was doing a deep tech dive for a TDI class and at 150’ it was nice. Other than that it was miserable.
These guys on here if you read always have some issue with a brand or style or price or getting jerked around by the company, or material and seals, tearing out wrist seals, neck seals, dry gloves, and the discussions about P-valves and condom catheters never end. No thanks.

I got back into high quality wetsuits and never looked back. Simple, fail proof, comfortable, warm.
I don’t tech dive anymore, all my diving is shallowish recreational diving. I enjoy having seawater on my skin, it’s very refreshing a therapeutic to me.
And I like being sleek.

 

[happy-diver]

Being sleek, encapsulated by the magnificent ocean bathing in invigorating seawater

Trapped, soaking in a sealed sack of your own perspiration, your bits glued, to a pipe


You can take the boy out of the wetsuit, but you can't take the wetsuit out of the boy