Brand new to diving- just doing my online PADI stuff. Losing weight- can I only rent equipment?

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

is there a place on this forum where people show off the innovative ways that they've created/organized gear storage? i'm thinking i need to come up with ways to hang stuff from the floor joists in the basement!! the bad thing down there is dust, as i sand wood for my business. i might have to think this through.

 

[Salamandra]

I think you shouldn't worry about the wetsuit. Men in general and especially men carrying extra weight ('bioprene') are less likely to get cold in the water, even with repetitive diving. For a short-ish trip in the Caribbean, you may not miss one at all. It's also just very individual - I have women friends who are by no means overweight but just seem to not feel the cold doing the same dives as I'm doing in my 5mm with a hood.

It's worthwhile to get a dive skin/swim leggings and rashguards to protect your skin, but that can be had quite cheap and the fit doesn't need to be as exact as a wetsuit.

If you know yourself to run cold though, I would buy some cheap non-brand neoprene from Amazon (easy returns) with enough time before your trip to try it on and swap out the size if needed (if you have Prime, this might be just a week or two ahead and you'll be less likely to drastically change sizes).

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I think you shouldn't worry about the wetsuit. Men in general and especially men carrying extra weight ('bioprene') are less likely to get cold in the water, even with repetitive diving. For a short-ish trip in the Caribbean, you may not miss one at all. It's also just very individual - I have women friends who are by no means overweight but just seem to not feel the cold doing the same dives as I'm doing in my 5mm with a hood.

It's worthwhile to get a dive skin/swim leggings and rashguards to protect your skin, but that can be had quite cheap and the fit doesn't need to be as exact as a wetsuit.

If you know yourself to run cold though, I would buy some cheap non-brand neoprene from Amazon (easy returns) with enough time before your trip to try it on and swap out the size if needed (if you have Prime, this might be just a week or two ahead and you'll be less likely to drastically change sizes).

OK Salamandra I am a little confused about the terminology so let me ask a question. I just got this from Amazon and the quality seems very high to me. I guess I didn't realize that it would be so thick/heavy duty, and the only kind of technical fabric that I've owned is for running and that is very thin polyester.

Are you saying that I need another layer either below or on top of this? What if I take one of my thin technical fabric shirts for running and wear that on the bottom and this thing that Amazon calls a "rash guard" on top? Or the other way around? What is a "dive skin" and how does it work and where does it go?

I was always the guy who was never cold but as I get older and lose weight at the same time, not sure how that will hold up!!! Seems like I am more sensitive than in the past. So maybe a shorty wetsuit from Amazon? Something to keep the core a bit warmer than without?

 

[Diverspoint]

Buy nothing until after certification and some dives. Also do not buy until your weight is stable.

You may need a weight harness as you are not slim, and weightbelts may slide down.

 

[pdwh]

Buy nothing until after certification and some dives. Also do not buy until your weight is stable.

You may need a weight harness as you are not slim, and weightbelts may slide down.

I don't completely agree with that. After certification and some dives, absolutely, but waiting for stable weigth is not realistic for some of us. I'd still be renting and not diving as much due to the rental costs as I'm still dropping weight and diving weekly. Dropping weight BECAUSE I'm diving weekly.

But you can be sure to make smart purchases. I had used BCs until I went backplate and wing which is almost infinitely adjustable. I bought that new. Regulators don't care how much you weigh. I got my own weights through some local Facebook marketplace purchases. A weight belt is a problem, so I use trim pockets or BCs with weight pockets.

I expect to replace my wetsuits as my weight drops but you can buy them used and sell them to recoup some of the cost. For me, given the frequency of diving, it's been cheaper than renting. Also, for us larger guys, the local dive shops don't always have rentals that will fit properly for exposure gear. Only one of the 5 around me had one, and they sold it used at the end of the season. I bought it. (side note - Henderson and Akona are the best for really big guys. Cressi is the worst.)

I still have another 100+ pounds to lose and my primary physical activities are diving in the local lakes, practicing diving skills at the dive shop pool, and swimming or walking in the local community center pool. I've been searching for an activity like this for a while.

Now a drysuit - that absolutely can wait for more stability in my weight. Way too expensive to try before I'm more stable. Fortunately for me, I was able to dive all winter in a 7mm wetsuit and be mostly comfortable.

 

[Diverspoint]

What I wrote about the weight harness still stands. I had students over the years that barely fit a BCD, and I could not get enough weight in the pockets to keep them down.

 

[pdwh]

What I wrote about the weight harness still stands. I had students over the years that barely fit a BCD, and I could not get enough weight in the pockets to keep them down.

Yeah, I get that. I had serious issues with that early on. I was putting extra weights in the storage pockets in addition to the weight pouches and trim pockets. In my 7mm suit, I couldn't dive with a BC that had no storage pockets.

I was going to order a harness but I decided to go the backplate/wing route instead. I think it was a better option, especially since I could position the weight better for good trim. I've managed to drop the amount of lead quite a bit as my weight has dropped and the flexibility of the backplate/wing has helped to keep my trim good.

If I had a harness with all the weight at my waist, my trim would suck. Before I got the backplate/wing and redistributed the weight, I was kicking too much because my feet kept dropping if I was still - and that was with positively buoyant fins. The first time I tried out the backplate/wing in the pool, I was able to hover still without even an occasional kick for the first time.

Even though I'm still over 300, I've dropped about 12 pounds from the amount needed for each type of exposure suit (none, 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm). I'm actually overweighted with no wetsuit with just my backplate, and only need a little extra for the 3mm.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Buy nothing until after certification and some dives. Also do not buy until your weight is stable.

You may need a weight harness as you are not slim, and weightbelts may slide down.

What is a weight harness- like not a weight belt?

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Yeah, I get that. I had serious issues with that early on. I was putting extra weights in the storage pockets in addition to the weight pouches and trim pockets. In my 7mm suit, I couldn't dive with a BC that had no storage pockets.

I was going to order a harness but I decided to go the backplate/wing route instead. I think it was a better option, especially since I could position the weight better for good trim. I've managed to drop the amount of lead quite a bit as my weight has dropped and the flexibility of the backplate/wing has helped to keep my trim good.

If I had a harness with all the weight at my waist, my trim would suck. Before I got the backplate/wing and redistributed the weight, I was kicking too much because my feet kept dropping if I was still - and that was with positively buoyant fins. The first time I tried out the backplate/wing in the pool, I was able to hover still without even an occasional kick for the first time.

Even though I'm still over 300, I've dropped about 12 pounds from the amount needed for each type of exposure suit (none, 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm). I'm actually overweighted with no wetsuit with just my backplate, and only need a little extra for the 3mm.

OH I see- if it's all on the belt it messes up your trim. Question answered. LOL.

 

[TravisD]

What is a weight harness- like not a weight belt?

Something like the DUI Weight and Trim. I've been using one since I started diving since my shape is not very weight-belt compatible. Besides being very secure (can't slip down) you can adjust where the weights sit on your frame to make trim adjustments.