California Diving

[diverkid]

I am a californian and prefer offshore dives. The temp is usually
55-65 degrees F. I do not have a drysuit and have no plans on getting one.
I searched for 10 mm wetsuits, but to no avail. I would appreciate some help on what to do!


Thanks!

 

[beche de mer]

I am a californian and prefer offshore dives. The temp is usually
55-65 degrees F. I do not have a drysuit and have no plans on getting one.
I searched for 10 mm wetsuits, but to no avail. I would appreciate some help on what to do!

I use a 7mm 2-piece. The lower part is a long-john. This effectively gives 14 mm over the torso, and 7 mm over the limbs.

I find this adequate for 12C, which is about 54F.

The suits are made locally. They can be custom made to your specifications. If you need contact details for the manufacturer, send me a message.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I have more than 900 dives in California and finally got a drysuit two years ago. I'll never go wet again. Although the surface temps get into the low 50s diving below a thermocline or two gets downright brutal. The thickest wetsuit I've seen is a 7mm, available at any dive shop.

 

[String]

I am a californian and prefer offshore dives. The temp is usually
55-65 degrees F. I do not have a drysuit and have no plans on getting one.
I searched for 10 mm wetsuits, but to no avail. I would appreciate some help on what to do!


Thanks!

Id hate to see what a 10mm wet suit looks like ! (or weights or how much weight to sink!).

That temperature water you want to be in a drysuit to be comfortable for an extended period.

 

[Scubaroo]

I dived in Monterey for two years, summer and winter, using a 7mm semi-dry wetsuit. A 5mm hood and 5mm gloves completed the outfit. If a drysuit is not in your future, and cold is really an issue, take a thermos of warm water and use it to warm your hood and wetsuit up between repetitive dives and after the last dive. Many boats have hot water hoses as well which you can do the same thing with. If you don't warm your wetsuit, and least warm your hood up - beats putting a wet cold hood on that instantly sucks warmth from your head, where you lose the most heat.

If you really want a thick wetsuit, get a 6.5mm famer john - just be prepared to lug extra lead around on your belt to help you get all of that extra neoprene neutral near the surface.

 

[beche de mer]

Just found the website. The model I use is the Barnacle.

http://www.sonarwetsuits.com.au/

 

[Rick Inman]

Well, since you vetoed the only reasonable answer (dry suit), I would go 7mm gold core or semi dry one piece with hooded vest. I dived my 7mm in the Puget Sound in 54F down to 102' earlier this year and promptly got hypothermia. At depth a 7mm isn't 7mm any more. It was fine the next day at 40', but three days later I owned a dry suit (oh, but don't get one, like you said :shiner: ).
Good luck.

 

[Warren_L]

I was there in late december at Catalina. Water temp was 57F. Just fine in my rented 7mm. Could have been colder and it would have been no problem. Around these parts the water is mostly solid, so where there is open water it will be in the mid-30s. I go dry for that.

 

[ABQdiver]

I voted for the anything else, which is a drysuit. I don't dive California as much as I would like, (Love the kelp and all that goes with it) but the last time I was there the drysuit made the dives very comfortable. Topside in July the temperature was very nice. Underwater at depth the currents were bringing in 54° to 56° temperature water. That felt cooldd to the face and hands. Maybe I'm a WWW, but I would rather be comfortable and be able to dive repetitive dives than a macho man and freeze the kester off.

 

[Otter]

I dive a Excel 9-7-6 single piece wetsuit with an attached hood. Not only does the extra thickness (9mm) in the torso help, with the integrated hood, there is absolutely NO water flow down the back. In fact, if they had put in a dry suit zipper in instead of a normal zipper there would be no water inside at all.