Cold water wetsuits (semi drysuits)

[TyGuy]

all of my dives have been logged in New England waters. i love it here and since im on a college budget, i wont be going anywhere warm anytime soon. as any new england diver knows the water here is less than tropical. my current wetsuit is a 5mm aqualung flex. it does the trick in warm in waters around 60 and can tolerate 50's. but the early months the water at depth can be alittle colder than that. i want (more like need) to get in the water earlier and be comfortable doing so. i was thinking of buying a shorty and just making my own kinda of 'farmer john' style, just wearing it as another layer over my wetsuit (like layering up when doing a winter hike) but i have no idea if that will actually work. a friend of mine owns a 'semi dry suit' and swears by it for these new england waters. what is the best cold water wetsuit or semi drysuit (or if thats even worth the money) i understand a drysuit would be the way to go but again, im on a college budget. im eating ramen noodles for dinner and spending whatever is left to get a few weekend dives in.

 

[NvScubaSteve]

I dive the Pinnacle Element 7mm (which is marino lined) along with a Pinnacle 7mm Marino lined hooded vest in Lake Tahoe with temps in the low 40's high 30's and am very comfortable. Generally my hands and feet getting cold are what end the dives for me this time of year. I also dive the same set up in Northern and Southern California waters (50's in winter) and never get cold.

I have had the oppotunity to dive a semi dry and actually like the set up I am diving in cold water now better than the semi dry. Layering with the shorty sounds like it might work but finding the right fit to make the set up efficient could be difficult.

 

[elan]

Would not a cheaper dry suit like CD4 or Next Gen be falling into the price range of semi-dry ? I remember the prices for those were in a range of 600 though a good semi dry I was initially looking at was in the 400 -500 range. But it was 2 years ago.

 

[wxboy911]

I wear one of these...

7/5mm Tilos Titanium Semi-Dry Seal Scuba Full Wetsuit: unrealfind

The price was right and its pretty warm. The coldest dive I have done to date was in the 48 degree range and my hands and feet were cold-Not my core. If it fits right the suit is great!

Now with that being said-I live in upstate NY and am looking to get into a drysuit-Not because my wetsuit is not cutting it during the season...I want to extend my diving season to the cooler months. Good luck and do what works best for you.

 

[elan]

I wear one of these...

7/5mm Tilos Titanium Semi-Dry Seal Scuba Full Wetsuit: unrealfind

The price was right and its pretty warm. The coldest dive I have done to date was in the 48 degree range and my hands and feet were cold-Not my core.

Your feet and hands start getting cold because your core gets cold you just feel it first in your hands as your body lowers the blood supply to your hands to preserve the heat for the core.

 

[TyGuy]

thanks for the help, but with buying a drysuit i have to take the drysuit class (pay for that) and anything else i would need when i buy the suit. through my college we do get a discount on classes but not enough people are willing to get their drysuit cert (most of them havent been in the water since their OW dives) i did check around online and say a used drysuit for alittle over 400 but i feel like that is something id rather buy from a dealer than a website. ive seen semi drysuits as low at 150 but not sure theyre the best quality

 

[elan]

thanks for the help, but with buying a drysuit i have to take the drysuit class (pay for that) and anything else i would need when i buy the suit. through my college we do get a discount on classes but not enough people are willing to get their drysuit cert (most of them havent been in the water since their OW dives) i did check around online and say a used drysuit for alittle over 400 but i feel like that is something id rather buy from a dealer than a website. ive seen semi drysuits as low at 150 but not sure theyre the best quality

You do not need to take the class to dive your suit... just find someone who knows how to dive it and give you some tips. Myself I never took the class. You just go slow from shallower depth to deeper and make yourself comfortable. As for undergarment you do not have to buy the undergarment right away. Though spec undies will be better you can still use woolen cloth to make yourself warm. IMHO a dry suit would make a huge difference in the area where you dive. Yeah it will be a bit more of an investment now but it quickly pays for itself as you start diving more and enjoying the dives.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

A couple of points:
1. I recommend a class, just interview your instructor (you can always learn something from a quality instructor) and find out what you are getting for your money. Usually a Drysuit class is not too expensive. The other benefit to the class is that a shop will have the Drysuit in rental, thus you get dives in the suit and justify the additional expense (get into the right gear the 1st time).
2. Best economical Drysuit is a Bare Nex-Gen - if you can swing it.
3. Semi-dry over Wetsuit. If you can find one, I think that ScubaPro Nova Scotia has one of the nicer ones (neoprene wrist & neck seals & the zipper in an actual drysuit zipper). ScubaPro permits 10% Off retail so you can probably pick it up for $450.

 

[Mopar]

all of my dives have been logged in New England waters. i love it here and since im on a college budget, i wont be going anywhere warm anytime soon. as any new england diver knows the water here is less than tropical. my current wetsuit is a 5mm aqualung flex. it does the trick in warm in waters around 60 and can tolerate 50's. but the early months the water at depth can be alittle colder than that. i want (more like need) to get in the water earlier and be comfortable doing so. i was thinking of buying a shorty and just making my own kinda of 'farmer john' style, just wearing it as another layer over my wetsuit (like layering up when doing a winter hike) but i have no idea if that will actually work. a friend of mine owns a 'semi dry suit' and swears by it for these new england waters. what is the best cold water wetsuit or semi drysuit (or if thats even worth the money) i understand a drysuit would be the way to go but again, im on a college budget. im eating ramen noodles for dinner and spending whatever is left to get a few weekend dives in.

I dive in 50 deg. water in the winter sometimes upper 40's. I have a 5mm wet suite and found a cheap 3mm shorty. That helps me. I still get cold but I can survive.

 

[Peter_C]

"The best way to save money on a wetsuit, is to buy a drysuit"

I have a Pinnacle Polar 7mm semi dry. I froze my butt off in 48 degree water. I can dive comfortably in a drysuit for over an hour in the same temps and not get cold. Nothing wrong with a nice used drysuit. Undergarments can be fleece sweat pants stacked and some fleece on top. Then when you have some extra money purchase a nice jumpsuit. The class is not necessary and if you have a pool available that would be a good place to start. I never took a drysuit class, and lived to tell about it. Elan is right just find a mentor and start shallow.

Plus a drysuit gives you redundancy for floatation.