Cold Water Wetsuits

[MaverickNH]

Newbie here - just certified PADI Open Water. I did my swims this weekend in the ocean and a lake in NH at 39F water temp for 25min using a 2 piece overlapping 7mm wetsuit, with 7mm hood, gloves and booties, and found the comfort was just fine. Maybe those May triathlon swims in New England have helped my cold tolerance.

I'm thinking a 7mm 1-piece suit for year-round use in NH/MA/VT/NY and adding a 7mm over-layer for winter/ice diving. Are there pro's and con's to consider for a 7mm hooded vs unhooded vest or a 7mm hooded vs unhooded shortie to go under the 7mm 1-piece?

Thanks for the advice. No drysuit plans yet - maybe in a year or two.

 

[j yaeger]

my "older" friend did 2 dives with us yesterday
water was 40*f-air was 12* f
1pc with vest overlay and attached hood
he was fine at 110'
but a bit chilled on surface interval
i personally use a 6.5 2pc with 6.5 hood unattached
i can soak my hood between dives to keep my bald head warm when i get in
ice no problem as long as there's a shelter for afterwards
have fun
yaeg

 

[Token]

Finding a hooded wetsuit that fits you well everywhere and is properly flexible, is darn tricky unless you are a perfect standard size. I'm decidedly not, and I go with a hooded vest under my wetsuit. Hooded vests are great....you can wear them alone, or to add to the protection/warmth of whatever suit you prefer. Some people advocate wearing them _over_ the wetsuit, but I prefer them underneath.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

If you are looking for a really warm suit, you might consider a two-piece suit which has an attached hood, no zippers and a smooth rubber interior which reduces seepage at the wrists, ankles and face. The double layer of rubber over the torso and the complete absence of zippers makes a huge difference!

We think that our 7 mm suits, may be exactly what you are looking for:




MAKO (Yamamoto) 2 piece green camo wetsuits in 3mm, 5mm and 7mm

 

[MaverickNH]

WEll, after trying on several, I picked up an Aqulung SolAfx 8/7 hooded semi-dry wetsuit. While I was finishing diving as noted in my OP, another Open Water class came by to do their open water dives. They were using the SolAfx and said they were fine for their 2x30min in the 39F water. I figure I can always pull a vest over, as needed.


Next question - would taped/glued boot do better than my boots that are just blind sewn?

 

[Jak Crow]

I recommend the boots from Bare. Bare 7mm Elastek Boot

These are the best boots ever. Seams appear to be glued or welded on the inside, and the smoothskin cuff when worn against skin prevent water from entering the boots almost completely. At least in the case of my boots, when I get out of the water, I'm amazed to always find that the left boot gets no water entry at all while the right gets what seems to be less than a cup. I get an initial sqeeze when I drop down, but flexing my feet a little fixes it and theyre perfectly comfortable. They're incredibly inexpensive too and perform better thqn more expensive boots. The thick soles are great too.