Diving in Seattle?? Wetsuit Question

[ValiantLlamma]

I'm wondering if a 7mm wet suit with a hood, gloves and boots would be enough to keep me warm in the Puget Sound or lake Washington? or is that too much?

 

[JungleJoe]

add a 7mm hooded vest and your all set to go. aim for a semidry type wetsuit, look at the Bare brand, they make good stuff, also use 3 finger mits vs gloves.

Have fun !

 

[vbcoachchris]

It will work fine for the first dive, but if you do multiple dives a day it's a bit rough.

 

[ValiantLlamma]

so i would have 14mm on my core and and head? would i even be able to move?

 

[Steve Egner]

ValiantLlama:

so i would have 14mm on my core and and head? would i even be able to move?

Gumby Divers.

Lots of folks here dive wet year 'round; They tend toward natural insulation or a high tolerance for hypothermia. I dove the 7ml configuration you asked about for several years before switching to a drysuit. Like vbcoachchris said, the second and third dives are the ones that make you shiver.

Now, in the summertime, that setup is perfect.

Steve

 

[DandyDon]

Have your posted on your local dive club forum here, yet? A lot of nice folks with local advice there.

I wore a 7 mil jumpsuit over a 1 mil Labor Day weekend, heavy neoprene gloves, medium beanie, heavy booties - got a little chilled doing 8 dives in 4 days, not bad. I took other measures, and the Surface Intervls were warm. Heavier beanie/hood and neoprene sock would have helped. Personal tolerances vary, tho.