Dry suit help in socal

[akscuba]

Hey--I'm trying to pick out/buy a drysuit (January through March did me in!) and I'm running into the problem of drysuits for women my size being hard to find in local stores.

I don't know what type I want, or what size I am, so I was hoping to try a few on, but it looks like (understandably) most shops around here don't tend to stock too many dry suits, and don't stock any for a 5'4" woman! I don't want to ask a store to special order a suit for me when I don't know what size I am or exactly which type I'd like to get...

Thought I'd try on some rental suits but it looks like places don't tend to rent suits in size small, either

Any thoughts? Anyone know any LDSs that happen to have any small drysuits in stock at the moment? Or, are there any short women in the Westwood area who might be willing to let me try on their suit?

Small and sad (and cold, for the moment),

Robyn

 

[MaxBottomtime]

The Sport Chalet in Marina del Rey rents drysuits. If you decide to order one any shop will take your measurements and let you know if you can fit a stock size or if you need a custom fit. The type of suit depends on many things. If you make mostly boat dives a trilam suit will be fine. They are light and dry quickly. If you make beach dives a crushed neoprene suit works best. The temp of my last dive at Marineland last Sunday was 49F. That isn't much fun in a wetsuit.

 

[headhunter]

Try going to the Long Beach Scuba Show in June and visit DUI and Diving Concepts. They will measure you at the show and discuss the various options.

Among the people I know who have dry suits these two are clearly the two most popular options.

Hollywood Divers carries DUI and Beach Cities Scuba in Cypress carries Diving Concepts. I'm sure there are others, but that's a place to start.

There is a possibility that we may put together a group buy for drysuits in the fall, but I'm not sure if there will be enough people to really make that work. Most of the people that I know who needed them have already gotten them.

Once you know your size, you could possibly save some money buying used. My favorite connection to anything used is Mo2vation on this board. The guy is amazing! Whatever I want, I just tell him about it. Next thing I know, he's got one of whatever I want at an amazing price.

Hope this helps.

Christian

 

[MHK]

Don't buy ANYTHING until after your class, we spend a great deal of time discussing pro's and con's and what too look for and what to avoid. PM me for additional details or call me if you have any questions.

Thanks

 

[headhunter]

Robyn,

I didn't realize that you were going to be taking a class with MHK.

Having been through that class with him, I have to say that you will definitely learn a tremendous amount about dry suits and their selection with him.

Once you have that knowledge, the process will become quite easy for you.

You're going to love Michael's class.

Christian

 

[jlyle]

What Christian said! Go to the Scuba Show (June 2 & 3). DUI will be there with lots of suits you can try on. Other manufactures will be there as well to talk about their suits.

IMHO, a DUI TLS350 is great for local waters.

Whatever you choose, don't pay full retail...negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

 

[FishTaco]

I actually wouldn't speak to the manufactures about how to fit a drysuit, instead of determining the needs of the diver and properly measuring for fit, they tend to just oversize the measurements, to "guarantee" the suit fits. Don't listen to them.

Beach Cities Scuba carries both brands, and I know Milo, the manager has measured several DIR divers for DUI "cave cut" suits. Also, Kareem, at Hollywood divers is very DIR friendly, and completely understands what is necessary when fitting a drysuit for DIR divers. You won't go wrong with either shop.

But, MHK has given you the best advice, wait untill after DIR-F, before purchasing a dry suit.

Take care,
Chris

 

[vetdiver]

Hey--I'm trying to pick out/buy a drysuit (January through March did me in!) and I'm running into the problem of drysuits for women my size being hard to find in local stores.

Robyn -

Just wanted to say - I am nearly 5'8", and I feel the same way. Dive manufacturers are much better than they used to be, but they are still pretty clueless when it comes to fitting women. I had a Bare D6 Pro Dry (7 mm neoprene drysuit) as my starter drysuit, an off the rack size that was supposed to fit me, and when I was in that sucker with my undergarments on, I couldn't stand up fully straight...it was like having something heavy sitting on my shoulders.

Hey, wait a minute, maybe you could try a Bare D6 Pro Dry!!!

Best of luck to you. I have a custom DUI now, and I love it. AND I can stand up, always a plus!!

 

[Archangel]

Hey--I'm trying to pick out/buy a drysuit (January through March did me in!) and I'm running into the problem of drysuits for women my size being hard to find in local stores.

Robyn, I parrot MHK and FishTaco. DONT buy a suit until after MHK gives you a lowdown on what to look for, how to fit it, what you need as a DIR diver.

Secondly take heed to what FishTaco wrote! Go to a shop that is going to fit you for the rigors of DIR diving.

You need to reach your valves when you are in a skydivers stance with perfect horizontal trim.

In the meantime, mosey over and join the SoCalUE/SoCal DIR forum on Yahoo:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/socaldir/

and introduce yourself. We will help you prep for fundies, give you an understanding of the philosophy, and you will be able to ask people like MILO, and KARIM, and CHRIS, and myself and countless others EVERYTHING equipment.

Look forward to seeing you,

T

 

[CompuDude]

She's not in the market for a brand new shiny custom cut DUI suit. At the moment, she just wants to keep from freezing, and locate a shop she can rent from until she stumbles across the perfect used suit for sale.

The problem with Sport Chalet is the entire chain has one stock of dry suits for rent that get rotated among the various stores on an as-needed basis, and it's really tough to track down sizes other than medium, large and XL. So far I have struck out tracking down a Small.

Robyn, I did confirm that Hollywoodivers has a few size Small drysuits, some DUI and a Diving Concepts. I'll take you over there at some point and we'll see if any they have fit you.

The Beach Cities Cypress store does not stock any drysuits for rent, but with advance notice, they can transfer them from their Dana Point store. Cypress is a LONG drive to pick up a suit, however, for people who live where Robyn and I do (especially since Robyn doesn't have a car). I'm waiting for a call back, however, to determine what sizes they have available for rent.