Drysuit recommendations for Florida?

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0_0 what?! Why are you saying they are good if people have had "near death experiences" with them?!
It was a joke. It was clearly too small for me. For reasons I cannot really explain, I still have it. If it fits you, I can sell it to you cheap. It has never been used except as described.
 
It was a joke. It was clearly too small for me. For reasons I cannot really explain, I still have it. If it fits you, I can sell it to you cheap. It has never been used except as described.

So that thread is a really elaborate way to sell it years down the line? :poke:
:rofl3:
 
So that thread is a really elaborate way to sell it years down the line? :poke:
:rofl3:
I think I need a better sales pitch. I was never good at marketing.
 
I wore out both of my drysuits in south Florida. They were shell suits and I just wore a t-shirt and shorts under them - what I boarded the boat wearing…I had undersuits, but they added too much bulk and just using two 2-lb weights on the shells was so easy.
Just staying dry made all the difference, especially on long night dives with extended surface intervals. I don’t do that anymore, but it was fun for a while.
My Ocean Systems drysuit was a SAR suit that I could get on in under one minute, but even that suit finally have up the ghost. The Whites Tropical suit never worked near as well especially with the ankle seals.
 
Well I took a dip in 68 degrees pool water and I started shivering in about 10 minutes (I didn't just "jump right in" and it took 10 mins to gather the mental strength to descend). My heart rate shot up to 90+ as I counted it, so I abandoned my attempt to practice flooding with a Spectrum ffm... I had a 3mm on and 1mm of under. Can a 7mm suffice?
 
Well I took a dip in 68 degrees pool water and I started shivering in about 10 minutes (I didn't just "jump right in" and it took 10 mins to gather the mental strength to descend). My heart rate shot up to 90+ as I counted it, so I abandoned my attempt to practice flooding with a Spectrum ffm... I had a 3mm on and 1mm of under. Can a 7mm suffice?
Found a couple posts saying "50 and below = drysuit", and 51 to around 65 7mm, 66 to mid 70s 5mm. Well this probably was written for northerners, I am a typical southerner with no cold tolerance :)
 
I see some of the local shops beginning to offer drysuit courses, and I'm trying to figure out if this is something I should consider.

I am a Florida native through and through, the jacket comes out at anything below 70 and I start layering around 50 degrees outside. I somehow have a feeling that come December when we actually get some cold weather, I'll be freezing alive both in the water and getting out 0_0

It's my first winter as a scuba diver and I wanted to ask for advice. I'll be diving BHB in a week or two in 60 degree air, so I'll have a much more concrete opinion then. I dive right now with a 1mm under layer for chafing prevention and a 3mm wetsuit. So far I've been ok and haven't gotten cold yet in the ocean waters.

Do people use drysuits in Florida (is it a rarity)?Can a 7 mm wetsuit work (altho that also would be expensive)? I'm not looking to spend a fortune again, the equipment was rough already! What do other people do here in the sunshine state?
I have a 3mm and 5mm wetsuits. Just ordered a seaskin Drysuit from the UK for just over $1,000 not including undergarments. If you need a 7mm you might as well dive dry. Save up and get a seaskin nova.
 
I have a 3mm and 5mm wetsuits. Just ordered a seaskin Drysuit from the UK for just over $1,000 not including undergarments. If you need a 7mm you might as well dive dry. Save up and get a seaskin nova.
Drysuit seems like overkill for the coldest 2 months of Florida. I know semi-dry is an option, but don't know much about them aside from the fact they are semi wet.
 
I know a number of people who’ve managed Great Lakes diving in a semi dry, including a regular buddy of mine. I think I saw a Hollis NeoTek for sale in the SB classifies. Not sure on size but take a look.
 
Drysuit seems like overkill for the coldest 2 months of Florida. I know semi-dry is an option, but don't know much about them aside from the fact they are semi wet.
Being cold sucks. Anything below 75 f and I am diving dry. I used to use a Hollis semidry (that @Marie13 mentioned above) and it’ll make diving bearable down to about mid 50’s, but anything below about 65 is still unpleasant IMO after about 40 minutes. And it comes with the baggage of diving with a lot of neoprene, which is a lot harder than diving dry IMO.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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