Drysuit Recommendations for middle-aged female FL diver

[DiverAmy]

Hi folks,
I have been reading through threads here and need some recommendations from you folks. I am 49 and live in S. FL. I weigh about 135 lb and am 5'3. I have become increasingly cold intolerant over the years. This winter, I have not gotten into the ocean because I am dreading the cold. Previously, I dove in the winter using a 7 mm wetsuit and a scuba coat while on board the dive boat. Last winter I met a similarly situated woman in a dry suit and she flaunted her warm/coziness in my face, so I have been thinking and researching, but am reluctant to pull the trigger on such a HUGE investment without some more thought and assistance. I doubt I will EVER dive in cold water. I am looking for a suit for diving in tropical water in the winter. (Yes, I am cold in water below 80 degrees) I generally dive off of dive boats, but have been known to go to Bonaire or other beach diving situations from time to time. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding appropriate brands/designs, etc? I am an advanced open water diver with about 400 dives under my belt. I don't mind doing a wreck dive, but never consciously put myself in any tight spots. Thanks for any help you have to offer.
Amy

 

[BabyDuck]

*lots* of folks use drysuits in 'tropical' weather/water. it's very common! most use bilam/trilam suits and go up or down on the underwear warmth as needed. another thought would be a white's fusion - easy to learn to use, plenty of room for undies, swims like a wetsuit. my advice would be to try on several (maybe belonging to friends - rude to do this in a shop with no intention at all of buying there), note sizes, keep your eye out for used ones, and snap one up when one in your size comes up.

if lynne (tsandm) doesn't chime in to the thread, give her a buzz. she's also smaller framed & tends to get chilly & is passionate about her drysuit.

 

[Stoo]

Amy, I am in the market for a new suit, as is my wife. She has been a warm-water diver only, but finally this summer, she started diving up here in an (old) drysuit we had kicking around. It got her into the water, but it probably isn't suitable longer term.

I have been wearing Viking Pro drysuits for years and have been very happy with them. Having said that, they are extremely heavy (and heavy duty) and designed for men. They are narrow in the hips, wide in the shoulders, and not especially pretty. Their suits are really geared towards the commercial market or close to it.

I've been impressed with the DUI line in my investigations. While I might well stick with the Vikings, I suspect we will end up getting a customer DUI FLX Extreme for the better half. (I should mention that she is 45, 5'4" and 100#... very tiny...) It's relatively light, can be custom made for her and has a number of really nice features. It is not inexpensive however.

DUI does have suits specifically made for temperate waters. I think some even have ankle seals rather than attached boots. One thing you need to be aware of is that suiting up in hot weather in a dry suit can be brutal. You REALLY don't want to be zipped in and then be unable to get into the water pronto. My suit is basically a black, rubber bag. Diving in August can be brutal. Mercifully, the water at depth never gets above 42F up here, so it's always easy to cool off again!

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I would suggest a DUI 3030 or a Whites Fusion Sport. The Whites is a great suit and in the Sport trim it is very light for travel. The DUI will cost more money but is made out of a breathable fabric so it may be more comfortable on the SI. If you opt for the DUI I suggest going with the boot option instead of the ankle seals. I have never dove warm water so take my advise with a grain of salt. If it was me I would look for a used Fusion they regularly go for around the $800 dollar range, and fit is not that critical due to the design of the suit.

 

[susanlouise]

Hi I am a new diver (15 dives!) but I just got Drysuit Certified as well, and just ordered my first drysuit. The LDS explained the factors in choosing a drysuit very well to me, I thought. Some drysuits are very durable and heavy (crushed neoprene) for cave and wreck divers. Others are much lighter (trilam) for warmer water divers or people who are not really worried about getting holes in the suit. I tried a crushed neoprene suit and it worked well but it was VERY heavy. I did NOT like it because of the bulk and heaviness, very difficult to manage and lug around. I tried a trilam suit and I liked it MUCH better. The other factor is how well it fits - if it is too big for you, you are likely to have air pockets you can't get rid of and that pretty much ruins your ability to control your trim and buoyancy. So fit is very important. I know DUI makes a drysuit pretty much intended for tropical diving - close fitting, light weight material. The drysuit mantra (for most people) is: the drysuit keeps you dry, the underwear keeps you warm. So you want it big enough also to put enough long underwear to keep you warm.

In the end I chose a custom made DUI trilam drysuit. You may be able to find one that fits you well without going that route but I would also offer you won't really know what a good fit is until you try it in the water. I benefitted a lot by renting the drysuits my shop had available and trying them. It really helped in making my decision.

YES it is EXPENSIVE but if you really suffer from the cold, I think you will love it!

 

[Angry Turtle]

Hi I am a new diver (15 dives!) but I just got Drysuit Certified as well, and just ordered my first drysuit. The LDS explained the factors in choosing a drysuit very well to me, I thought. Some drysuits are very durable and heavy (crushed neoprene) for cave and wreck divers. Others are much lighter (trilam) for warmer water divers or people who are not really worried about getting holes in the suit. I tried a crushed neoprene suit and it worked well but it was VERY heavy. I did NOT like it because of the bulk and heaviness, very difficult to manage and lug around. I tried a trilam suit and I liked it MUCH better. The other factor is how well it fits ...!

The crushed neoprene will be heavier than a trilam, but I would not discount it without trying one. There are some heavier than others. My wife's BARE XCS2 is no heavier than a 7mm wetsuit and very comfortable. It is stretchy so it does not need to be baggy at all.

 

[TSandM]

For the kind of diving you are going to do, I don't think you can beat the Whites Fusion Sport. It's so light you can ball it up and throw it across a room; it packs down as small as a thin wetsuit. You can buy it with the SiTech ring systems, so you can replace your own seals (and carry spares for travel). It dries quickly, and it's easy to get on with thin undergarments. For water in the 80's, I use a set of Lands End polarfleece sweats under the suit.

If you are willing to put up with having to send the suit out for neck seal replacement, you could look into the new back zip Fusion, which is being offered for $999, which is an amazingly good price on a dry suit.

The Fusion comes with fabric socks, and you can wear a slightly oversized set of wetsuit booties over them for warm water diving.

The other great thing about the Fusion is that it doesn't have to fit. As long as the suit is in the general ballpark and the seals fit, you're good to go. (I can dive my husband's suit as a backup for mine.) The suits are also very hard to damage.

I've been diving a Fusion since they first came out, and I now own two of them. I never dive wet anywhere any more.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

My GF is in the same boat and this year I put her in an Edge Suit. Took her dive season from about 2 months to 7. Comfortably. She even took it on her liveaboard trip in November. Up until we got her the drysuit she used a custom 7 mil and after two longer dives in 72 degree water was nearly hypothermic unless she got in my truck to warm up between dives. And warming up meant a 90 degree day with the windows up in a black GMC Envoy. This year she was doing three dives in water as cold as 52 degrees and no warming up between dives, other than a lunch, and was comfy and warm.

The Edge suit is lighter and doesn't have all the features that the HOG suit does, but if you're not crawling around in wrecks or caves you don't need em. Since each one is made to order it really is a custom suit and small aterations like an inch or two on or off a leg is no big deal. Pockets can be added to both thighs and you can get boots or socks with it.

Oh and price is around $900.00 bucks.

 

[Peter_C]

For your location of diving and the fact that you want to travel my requirements for a suit would be,

1: Light weight. No need for a super tough heavy suit. Suit failure means end the dive cold but not hypothermic and near death in Florida.

2:Wrist seals and neck seals that are changeable in the field. The seals always fail a the worst possible time. Also these systems allow use of silicon, which many folks have become fans of. They also now make a small sized silicon wrist seal.

3: Quick drying. When flying out the following evening it doesn't leave but 24 hours to dry, and in the tropics that may be hard to do.

The Fusion Sport might fit all of these, and as suggested the new one is cheap at $1K. I am a big fan of pockets so if you wanted them you would need to use shorts with pockets over the suit. Fusions require shoes of some kind to be worn. As suggested wetsuit booties could be used. I like my Chuck Taylor's and there are others using the White's boots.

DUI makes their tropical version of a suit, and they have a FLX Extreme which is a nice suit. They will be expensive, but are nice suits.

Santi, is another leader in the game and also builds a very nice stretchy suit.

Bare has their ATR lightweight trilam suit. My gal has one and it works pretty well. We got it used for $128 shipped from Ebay, and all I have done is put a new neck seal in and fixed a couple of minor leaks.

There are many other brands out there also. USIA, OS Systems, etc.

Used works well if you or someone you know can fix it. Otherwise forgo the headaches and buy a new one, unless you can find a suit that has only been used a limited times. Believe it or not they are fairly common on these boards and Ebay.

Undergarments can just be fleece sweat pants, fleece sweatershirt, and thick socks. I like to use a base layer of a medium underwear too. Mine is REI brand but there are plenty of brands like Underarmor, etc.

You might need new fins due to the fin pocket being too small. You may also find heavier fins help with trim.

 

[Ana]

Considering your height and weight I can almost bet that any wet suit you get of the rack will not fit you properly, so even if you wear a 7mil you are not getting the benefit of it.

Your location on the left shows Lake Worth, so you are a quick drive south on I95 to this wetsuit custom place, I can't think of the name right now but you can't miss it, off Hallandale Blvd. I'm not saying for sure you don't need a dry suit, but consider the possibility of a custom wet suit, the people at that place are amazing, you won't believe the difference when the suit fits so well, and if you add the spine-pad woooooo, big difference.