First OW class, lots of gear questions!

[Trace Wilson]

I've heard that you can use hair conditioner as a 'lubricant' when getting into your wetsuit. Spread a bit on your arms & legs like suntan lotion and the suit is supposed to slide right on. Anyone actually do that, or know of any reason it's a bad idea?

 

[rek_diver]

More chemicals in the water.

There's enough there already.

 

[tbone1004]

I've heard that you can use hair conditioner as a 'lubricant' when getting into your wetsuit. Spread a bit on your arms & legs like suntan lotion and the suit is supposed to slide right on. Anyone actually do that, or know of any reason it's a bad idea?

if you are around drysuit divers you will see lots of KY Jelly. Water based, unscented personal lubricant is quite useful for getting into suits, and for drysuits, getting out of the seals when they roll back

 

[Aloha Joe]

I read about turning the suit inside out and rolling it on. I tried it yesterday and it worked well! I was inside in under 2minutes, maybe 1 minute, and not sweating and cursing when I was done.

 

[dmaziuk]

if you are around drysuit divers you will see lots of KY Jelly. Water based, unscented personal lubricant is quite useful for getting into suits, and for drysuits, getting out of the seals when they roll back

Suit Slide Wetsuit Lubricant | MAKO Spearguns

 

[Aloha Joe]

I found another dive shop - most of the suits didn't smell as bad but they were pretty well worn (holes). $200 got me the same Aqualung suit I would have rented, but brand new. By next weekend it will have saved half it's keep, and earned the other half in piece of mind

Now, apparently I need a hood? Geez... I hope Hawaii happens soon!

 

[stuartv]

Oh My Dear Lord...

I went to try on the rental wetsuit. I honestly don't know if I can do that again

A mix of Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and water works wonders to help your suit slide on. I keep a sports squeeze bottle of it in my dive bag. I squirt some in each arm and leg before I put my suit on and it helps immensely. I have started letting people in our OW classes use it, too, when they are having trouble getting their suit on. It is universally loved, so far.

As you found, starting with it almost inside out and rolling it up makes it a lot easier. But, "lube" to let you slide it around on your skin after it's "up" makes it even easier.

I mix it about 1/3 to 1/2 baby shampoo and the rest water. It also works really well as anti-fog in a mask with the bonus that it won't sting your eyes if you don't get your mask rinsed out well enough.

@Aloha Joe you can probably find a better rental somewhere else. If you have a front load washer or a top load without an agitator you can put it in there with enzyme cleaner and it'll wash out just fine.

I put Mirazyme in the water in my bathtub and swish my suit around in that. It just needs to get soaked with it and then taken out and left to dry (without rinsing). I don't see a need to actually put the suit through a washing machine?

 

[stuartv]

Now, apparently I need a hood? Geez... I hope Hawaii happens soon!

I have a few hoods. After strong recommendations from @tbone1004 and some others, I bought this one and love it:

Seasoft Titanium Pro 6mm Dry Suit Hood with Zipper

Bonus: several of the panels are actually compressed neoprene, so the hood doesn't compress at depth and lose insulation like most other hoods.

 

[Aloha Joe]

@stuartv thanks for that - I hate buying gear "blind" especially after how much I've spent on class and my rig in the past couple of weeks.
@couv thanks for the hose suggestion
@tbone1004 thanks for all kinds of stuff
@everyone else - thanks for helping a new guy with too many questions

We've been diving steel 72s in the pool. I asked about tanks yesterday and it sounds like I have the option to take whatever I want. They have the 72s but also some alu, and also some steel 80s I believe.

I'll probably grab what we've been using since it's in the middle buoyancy wise. Next week in Catalina I'll have Alu tanks and it should only be 2-4lbs difference I think?

 

[jlcnuke]

I think it actually smelled like sh17.
I felt so gross afterward. And the fit was HORRIBLE.

The wetsuit feels like a $480 gamble (for the one that fit best so far) since it's temperature/tolerance dependent, and will be the hardest to sell used. I didn't want to buy a 7mm then find out I'd have been happier with less (SoCal / Hawaii diving, but I lived in Vermont and havent worn a real jacket since I moved to OH or CA).

Is it that big of a difference in flexibility? I've been focused on finding the right fit so haven't tried different thicknesses yet.

I'll visit the shop today w/ a decent selection and see what I can come up with... maybe I'll find a cheap suit that fits, or maybe they'll have a better rental selection...

Are you planning on using the same suit for California and Hawaii? I was under the impression that pretty much all of California diving is much colder water than you'd see in Hawaii. A quick google search shows Hawaii ~78-82 and southern California getting up to 68F on warm days. I'd think a 7mm would be pretty overkill in Hawaii but probably needed in California. I haven't dove either though, so maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm or correct that.