First Westsuit- Need Thickness advice

[New Hoo Diver]

I have done by classroom and pool certification and am headed to the Caribbean (Granada/St.Lucia) to do my first open water dives in 1 month (honeymoon trip!). I am very confused as to what thickness wetsuit I should buy. I do not plan on doing any cold-water diving and will be sticking to the Carribean and Florida for the forseeable future, with a possible dream trip to Tahiti or Fiji next year. From what I read on these boards it seems a 3mm should be enough. However, the people at the dive shop through which I took my certification class are pushing me to get a 5mm for the following reasons:

1) I am skinny (5'10", 140lbs) male and therefore lose heat more quickly (though have not done any diving to know if this is true, I do not like cold pool water).
2) When underwater, people never complain of overheating, only of being cold, so I should play it safe

Obviously the 5mm feels bulkier (though the Henderson Hyperstrech is not that unwieldy) but they told me there is not really any difference once you are underwater. My question:

Are there any downsides to buying a 5mm (other than extra $) if a 3mm would be sufficient?

Thanks in advance for your patience with a first-time poster and diving newbie. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[art.chick]

I disagree that it's all the same underwater! My husband & I both wear 5mm (I have the Hyperstretch) in SoCal water (57-65F). He DOES get hot in the water it in the summer. We dove all week in Oct in Grand Cayman in nothing but our swim suits, & we never got so much as chilly!

More importantly, has HypERthermia been covered yet in your classroom work? It's the elevated body temperature we can get waiting to get into the water while standing around in full gear waiting for our buddies to finish gearing up. In 5mm in the hot sun, you may be at risk for heat stroke. ( We had a guy topside nearly slip into this condition for exactly these reasons last weekend.)

Now, I admit that Hyperstretch is not the warmest wetsuit out there, but its "give" allows you to layer a skin underneath. My personal suggestion would be to get the 3mm & a $99 lycra or fleece-lined skin. You can take both & dive with one, the other, or both if it is chilly. Or save the wetsuit for night dives & use the skin during the day. I wonder if the LDS just wants to make a more expensive sale. And bulkiness does feel just as bulky at depth. I notice the difernce between 3mm & 5mm gloves even at 100'. If you have a tendancy to get cold, try to have good protection on your extremities, as the heat gets sucked out of them first: a hood, nice booties, & comfortable gloves. I definitely recommend the 3mm over the 5mm for your purposes.

 

[jbd]

with art.chick. IMHO a 3mm full suit with gloves, hood and booties should be enough for the diving you are planning on doing. If, for you it is still a little on the cool side then get the skin to wear under the 3mm suit.

I have gotten too warm underwater with a 3mm suit on. Granted, not to the point of heat injury but I was still uncomfortable and did the rest of the diving that weekend in swim suit and T shirt and this was in a quarry.

Another option for you would be to rent a 3mm suit from the dive operator on your first dives and guage your comfort level. If you feel a little chilly then try a 5mm suit. That way you would have real time personnal experience of what works best for you in the environment that you will be diving in.

 

[SubMariner]

For tropical diving, 5mm is too much. Even hypothermic me knows that!

I suggest a compromise:

1) a two piece 3mm suit with the main layer of 3mm and a 3mm jacket that you can put on over top if you find it gets too cold.

2) a full 3mm suit with a vest: either another 3mm or something like an Aeroskin vest underneath.

I tend to go with option #2.

Any water under 78F I go to my drysuit.... just too much heat loss eitherwise.

~SubMariner~

 

[Paul168341]

Yep, I'd have to go with the crowd on this one. Art.chick said it best. Also, I'd go with SubMariner's option #2.
For your destination, you'd prolly do well with a 3mm Shorty.
I used to be a skinny guy as well and never went over 3mm in the tropics. Heck, I used a 7mm in 45F water until I became too fat for it. Now I do dry up here in NE but mostly because of what I spent on it. ut:

 

[New Hoo Diver]

Thanks for the prompt responses- they have been very helpful. It is pretty clear that I should go for a 3mm, so now I have a question as to which 3mm I should choose between the two I am considering: Henderson Hyperstretch vs. Gold Core.

My understanding from reading some of the posts on this board is that the Gold Core is warmer, which allows me to hedge my bets a little, is more durable, and dries quicker. The advantages of the Hyperstretch are that layering is a little easier. In addition, it fits me a bit better.

Does anybody that has used either or both have an opinion?

 

[miked]

NHD,
Hi,
and welcome to the Boards.
Rergarding your question: I have had a 3mm Gold core suit for 1+ years ( 70+ dives-all warm water), and I highly recommend it.
It seems, from other threads on the Board (why not try a "search"), that the gold core is more durable than the hyperstretch,and a bit warmer.
regarding the layering suggestions,here's my story: this past April, while on a trip and doing 4 dives a day ,average water temp 77 degrees f, I found myself being a bit chilled by the end of the day. To address this,I added a 3 mm front-zip vest over the suit. Result-warmth, less leakage at the zipper(back of the suit)problem solved.
One thing to be aware of regarding the Gold Core suit and layering: if you werar something underneath it (skin or vest),you diminish the seal that the gold lining helps provide-which is why I put the vest over the suit.
Let us know what you decide,and how it turns out.
Good luck,
Mike

 

[art.chick]

Miked did bring up an important point: the lined wetsuit works because it seals at the extremities. When u go layering skins underneath, some of the skin can stick out & subvert the seal. With my hyperstretch, I actually like the seal being broken a bit because once my fleece-lined trilaminate suit gets soaked, I get a little more negative buoyancy.

The hyperstretch is NOT the warmest suit I've had. Some of my adoration for this garment involves personal eccentricities. Because you just plain don't need that much warmth for your purposes, either suit may be just as good. I also had not even thought of the shorty! That may be just fine, too. See how our local frames of reference influence the scope of our thinking??

 

[neve]

Hi,

I have only dived in warm waters of Asia, and most of the time a 3mm fullsuit is way too warm.

I would recommend getting a 3mm shorty or a 0.5mm fullsuit (try Scubapro Pacific Sport with Titanium lining for added wamth).

My first wetsuit was a 3mm Dacor fullsuit, which is waaayyy too warm for me. I actually felt so suffocated underwater, I had to unzip my wrist and ankle zips as well as half the front zip to let water in. The problem is not with size, mind you. It was simply too thick.

Then I decided to buy a lycra full skinsuit. I was very comfortable in it, and was quite happy to stick with it until I hit my first thermocline... brrrrr!! It's also lacking kneepads, which worries me coz I like to kneel on the bottom just to watch the fishies. Imagine landing on a piece of jagged rock without kneepads! ;-0

Recently, I bought a 0.5mm neoprene fullsuit (which happens to be a Scubapro Pacific Sport). I must say it's perfect! It fits like a second skin. I don't get a nasty shock anymore when I hit a thermocline because of the Titanium lining. It sticks to your skin and prevents the water from getting into the suit.

There are also slightly thicker wersuits (Akona and Henderson have 1mm suits). This will be good if you're prone to getting cold.

I personally would not go for the 3mm unless it's a shorty.

I hope this helps

 

[Welshman]

I'd go with a full 3mm, not a shorty. With a shorty your arms and legs are exposed to stinging critters. You might as well keep them protected. Unless water temperature is greater than body heat (unlikely unless you're in a volcanic rock pool) you will not overheat in the water but Art.Chick makes a good point that you can overheat waiting on the boat to get in the water.