First Wetsuit Purchase

[jrv331]

Thanks for all the advice, I wound getting the 7mm suit since its what I'll be using the most. From what I can find about my local quarry low 70's is as high as it gets and that close to the surface.

Mark you brought up a good point about weights - gonna have to play with that this year. And I'd be more than happy to box up the snow and send it to you. I hate shoveling the driveway.

Thanks to all
John

 

[LowDrag]

Two of my buddies that got me to get off my can and to get certified wear a 7MM Farmer John two pice for diving here on the Oregon Coast. We were out in there boat this past July when the water was in the mid 56ish°'s and they came out toasty. Their exposed skin was a bit blue but other than that they were warm. Layering the two 7MM pieces on the torso of your body keeps the vital parts warm and the movement of your arms and legs keeps them warm. All in all, I am looking forward to passing my OW then my AOW so I can go dry. After reading different threads here on SB, dry definitely good to me.

 

[scubadiver888]

I need some opinons on a wetsuit purchase. I am newly OW certified looking to purchase my own gear and not quit sure what tyle to get. I live in NE Ohio so I need at least a 5mm for my local quary. The LDS reccomended at least a 5mm if not a 7mm and suggested a 2/3mm for vacation spots as the thicker one would be to warm. They are strearing me more towards a suit with a hood on it.

Two suits is out of the question right now so I was leaning more towards a 5mm Farmer John type suit. That way I would have the thickness I need for home and could take just the shorty on vacation. While not totally against them, they are not big on Farmer John style suits and suggested against it.

Can I get some opinions from those of you who dive warm and cold water.
Thanks

I was a Caribbean diver for the first 5 year and was happy using a full 3mm. When I started diving at home I rented a 7mm farmer john (14mm on the core). I found it barely sufficient for the 50F waters. My 3mm was cheap and falling apart. So I went on the hunt for the ONE suit which I could use in the Caribbean and at home. I tried numerous combinations and the end result was that I really needed 3 or 4 different setups...

• On really cold deep dives (45F to 55F) I needed 7mm with 14mm on the core, hood, gloves, etc.
• On warmer local dives (55F to 70F) I needed 7mm with hood and gloves. If not multiple dives I'd even consider losing the hood.
• On cold Caribbean dives (70F to 75F) I needed more than 3mm full but less than 7mm. Maybe 3mm with a hood or a 5mm.
• On warm Caribbean dives (75F to 82F) I was comfortable in a 3mm full.

No matter how I looked at it I started to realize that I was not going to be comfortable with ONE suit that I could mix and match. The farmer john was good for really cold deep dives. Lose the hood and gloves and it was good on warm local dives. But it really didn't work for Caribbean. If I used just the lowers my arms and shoulders got cold. Using a hood without the upper didn't work as well.

What I ended up with was a full 7mm, a 7mm tunic and a cheap 3mm wetsuit. The 7mm with tunic is good for cold deep dives. Lose the tunic and it is good for the warmest local dives. When I go to the Caribbean the 3mm is okay. Looking back on it I think I really needed a good 3mm with a tunic as well.

Bottom line, I bought a really good suit for local diving and never regretted it. I didn't have enough for a really good 3mm so I bought whatever and regretted it. I am now saving up for a really good 3mm. After that I'll probably get a tunic. There really is no good ONE suit that works for everything.