For you New England divers

[TMHeimer]

I use a shorty in July/Aug. shore diving in CT and usually my 7 mil farmer john in winter on the FL panhandle (55-65 water).
If the water there is over 60F I may take off the "pants" and over 65 I may use the shorty.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

I dove NE out of NJ for 20 years before moving to FL -- so I thought this prospective might be helpful. I dive a 1 mil in FL for shallow dives during the warm months and a 3 mil for any other time and anything deeper than 100 fsw. I was never comfortable in anything but a dry suit in the NE except in shallow water during the mid-late Summer. That being said, you may want to wait on investing in a 5 mil wetsuit in an effort to find a solution for both locales. Rent first and see if you are happy. If you are going to do a lot of NE diving you may want to go with a dry suit and keep your wetsuit/bathing suit for the tropical stuff. Diving dry is nearly as valuable a skill/technology as Nitrox when you are diving in cool/cold waters, IMHO. Also, this will open up the opportunity to dive more months in the NE.

Yup. On a budget...I'd say get a 5mm wetsuit and use it at both locales. I've done 44*-82* in a 5mm wetsuit. Yes...I realize that is not idea.

Anything north of 52* is comfortable (to me) in a 5mm. From 44*-50*....I would say that it wasn't particularly comfortable, but that if you're cold tolerant...you can deal with it. I will say though that at x < 50*...I was looking at the SPG VERY often. Along the lines of a student staring at the clock in class...hoping that it would be over sooner, rather than later.

If you're planning on diving x < 52* on a regular basis or you are not cold tolerant, you might want to start putting some money aside for a dry suit.

On gloves...I'm good with 3mm down to about 52*. Anything under 52*, I need 5mm.

 

[TMHeimer]

Gloves-- For me, 65+= reef gloves. 50-65= 5finger gloves. Below 50F= 3 finger "lobster mitts".
As a rule....Air temp./time of year may vary these somewhat.