Help deciding in wetsuit thickness

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Disal

Registered
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Hi, I live in CA and normally dive when I travel warm water areas like Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico (Cozumel, Cenotes). I also plan to dive in cold water areas like Monterey Bay.

I’m looking for a wetsuit for my upcoming trip to Oahu and Kauai in HI. I was thinking to get the 7mm so I can also use it for Monterey Bay but people say I’ll be roasted in 7mm in HI. That leaves the options of 3 or 5 mm. Which one should I get so I can dive all seasons in those warm places I mentioned above including winter year end around xmas and new year.

is there an option for me to use the wetsuit for both warm and cold water so I dont have to have 2 set of suits? Thanks
 
When I dove in HI in February, it was so cold even a 5mm wasn't enough. Myself and all of my friends who were with me were very cold in a 5mm suit. I wish I took a semidry or even a drysuit. I don't know about the rest of the year however.
 
is there an option for me to use the wetsuit for both warm and cold water so I dont have to have 2 set of suits? Thanks

yes get yourself a great deal on 3mm 5mm 7mm three suits
that is not two suits
or use a 3mm, a 5mm, and wear them together for an 8mm
but that is two suits


Thermal Wear & Undergarments Archives - Dive Shack
 
Do not pay attention to what people tell you that you will need. Every person is unique in their tolerance to cold. There is no substitute for actual experience with different suits. I have a student who can dive 60 degree water in a 3 mil and be ok. He seems to have an internal furnace. Anything under 72 and I'm diving dry. My GF took her drysuit to Turks and Caicos in August. At the start of the liveaboard some people smirked. By the end of the week when she was coming up comfortable from dives 18-22 those who smirked were sitting there shivering in their shorties and 3 mils looking miserable.
I'd rather be a little warm and have to pull the neck seal and let a little water in to cool off than be cold and not able to warm up.
 
Hi, I live in CA and normally dive when I travel warm water areas like Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico (Cozumel, Cenotes). I also plan to dive in cold water areas like Monterey Bay.
Jim is right about the fact that we are all different in terms of thermal needs, so only you can be sure. If you need a starting point for investigation, I will look at your list and tell you what I would use if given the choice. I have dived in all those locations.

Hawai'i: 5mm
Caribbean: 3mm
Cozumel: 3mm most of the year; sometimes 5mm, maybe
Cenotes: 5mm at least
Monterey Bay: Dry suit, but I could do 7mm

In other words, the previous advice to have 3 suits is good, too.

I am fortunate enough to have all of the above, so if I had to lower the number of suits, the choice is always to go up in thickness. Too warm is always preferable to too cold. I know people, experienced divers, who use 7mm when I would use 3mm. If you are warm, pull the neck down and let some water in.
 
Hi @Disal

The older I get, the less tolerant of being cold I have become. I don't like the feeling and it increases my gas consumption.

I have a 3, 5, and 7 mm full suit and a 5/3 mm hooded vest. I use all three full suits every year in SE Florida, to cover a range of water temperatures from the mid/high 60s to the low 80s. I travel to other locations, some of which are a bit colder. I've been thinking of adding a 7/5 mm hooded vest to expand my range. I am sometimes a bit warm on the surface, but am very rarely too warm in the water.

The other thing that is essential is a good boat coat.

Getting back to your specific question. I have only 4 trips to the Hawaiian Islands and have always found water temps in the mid to high 70s. I use my 5 mm full suit and take my hooded vest. Exposure protection is personal. Best of luck.
 
Hi, I live in CA and normally dive when I travel warm water areas like Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico (Cozumel, Cenotes). I also plan to dive in cold water areas like Monterey Bay.

I’m looking for a wetsuit for my upcoming trip to Oahu and Kauai in HI. I was thinking to get the 7mm so I can also use it for Monterey Bay but people say I’ll be roasted in 7mm in HI. That leaves the options of 3 or 5 mm. Which one should I get so I can dive all seasons in those warm places I mentioned above including winter year end around xmas and new year.

is there an option for me to use the wetsuit for both warm and cold water so I dont have to have 2 set of suits? Thanks

I dove in Hawaii in October 2019. The water temps were about 84 F. I wore a rash guard over my swimsuite and was perfectly comfortable. I typically wear a full wetsuit - 3 mm for warm water is good for me, but I would be comfortable in rash guards in water about 82 degrees or more. 3 mm suit was perfect for me in both Mexico (cenotes and ocean) as well as on our recent trip to Belize on the Aggressor IV. Again, water temps were in the 80s. Several people wore rash shirts and shorts only and were fine. I prefer a full wetsuit over swimsuit or rash guard just because I like having the extra skin protection. If you tend to get cold even in warm water with a 3 mm, then opt for a 5. I would have been super uncomfortable (overly hot) in anything heavier than what I had, but others wore thicker suits, particularly on the night dives. (I don't night dive, so I can't speak to that.)
 
Here is a learning experience from many years ago.

In preparing for my first trip to Hawai'i, while still a fairly novice diver with only one 3mm suit, I learned that 3mm would probably not be enough. I did not want to spend the money for another wetsuit that I might never use again, so I bought a 3mm vest and a hood. For my first days of diving, I used only the vest but not the hood. I was a bit chilled. The next day I accidentally left the vest back at the condo, so I used just the hood instead. I was much warmer.

As for using a hooded vest, that can work very well, but be careful when buying one. I gave it a shot a few years after the trip described above, and it did not work well, as I explained in a thread. (I still have that vest, BTW, if you are interested.)

Close call in the dressing room
 
The answer is... you are not going to be able to get away with one suit.
 
Thanks guys. Would the Scubapro Everflex 3mm work well for Hawaii?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom