Henderson sizing

[NCgirl7681]

I start on the 12th my first class. I am going to the Y 4 days a week to work out in the water aerobics. My SCUBA instructor told me I needed to wait until after my class, but before my check out to buy a suit so that I don't buy one and then loose some weight and it not fit right. But I thought the henderson would be great for losing weight with. Maybe I misunderstood. Its all a bit overwhelming with what I need/dont need to buy and have.

 

[Sea Lioness]

Because the Henderson Hyperstretch suits are so stretchy, you probably can lose a fair amount of weight and still have it fit. Of course it depends on how much the suit had to stretch to fit you before losing weight, and also on how much weight you lose.

If your scuba class is being conducted over several weeks, and you plan to be vigorously working to lose weight during that period, it probably would make sense for you to wait until closer to the end of the class to purchase your wetsuit. By ordering the correct fit for whatever size your body is after several weeks of working out, then a hyperstretch suit should be able to accommodate a moderate amount of weight loss or weight gain from that point. The instructor probably recommended waiting because you can do your pool work for the class without a wetsuit if necessary, but you will want to have one ready when you go to do your open water dives to complete the certification.

Since you may have to do a special order for the wetsuit you want (unless the dive shop has the size & model of wetsuit you plan to buy in stock already), you should probably allow at least a couple of weeks between the time you order the suit and the time you need it for your open water dives. If you are planning to get a custom wetsuit, you probably need to allow even more time.

 

[silvernotch]

I'm plus sized and let someone tell me I'm too big to dive and see what happens lol.

I did my OW and AOW on a rented Henderson Hyperstretch. It fit pretty good but you can tell it wasn't made for someone with DD's but then again I'm 6'0 so it'll fit on me a lot differently than it'll fit on you.

 

[lulubelle]

Hi NC girl! Completely ridiculous idea that you shouldn't pursue diving because of your size. Good that you are working on your fitness level at the same time as you do your training.

Your posts didn't mention your height which will drive a lot of what size suit may work for you. You need to try them on.

I'll tell you a funny story to illustrate my point. I was on a liveaboard trip. 4 of us wore a Henderson hyperstretch size 12 and got our suits mixed up all week. I am 5'10". One was 4'9". One had a stockier frame than me, was a bit thinner, but the same height. One was about 5'6" and looked to be about a size 8 or 10 at the most. You are going to have to try some on.

As for picking a suit, it is a suit which can grow down with you. When I was picking out my size, the 14 fit "the girls" a bit better, but the 12 fit everything else better. So I picked the 12.
Where and when will you do your checkout dives?

 

[lulubelle]

I'm plus sized and let someone tell me I'm too big to dive and see what happens lol.

I did my OW and AOW on a rented Henderson Hyperstretch. It fit pretty good but you can tell it wasn't made for someone with DD's but then again I'm 6'0 so it'll fit on me a lot differently than it'll fit on you.

Could be that the size wasn't spot on. I'm tall, and I can tell you that the right size fits a bit further up into the alphabet than DD.

 

[BettyfromToronto]

I am totally overweight and out of shape but I love diving. Just need help up the ladder with full gear on.

I was going to buy a custom made suit until my LDS suggested a Henderson superstretch. I wear a size 16 in regular clothes but my 3mm full wetsuit is a size 12 and fits great.

Hubby is short (5'4") but stocky and he ended up ordering a Bare wetsuit because they had the extra size of "short" vs regular or long in height.

Both were under $200 Cdn each and definietly worth the money. Only negative about mine (not his) is the Henderson seems to be famous for the neoprene pilling. After one week of diving you can see where the velcro from my BCD attacked my suit. At least it doesn't look brand new anymore and make me look like a brand new diver.

 

[harleydiver1]

HENDERSON IS THE WAY TO GO! You will drop at lease one full size in regards to the suit size with the Henderson.
If anyone needs a stock Henderson...we do ship!
We do not compete with cheap...we make quality affordable.
Find your best quote...then dare to compare ours.
Dive Shack USA, 1086 Hwy 95, Bullhead City, Arizona - Serving the Tri-State area for over 20 years > Home

I am totally overweight and out of shape but I love diving. Just need help up the ladder with full gear on.

I was going to buy a custom made suit until my LDS suggested a Henderson superstretch. I wear a size 16 in regular clothes but my 3mm full wetsuit is a size 12 and fits great.

Hubby is short (5'4") but stocky and he ended up ordering a Bare wetsuit because they had the extra size of "short" vs regular or long in height.

Both were under $200 Cdn each and definietly worth the money. Only negative about mine (not his) is the Henderson seems to be famous for the neoprene pilling. After one week of diving you can see where the velcro from my BCD attacked my suit. At least it doesn't look brand new anymore and make me look like a brand new diver.

 

[harleydiver1]

HENDERSON IS THE WAY TO GO! You will drop usually at least one full size in regards to the suit size with the Henderson.
If anyone needs a stock Henderson...we do ship!
Henderson also offers TALL & SHORT sizing in stock sizes.
We do not compete with cheap...we make quality affordable.
Find your best quote...then dare to compare ours.
Dive Shack USA, 1086 Hwy 95, Bullhead City, Arizona - Serving the Tri-State area for over 20 years > Home

I am totally overweight and out of shape but I love diving. Just need help up the ladder with full gear on.

I was going to buy a custom made suit until my LDS suggested a Henderson superstretch. I wear a size 16 in regular clothes but my 3mm full wetsuit is a size 12 and fits great.

Hubby is short (5'4") but stocky and he ended up ordering a Bare wetsuit because they had the extra size of "short" vs regular or long in height.

Both were under $200 Cdn each and definietly worth the money. Only negative about mine (not his) is the Henderson seems to be famous for the neoprene pilling. After one week of diving you can see where the velcro from my BCD attacked my suit. At least it doesn't look brand new anymore and make me look like a brand new diver.

 

[Frosty]

My lovely wife is a bit on the cuddly side being 5 foot 2 and size 16/18 (nz sizing) -double D etc.. She went through this exact issue in her head regarding diving at all and then wetsuit sizing. She really feels the cold and we also dive tropical waters se we wanted a but of versitility.
She decided to go for a 5mm titanium two piece which works really well for her.
The effective 10mm core thickness is warm and she just uses the bottom half and a rash vest for tropical diving.
On the fitness front she has repeatedly commented on how diving is improving her overall fitness. Its a pretty cool cycle for her. Shes toning up so enjoys her diving more so dived more often so tones up....

 

[Lunahippo]

i'm not a cuddly size, but followed the size chart- did anyone have an issue getting the suit over their hip n caboose area at first? i tried the one i just ordered on and it seems the zipper is much higher up than i'm used to- so putting is on is actually a trial in that middle zone- but once it's on it fits great...

much better than other 5mm i've tried