Hi all :)

[Blue Sparkle]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, and to diving, and I've just posted a couple of queries in the "Exposure suits" sub-forum. I'm going to order a custom wetsuit this week, and I'm really not sure about some of the details.

I wasn't sure which forum to post in, but I'd sure like some input from you diving women (I'm female).

If you wouldn't mind stopping by to comment, my thread is here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ex...ickness-style-wetsuit-variety-conditions.html

I've also introduced myself in the main "Introductions" area.

Nice to meet you all,

B.

 

[tstormdiver]

Hi! Welome! I've read your thread & based on what you have posted (conditions) & what has been replied, I'm in agreement that there's really no 1 suit that will serva all purposes. Thermal needs are Soooooooo individual. While 1 person may be freezing, someone else may be very comfy. Right now I will dive a 3mm wetsuit to about 80 degrees F. Below that anymore, I dive a drysuit. I have undergarments varying in thicknesses from some long sleeve Under Armor, to 150 gm, to 400gm to 650 gm. I wear whatever undergarment is needed for the temperature for that particular dive. It would be much the same with wetsuits. IN KY, I dive year round & we have very temperate waters. Water temps can vary from 85+ degrees on the surface in the summer, to near freezing in the winter. In the summer, at the quarry I dive in, the surface to about 30 ft can get up to 85+ degrees. Below 60 ft the temperature is a constant 42 degrees year round. So Even in the middle summer, if I'm going to dive to the bottom of the quarry, I dress in my heaviest undergarment. If I'm going to dive shallow & it is warm enough, you may actually catch me in a wetsuit. When I did have mulitple wetsuits, I had a 3mm for the warmer waters, a 5mm for cooler waters & a 2pc. 7mm for the cold waters.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Hi Tammy,

Thank you for taking the time to read my query and respond.

So it sounds like the 3mm coverall might be the best base (vs. a 5mm coverall or a 3mm/5mm combo). I am mostly vacillating between the 3mm and the 3mm/5mm combo.

What are some suggestions you might have for additional items to add warmth to the base coverall?

I'm seeing options of shortie, vest, vest/shortie, hood, hooded vest, etc. etc.

I know I will take a beanie or hood and socks, but am not sure whether to have the hood attached to a vest.

And.... if you were to order a 3mm coverall again now, what options would you get and/or stay away from?

Thank you,
B.

 

[tstormdiver]

Personally,... I'd go with maybe either a shorty or vest (shorty will cover a little more around the core, arms & legs) & a hood (seperate). It'll give you a little more adjustability with your diving wardrobe. I really don't like hoods at all, to begin with & will wear them only when I absolutely must (below 65 degrees). At 65 degrees, when uninhibited cold water hits my ears, I get almost instant vertigo. Most of the time I'll either wear a beanie (much more comfy) or nothing. The first thing I do when wearing a hood & I surface is get that darned thing off.

As for what I like & dislike on wetsuits, my current wetsuit has ankle zippers which makes donning much easier. The one thing I will frogo on my next suit is the extra stretchy material. My current suit is like that. I lost some weight this summer, along with some breakdown from wearing in a pool, It has become very saggy in places. I'm 5'6" & about 200#. A typical women's wetsuit will not fit me & I usually have to go to a men's suit & deal with the extra length.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I sure do appreciate your piping in.

I think I agree with you on the hood. When I did my check out dives, the water was 58º, on a cold spring day, so I wore a (rental) hood. But I hated the hood because it covered my ears and felt like it was messing with my ear-clearing (which I seem to have a bit of trouble with anyway). I hadn't thought about how the beanie doesn't cover the ears!

Any thoughts about front or back zipper for the coverall? And the vest? Does 3mm for the vest sound useful over a 3mm coverall, or would 5mm be more logical?

I know it's subjective, and I won't blame you if your advice doesn't fit me exactly; but something to go on is a whole lot better than just shooting in the dark.

I know that with my boating gear, I always learn a few lessons about what to buy differently "next time."

B.

PS: My avatar picture is me on my pool day during diving cert. class. The pool was kind of on "inactive" status, so the water was only about 70º Man, I FROZE as the hours went by. If the avatar were larger you would see that my lips were blue. Man, that was cold. Even the open water dives in 58º water were not that cold. But of course this was an all-day session with lots of not moving around much. I just kept adding more and MORE neoprene. Eventually, it made me use up all the instructor's weights. I guess he hadn't thought about THAT much neoprene bouyancy.

 

[tstormdiver]

To clear your ears using a hood, pull the hood away from the side of your face & let some water in. It's a little cold at first, but warms up quickly. With the water layer in the hood, you should be able to clear your ears without too much trouble. Works for me anyway.

I've never had a wetsuit with a front zipper, so I can't honestly say what that's like. Most of my wetsuits have been a Men's stock size. My drysuits do have a diagonal front zipper, but that kind of zipper is completely different from a wetsuit zipper.

 

[tstormdiver]

It's been a couple of years since I've dove thick insulation (drysuit with my 650 gm undergarments) with a single tank configuration. It took about 40# of weight to get down. Anymore, if I'm going to dive cold water I dive doubled steel 95's or 108"s for redundancy. With the negative buoyancy of those, I usually do not need any weight. Having had a cold water freeze- up & free flow of my regulator at 95ft in 42 degree water (was in my doubles at the time) taught me the importance of a redundant air system.

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Thanks, Tammy

You know, when I went to clear my ears, I probably had one hand on my nose, pinching it, and the other on my BC air valve as I was descending. Now I know I could have let go of the latter, but at the time I was clutching it tightly. So no spare hand to pull the hood away. But I'm sure I'll get more relaxed as time goes by.

B.

 

[tstormdiver]

You will be able to relax with time, I can remember how overwhelmed I felt as a new diver (was only a few years ago). Actually I'm feeling all over again, with some technical courses I'm taking right now. You can stick your head in the water & flood the hood just before you begin your descent, while on the surface, thus you shouldn't have to fool with it again. Usually once the hood is flooded, you should be fine.

 

[carrielsal]

I love a hood, even though I can't hear with it. I have long hair and it keeps my hair in check and my mask strap does not move.

Carrie