I purchased a 3mm suit, was it a mistake

[tbone1004]

thats a very out of the box solution. You are an expert so it probably works fine for those that dont get really cold easily but im not risking it lol. Im a wuss in cold water. I use an 8/7 semi dry in my 52 degree monterey water and sometimes I feel a bit of a chill when it drops below 50

I typically go 3mm, 3mm+hooded vest, 7mm+hood, drysuit. Most of it is due to exposure duration vs. absolute temperature. Mid 60's for recreational diving would be either 3mm+hooded vest or 7mm+hood. With the hooded vest you have 8mm on your core with almost no water movement due to the integrated hood. As long as your limbs can deal with the temp, surface conditions aren't frigid, and you aren't doing 2+ hour exposures, it is fine for most people and IMO preferable to a 5mm with a hood.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

You are an extreme outlier. I have an 8/7 Semidry and also a DM at my diveshop has an 8/7 semi dry and. At 46 degrees its quite chilly for either of us. diveable yes and multiple dives yes but you feel the cold.

5mil in 48 degrees is kinda insane. Monterey is always 52 down to 46 in certain open areas and no one uses a 5 mil ever. its all drysuits and farmer john 7 mils.

5????? noooooo. You are in a smaller than 1% niche. You might want to get a physical to see if you are half alien lol. either that or you are 5ft 5 and 400 pounds. I mean apologies if thats true im just trying to figure out a way thats possible.

I'm a big guy (6'3" and ~300lbs), but you wouldn't guess my weight from looking at me.

Not saying that I don't feel the cold at all with that setup, just that my tolerance of it/being able to ignore it is probably better than average. Having New England blood probably doesn't hurt, lol.

In full disclosure...I intend to get a 7mm for next winter. Again...not saying that diving in a thinner wetsuit is ideal, but that if your current priority is buying other gear (I just put together an alternate air source) you can get by.

To me...5mm is a great all around wetsuit thickness. It's not perfect for all temperature ranges...but it makes diving tolerable in a wide range of temperatures.

The only reason I picked up the 3mm shorty is that I was cooking in the 5mm during surface intervals while I was in FL.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

To echo what everyone else has said, either pick up a 3mm hooded vest or a 5mm with a 5/3 hood. My 5mm is in need of replacement soon so I'll be in the market myself. My next 5mm will be a SEAC Komoda because the rubber material in it is amazing and the inner liner is quite comfortable. Not terribly expensive, either @ -$220-$230 US retail.

For me at mid-60s to 70's, I'd dive a 5mm and be just fine without a hood. I'd probably dive a pair of thin gloves just for abrasion protection, something the SEAC Amara 1.5mm gloves I have. I chose those for two reasons. First, they're really comfortable and don't limit my dexterity very much at all and second I like the contrast of the light colored palms so my hand signals can be read easier.

Just more info to help with your decision....I will be DMing an OW class at a local quarry this weekend and I expect bottom temps will be somewhere in the 50-55F range with surface temps in the mid-60's. So I'll be wearing a full 5mm with a 5/3 hood, 3mm or 5mm gloves, and a Sharkskin half-zip top underneath. Eventually I will pick up a hooded vest, as that's what's been recommended to me several times by my instructors. I'm sure all my students will be in 5mm farmer Johns with 5mm shorties layered over that.

 

[kelemvor]

You guys must be real men. 60f water = drysuit for me. 70f = 5/7 mil wetsuit at least. Actually I bought my drysuit so I could be comfortable at 72f in the springs.

Layering is indeed a thing. I can be comfortable for dives up to about an hour in 72f with a 3mm hooded vest over a lavacore full suit.

 

[txgoose]

Mid 60s can be done in a 3mm with a good hooded vest. You’ll need a hood for that temp anyway so just get a hooded vest and call it a day.

^^^^^ Last May the wife and I rented hoods and hated them. Jaw fatigue and overall discomfort for some reason. Over the winter, we wanted to work on extending our dive season so we bought hooded vests. They are so different and so much better. Dove them this past weekend under our wetsuits and it made a noticeable difference. I may even begin diving mine in warm water with a swimsuit.

Maybe we didn’t fit the hoods well. We did spend a modicum of time trying on a couple of vests to get ones that felt right. Regardless, really pleased with the hooded vest purchases.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

You guys must be real men. 60f water = drysuit for me. 70f = 5/7 mil wetsuit at least. Actually I bought my drysuit so I could be comfortable at 72f in the springs.

Layering is indeed a thing. I can be comfortable for dives up to about an hour in 72f with a 3mm hooded vest over a lavacore full suit.

Lol. I was down in Key Largo the middle of January. The locals thought I had a screw loose diving in a 3mm at 74-76*.

It's all about perspective. Two weeks earlier, I did a 46* dive in Virginia in a 5mm. 74* felt toasty to me.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Lol. I was down in Key Largo the middle of January. The locals thought I had a screw loose diving in a 3mm at 74-76*.

It's all about perspective. Two weeks earlier, I did a 46* dive in Virginia in a 5mm. 74* felt toasty to me.

I did a dive in out of Destin on Dec. 28, 2017 in 48F ambient temps with rain and water temps at 62F @ 75FSW. I was colder on the surface than I was in the water. The other divers were in dry suits.

 

[Steve_C]

I echo the above. I have used hoods. I had two hoods. I hate hoods. I have given them all away. Now I have a 3mm beanie (also protects my bald top from the sun) and a 5/3 hooded vest. Since the 5/3 not only warms the head but also the core it makes a huge difference. As far as wetsuits go I have a 7, 5, 3, 3 shorty and a hooded vest and beanie. In those rare times I get into the warm carribbean I have also a 1.5 and a dive skin I can wear under the 3 shorty. I do not like to have exposed skin. Come up through a layer with lots of little critters with stinging cells and you will also not want bare skin. I like longer slow moving dives so warmth is important as is not having more wetsuit than I need. An advantage of having employed children with real jobs. For bdays, fathers day, and xmas they give me cards for use on dive equipment so I have to keep getting stuff.

 

[ams511]

This has caused me to freak out a bit, after spending so much on a suit have I wasted money here? What are my options?

I have been told layering is a thing, something like a shark skin. I can't imagine fitting something under this suit that seems pretty tight as is. Help!?!

You did not waste your money because the suit will still be useful in the summer and in the Caribbean. The problem with many LDS is that they want to sell you what they have in stock not what you may need.

I don't recommend the shark skin, it is like $300 and for that you can get a wetsuit from Leisure Pro or Scuba.com. If the shark skin was actually as warm as 3 mil (or even 2 mil) neoprene it would be worth it but I don't see the manufacturer claiming that. The only way you will know is if you dive the suit in the water temps and then decide where to go from there. If the suit and the vest works for you then you are done. If you are cold, you need to increase the thickness.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm a wimp. I have 2 suggestions: either go to SE Asia with it. Or get a 5 mm wetsuit for your upcoming trip (and a hood).