It's the same, right?

[soon2bff]

I'm really trying to get some base knowledge before going to shops some more. I went to one that broke down some info really well for me. I was impressed and it made me even more excited about this!

I'm going to be diving in SoCal, San Diego area more specifically. Cold water...got it.

I know the answer is "what fits you best". Pretty good disclaimer, huh? I see 5mm and 7mm as the necessity. I'm tall, 6'7", and athletic built, 265 lbs. Are they relatively the same? Im sure there's more than one that fits me, and I dont assume I'll be able to test many before buying. If the wetsuits fit me and they're the same thickness, will there be a significant difference in the warmth/protection?

 

[decompression]

Although the thickness difference is small the factors that affect thermal protection are many. The biggest factor being water movement. Simply stated, the less water that has to be heated by your body, the warmer you'll be. Wetsuits offer several features to accomplish this (zippers, special seals, linings, fit etc). The quality of the neoprene is a factor as well (thermal properties, stretch etc). In fact, I have a friend who dives in San Diego with only a 3 mil and a wetsuit heater.
So, you could find a 5mil suit that is warmer than a 7mil.
That said, I'm an advocate for drysuits. There are so many reasons to choose dry over wet, especially in colder waters, and after some research they will become clear to you. Of course cost is usually the biggest issue, with some effort, a decent suit can be found for about the same or slightly more than a good quality wetsuit. If you are planning to dive beyond 60', a thick (5 or 7mil ) wetsuit doesn't make a lot of sense. One thing to accept, your first suit (wet or dry) will probably not be your last, over time you will discover shortfalls, new desires and changes in your diving profiles/equipment that will merit a change. And that is why so many of us have our own "dive locker" of formerly used gear. I hope this helps.

 

[TSandM]

There are differences in neoprene -- in general, the softer and stretchier the material, the easier the suit is to get into, and the shorter the time it will give you significant insulation. Suit construction is very important -- I have a 5mil suit that fits me beautifully everywhere except around the neck, which tends to act like a scoop, entraining as much water as possible. For that reason, the suit gets used only when doing teaching dives in an 80 degree pool!

The advice to look into a dry suit is very good advice, IMO. I've been out on a fair number of SoCal boats with mixed loads of dry suit and wetsuit divers. If the boat offers four dives, the wetsuit divers are likely to get through two, and then they're found in the hot tub. The dry suit divers do them all (and do them longer) and are less fatigued at the end of the day.

There are entry-level dry suits in the $1000 range (look at the Fusion One), and since I wouldn't be surprised if you had to end up with a custom wetsuit, at your height, the price difference might not be all that great.

 

[Akimbo]

… Suit construction is very important -- I have a 5mil suit that fits me beautifully everywhere except around the neck, which tends to act like a scoop, entraining as much water as possible…

Would a spine pad help? My spine/back is concave and gluing in a 7mm “filler” works wonders, even on wetsuits with an attached hood or quasi-neck dam. It is an option on many custom suits but I find it is better to install yourself unless you are being fitted in person. Here is an image of the inside of my 7mm freediving farmer john:

 

[Akimbo]

Regarding circulation, another source of leakage are seams that are not glued and blind stitched. Many “name-brand” suits don’t glue their seams at all, only sew them together. You are starting to see suits that are seam coated or tapped for this reason.

 

[TSandM]

The problem with the neck on mine is in the front. I should have recognized the issue before I bought it, but I didn't have that much experience with wetsuits at the time. (I have even less now )

 

[Peter_C]

The best way to save money on a wetsuit is to buy a drysuit. We dove SoCal once when it was 48 degrees. Trust me when I say the wetsuit divers were miserable. Been there done that, and won't do it again.

 

[Gill]

I've been out on a fair number of SoCal boats with mixed loads of dry suit and wetsuit divers. If the boat offers four dives, the wetsuit divers are likely to get through two, and then they're found in the hot tub. The dry suit divers do them all (and do them longer) and are less fatigued at the end of the day.

I'll throw myself in as an "outlier" then. I do all the SoCal boat dives in a wetsuit and I don't sleep on the way back to port. Got in 3 dives (3 out of 3) off the boat at Catalina the weekend before Christmas and got in beach dives on Christmas and New Years Day. Water was 58F at Catalina. Warmer than last Dec.

I am in the process of looking at dry suits though so I can dive some colder water. Coldest I've dove wet so far is 52F.

 

[jIM STEELE]

I use a mod 707 IST simi dry it has low comp 7mm and 250% stretch in places for flexibility dry suit seals on wrist and legs with a neck seal large spine pad with seal the seals on the arms and legs are like the waterproof suit. I have had over 30+ wet suits and 10+ drysuits the 707 suit is the best one so far and is less than $200. google it

---------- Post added January 4th, 2013 at 01:54 PM ----------

you would be a 3 xl

 

[Jim Lapenta]

So Cal? COld water? Dry Suit. No question.