man! it's cold!

[deputydan1]

hey scuba buddies~~

dan, here. i know i should be asking this in the wet suit forum, but since i am referring to So Cal diving, i wanted to ask the local experts!

i am use to diving more tropical waters, and so when i go to places like catalina, my butt freezes over! =(

the LDS said i should buy a henderson hyperstretch 5mm suit, and wear a 3mm vest/5mm hood combo with it. now, do you guys think this is enough for me? i really don't like the thick 7mm suits....they are so tough to get into and really hate having to wear so much weights! so! whadayathink?

ps> the LDS owner told me the BEST suit would be the henderson hyperstretch. any advice would be much appreciated!!!

have a grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat week!!

-dan

 

[BigJetDriver]

hey scuba buddies~~

Dan here. I am used to diving more tropical waters, and so when I go to places like catalina, my butt freezes over! =(

have a grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat week!!

-dan

Dan,

How about a nice, cozy DUI TLS 350? Sure makes things a lot more comfortable for those of us who HATE cold water!

Rob

 

[scottfiji]

I've had a couple hyperstrech owners tell me that they fit great, but are much colder than other wet suits of the same thickness.. maybe wearing the hood/vest combo will make up for it...but then you'll have to add weight to compensate for the vest...

if you get cold easy, go with a dry suit or a 7mm wet suit plus a hooded vest.

 

[divinman]

I've had a couple hyperstrech owners tell me that they fit great, but are much colder than other wet suits of the same thickness..

I have to agree here. Hyperstretch is the most comfortable easy to pull on neoprene but it also compresses faster at depth and doesnt wear well eather. If you go with Hyperstretch, go with a full 7 or 7/5 and hooded vest. Suck up the added weight and stay warm.

 

[headhunter]

For SoCal diving you should go with a 7mm suit. I don't think it makes sense to go with less in our waters unless you only plan to dive here in the summer. Anyway, diving is better here in the winter in my opinion.

I dove for many years in a suit that was always hard to put on and that I needed to "soap up" so that it would slide on. That old suit finally disintegrated from use and age and when I got back into diving this year after a long hiatus, one of the things I did was to go on a search for a new suit.

People kept telling me about the Henderson Hyperstretch, so I decided that it would be the last suit I tried. I went to a couple of different shops to try on as many suits as I could. At the end of the day, I actually had a blood blister on one finger of each hand from pulling on wetsuits.

The last suit I tried that day was a Henderson Hyperstretch at Hollywood Divers. It went on soooooo easy compared to everything else I had tried that I kept asking, "Are you sure this thing will keep me warm?" I had equated the "pain" of putting on a suit with its warmth. So, if a suit was really easy to put on and super comfortable, I felt that there was no way it could keep me warm. This thing went on so quickly and easily with absolutely no pain that I couldn't believe it was a 7mm wetsuit.

I've used it for 11 dives in SoCal with temperatures down to the mid-50s for around 45 minutes to an hour and imagine that I'll be quite comfortable down to the high forties. I will add that I've always been rather warm, so your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps!

Christian

 

[deputydan1]

wow! that's exactly what i heard about the hyperstretch.
i have no clue about dry suits, and i must admit, the 7/5mm sounds nice, but i think everyone's right when they say stick with a 7mm....i just wish there was another way! =(

a friend can get me a good O'neil 7mm for a good price, but they are soooo dang hard to get in and out of! i really like the idea of ease wiht regards to the henderson.

i guess i will have to try it out....

do you guys always wear gloves and hoods??

thanks!

-dan

 

[Aerodog]

I am currently diving a 7mm Henderson Hyperstretch and it is VERY easy to get on but doesn't seem to keep me warm, especially in the winter or for any amount of time at depth (50+ feet). I already have a custom JMJ 5mm that I keep in Maui for year round use so I am pretty wimpy when it comes to cold. If I were in the market for a new suit, I'd go for a custom suit. My custom suit was pretty close in price to the Henderson and you get to specify all kinds of neat things like pockets or whatever your heart desires.

 

[headhunter]

I always wear a hood and gloves. Mostly for looking in holes and protecting my hands or head from getting cut in surge if I get a little too close while looking.

Christian

 

[scubapro5]

Gota go 7mm or even a drysuit.

Make sure you try on the suit before you buy it. Each and every brand suit will fit different so don't just go by the size.

 

[ScubaSeanMaui]

I have a Henderson Hyperstretch 7/5 and after 100+ dives I replaced it with a Excel 8/7/6 wetsuit which seems much warmer. My 1st dive was at the Ancient Sea Cliffs in Point Loma which was 54 degrees and I was warm. I think my hyperstretch just wore out. It's good for summer diving at shallow depths. I ended up adding a hooded vest. I really hated how the zipper would come down every so often. That would definitly cool off my dive Be sure you get a proper size if you go that route. I would recommend trying on several suits and go for warmth instead of convenience(remember water temps are going DOWN soon).