Monterey Gear Recommendations

[ghost68]

Yes I know get a drysuit!!! But a dry suit is out until I have a full set of gear...

I just finished my open water certification at the beginning of this month, checkout dives in a 44 degree river w/ a 2 piece wetsuit and a hood... What I learned, having your hood slip out of your collar in cold water = evil, two piece wetsuits flush like mad and cheap boots and gloves can all but ruin a dive.

So after searching and searching and searching some more here on scubaboard and getting a chance to try out a bare velocity wetsuit locally, I decided to order a Bare Velocity 7/6 wetsuit from scubatoys along with some apollo bio fins. Now I have to get the rest of the soft stuff for when I move to monterey in january.

What im looking for is reccomendations on hooded vests, booties and gloves.

As far as a hooded vest the Bare 3mm thermalskin w/ 7mm hood seems to be my best bet as far as warmth, minimizing water circulation and budget but if anyone has a better suggestion please clue me in, Im new to this.

Booties once again the 6mm Bare Ice Boots look to be nice. Im looking for warmth and compatibility with the large bio fins I just ordered. I have size 10.5 feet but I am migrating to scuba from rockclimbing so I prefer shoes that fit snugly, ex I am comfortable in size 10 no problem as far as street shoes go.

Gloves ok here is where im totally confused and really need help, other than cold water shooting down my spine for 40 minutes when my hood popped out of my vest and my face going numb which I got used to pretty quickly I hated the lack of dexterity remaining in my frozen solid fingers.... What gloves would you reccomend? I dont even know where to begin.

Once again I will be diving in Monterey California, which I believe varies in water temp from mid fourties to high fifties. Oh and even though Im pretty much skin and bones I am super warm blooded (except the hands), tshirt in the snow anyone?

Thank you in advance eveyone
-Dustin

 

[Mr.X]

Seems you answered your own question. Get a drysuit. Barely passable is just that. Monterey gets cold and those thermoclines. Brrrh!

Changing your order to a drysuit + getting some instruction in use will make you happier in the long run?



BTW - I've heard the argument of warm-blooded. Holds true only under ideal conditions. Cyanosis caused by hypothermia is not a pretty thing.

 

[Ben_ca]

If you want to go the wetsuit route go to Aquarius on Del Monte and try on one of those Excel 8/7/6 semi dry suits... it's a one piece with intergrated hood.... I took a newbie buddy there recently and picked one of those up... he was almost sweating in the water (okey not that much beut no complaints about the cold after 60 mins)

 

[Thalassamania]

Custom suit from Otter Bay, offshoot of Montery Bay Wetsuits, they are one of the best suits you can get. I know a fair number of divers who dive their wetsuits in Monterey year round (I'd rather dive dry, but that's a fact).

 

[terrasmak]

Having just went dry myself ,i dont know why anyone would dive wet in cold water. Wait for as drysuit and be warm.

 

[Ben_ca]

Co$t$$$$$$$$

 

[jbronwen]

Since I'm only a few hours from Monterey, that's likely to be my prime diving spot also, and I get cold fairly easily ... but I'm not yet in a position to go the drysuit route ... Does anyone know how the Mares semi-dry wetsuits are? What about Akona?

 

[ghost68]

Thank you everyone that has commented so fast!

I know I will be warmer in a drysuit, but add undergarments and training and I am looking at investing upwards of $1500 in one piece of really sweet gear. Now add a regulator and a computer im well over $2500 and Im still left wanting a bp/w.

I decided that it would be better to invest in a manufactured wetsuit for now. I would love to have a custom suit but $500 plus tax is a bit out of my price range. My next investment is a regulator / computer which I am not looking forward to renting until late next sumer but I have accepted that I will have to while I save to buy one. Same with a bcd I need one but there are priorities before that. Now add that I am turning my girlfriend on to diving and that everything I buy I will eventually have to buy 2 of.....

Please help me decide on boots gloves and a vest!!!

 

[slingshot]

I use the Bare 6mm ice boots, and find them very comfortable in Monterey. They have a molded sole, so they give pretty good support, which you'll need with a cold water wetsuit set-up (i.e. lots of lead).

 

[jiml]

Hello ghost68,

The xcel 3/2 titanium gloves have been serving me well in Monterey and the North Coast. They've held up nicely, the dexterity is good (at least, compared to what I'd used before), and as I recall, the price wasn't bad either. Try on a pair and see how they feel to you.

As for boots, definitely try them on with your fins first and get what feels good. Personally, I stay away from zippers on boots because I've had them break and jam with sand.

Congratulations on moving to Monterey soon.