Need Help Buying First Wet Suits

[Casual_Phantom]

I'm getting back into diving after several decades and need help on getting just what I need in the way of wetsuits. I live in NW Arkansas about 40 minutes from Beaver Lake Dam. I'd like to think that I'll dive the lake often and year long (as much possible). The reality may be that I get bored with the lake since it's not like the ocean. What do you recommend for must-have exposure suits and possible combinations with hoods or hooded vests? 3mm, 5mm, 7mm? (I tend to run cold these days) I was originally thinking of getting a drysuit, but the cost and the fact that few people around even use them makes me wonder if it's worth it. My two LDSs don't even sell them anymore. because they didn't sell.

I need suits for the local lake as well as for a trip to the Bahamas mid-July. I expect to eventually get to the Red Sea, and various places in the Carribean during any month of the year. Also, since my daughter lives in Chicago, I expect to do some wreck diving in Lake Michigan on a charter when I visit.

The water currently is 42 at 60 feet in Beaver Lake. Very few divers this time of year. In summer the surface gets to the 80s, but then there are a few thermoclines as you go down. I don't know what the temp range might be.

What should I have in my exposure-suit arsenal (without over buying)?

I have never been to Arkansas and I don't know the temperature year round. You also say you want to go to some rather tropical places in the summer. Here's my suggestion, when you're at those tropical places rent a shorty or buy a cheap one. If you plan on diving in the winter then get that 7mm and a hooded vest, if you only plan on diving in the summer months then buy a 5mm and a hooded vest. Just know that it's going to feel like a sauna when you surface. I wouldn't get a dry suit unless you plan on diving in the Pacific any time soon, plus you would probably need to get training for that dry suit anyway which is an additional cost. I'm also a bit put off by dry suits, I've heard quite a few horror stories and know people who have lost friends to squeeze.

 

[Still Kicking]

Bottom line is that dry suits are more expensive and challenging than wetsuits (more to go wrong -- leaks, seals, valves etc. -- more cumbersome and restrictive, and add a second buoyancy system to manage) but if you want to do extended dives in the mid 50s and below, there aren't great options.