new diver with wetsuit questions (New England)

[mfalco]

Green_Manelishi made a good point that since you were certified in Jamaica 5mm gloves and a hood are probably new to you. Be sure to get in the water a few times under controlled conditions to revist your skills in the new gear. It's all part of the adaptation so ask plenty of questions and if you can find a mentor to bing you along then so much the better.

Pete

Diving wise, but I've worn the surfing. I got use to them, but I still hate the hood. I use to put the hood on the npull it off my head so that my neck would be warm. Once I got too cold I would pull the hood on. The hood was a used one someone gave me that was probably too small, but I'm sure they suck even if they fit.

 

[Green_Manelishi]

Diving wise, but I've worn the surfing. I got use to them, but I still hate the hood. I use to put the hood on the npull it off my head so that my neck would be warm. Once I got too cold I would pull the hood on. The hood was a used one someone gave me that was probably too small, but I'm sure they suck even if they fit.

Diving wise is the point. Add a mask to that hood and it's world of typically not much peripheral vision as well as not hearing very well. And I would suggest, while diving, you keep the hood in place to reduce water exchange as well as heat loss.

 

[mfalco]

Diving wise is the point. Add a mask to that hood and it's world of typically not much peripheral vision as well as not hearing very well. And I would suggest, while diving, you keep the hood in place to reduce water exchange as well as heat loss.

I wasn't planning on taking it of while diving. (I still remember being trained to keep yourself as aquadynamic as possible) Surfing is allot different, so I would take the hood off.


Do you think the hood I had was too tight, or do they all suck that much?

 

[Green_Manelishi]

I wasn't planning on taking it of while diving. (I still remember being trained to keep yourself as aquadynamic as possible) Surfing is allot different, so I would take the hood off.


Do you think the hood I had was too tight, or do they all suck that much?

Personally I hate the d***ed things but I love to dive so I just suck it up and find a hood I hate least. So, to answer your question I don't know if it was too tight or not. Did it feel snug or tight? There is a difference. Was your face turning red? Did you just not like the experience or were you counting the minutes until you could pull off the hood and scream "Free at least, free at last, thank God almighty, my head is free at last"

 

[scubadobadoo]

GREAT advice here from the gang, as usual. I will add that I dive dry all year in the North East, even when the temps go way up to the 70's. My point is that I am always cold, even in my dry suit with heavy undies in the summer. The water will probably be colder than you think it will be at first until you get used to dealing with it. It may be 70 on the surface but once you hit 30 feet, it may drop into the 50's, even in the summer months. At the start of the summer I have hit the low 40's in only 20fsw. Take your build into consideration and you will likely be very cold in a wetsuit. At 42 degrees, my hands felt like frozen bricks with 7 mil gloves after only 5 minutes.

As for hyperstrecth, I feel the same as the others do. Do yourself a favor and get a 7mil or more wet suit that fits very well, unless you are a polar bear, lol. Add a very nice fitting hood and some thick gloves and thick boots. People's cold resistance does vary but when your life is on the line going for thicker neoprene is the only option as far as I am concerned, especially with your stats. Good luck and welcome to the sport!

 

[spectrum]

About the hood... Like all exposure protection fit is everything. When you are diving I think you will use much less range of neck motion than you do on a surfboard. I also find that when submerged any wet dive wear becomes friendlier. In the water my hoods disappear but when I get out of the water I'm often anxious to get it off my head. The few bare head or beanie dives I've made were a unique pleasure.

As you ease into cold water diving take it easy as you about and maybe fine tune your gear. If it were not for your cold water surfing history I'd suggest that you wait until spring, but you have an good idea what you're getting into. When you stoop feeling warm "inside" get out! If you're already feeling cold inside you stayed too long. If you get out shivering you really messed up. Getting painfully cold changing out at the car is to be expected.

I will say that prior to scuba I did a fair amount of cold water skindiving up here, as low as 40F, in a 5mm suit & chicken vest. The dynamics of duck diving would promote more water entry than scuba diving making for some cold shots of water, you may have had this in surfing. No mater how well things fit a hood or neck opening would sometimes catch the current and take a gulp. I do find the 100% immersion of scuba diving to be a different experience. Without the quick motions of a duck dive there is less infitration however the cold water surrounds all of you all of the time. The suit will also loose insulating capablity as you go deeper. What I can't contrast this to is the near 100% topside experience of surfing where evaporative cooling must be the enemy.

Good luck,
Pete

 

[gfisher4792]

Do you think the hood I had was too tight, or do they all suck that much?

I hear that the hyperstretch hoods are very good and comfortable. I'm thinking of getting one myself.

 

[Xanthro]

I hear that the hyperstretch hoods are very good and comfortable. I'm thinking of getting one myself.

They are comfortable, but they are not all that warm and wear out pretty fast.

I have a 3/5 which I wear over a full 7mm. It goes on easily, so that's a plus, but it has less than half as many dives as my el cheapo 7mm (purchased the hood later) and it already looks twice as old. Also, I need to wear another 3mm or 7mm over the Hyperstretch Hood to keep my head warm.

For the price, it's not the best value. If price isn't an object, then they are great hoods.

 

[matt_unique]

Diving around the Cape is like a warm water vacation compared to Cape Ann Mass and even more so for Maine divers Seriously - your water temps are about 8 degrees warmer than ours (around Cape Ann) and even more so for those in Maine.

I started diving in a 7mm full wetsuit with an additional 7mm shorty with an integrated hood. The first 30 seconds in a drysuit some years later and I wondered why I ever wasted the money on a wetsuit. I paid $450 for my wetsuit at the time and now you can buy a brand new O'neill neo drysuit for $500. Add about $150 for thermals and you will have a suit that allows you to dive year round in comfort. If you were on a tight budget, I would still recommend you buy the drysuit and buy nice thermals at a later date. It is *that* much of a different experience to dive dry compared to wet. I also dive year round in my drysuit. During the warmer months you can reduce the amount of thermals you are wearing under your suit.

As others have said it's a huge change to dive with all our necessary gear. It will feel funny at first but you will get used to it.

--Matt

 

[crlavoie]

Great advice all around (especially Matt's...). BUT, if a dry suit is just not in the cards, I would at a minimum, take the 1 hour ride up to Boston and go to United Divers. You can get a CUSTOM Atlan made to fit you & you alone for the same $$$ (or less) than an "off the rack".

My custom 7/7 John / Jacket with wrist, neck and ankle seals was only about $350 and it is INFINITELY better than any stock suit I have ever used... but I'm a little tough to fit.

FWIW, Margaret at United is the queen of all things neoprene. Divers and other shops have relied on her repair & alteration skills for years.

All that said..... I JUST BOUGHT A DRY SUIT YESTERDAY! Woo Hoo... Looks like my season just got a little longer.