Newbie wetsuit question

[jacket_fan]

All very good information and I appreciate the advice.

I find pool water cold at 75 deg F. And I know my son does as well. The consensus seems to be for me to buy a suit and try to either get an inexpensive suit, or rent one for my dive buddy. I am trying to make this a family activity, and want my son to really enjoy the experince. We are on a budget though and I am trying to be prudent.

I am impressed with the divers from northern climes. I guess I can understand the opinion of 75 deg being warm, but our instructor recommends a full wetsuit.

We are scheduled to get in the pool this evening for some additional practice prior to our trip in 3 weeks.

I'll check out the Henderson brand.

How tight should a wetsuit fit? :doh:

 

[Scubaguy62]

Tight enough so that it doesn't just "slide on," but not so tight so as to restrict movement or your breathing. If you're looking for a henderson suit, check out this website... http://www.scuba.com/shop/product.asp_category_43 and click on the henderson sizing chart for the suit that interests you. It's usually a good place to start. However, if you're going to be purchasing your suit at an LDS, best thing to do is to try a few of them on and get some opinions..

Good luck on your check out dives and I hope you enjoy my backyard!!

Semper Safe,

Rick

 

[vapor]

I have a question -

I'm a brand new diver, and I do not plan on buying anything but mask, snorkel & fins this year. I live in Idaho, and I'm sure most of my dives will be local, in the Pacific Northwest... I just can't afford to travel to anywhere "warm" but once every couple of years or so.

Is there a big price difference between the different millimeter suits? I'm guessing a 3mm suit is not warm enough for the waters around here... so what happens if I buy a 7mm suit and go diving in the Bahamas with it? Will I suffer? It would seem to me, that I'd rather be too warm than not warm enough in the water... but, then again, I have no experience to back what i "think" is common sense.

Speaking of buying equipment, should a wet suit be my next purchase? What seems to be the order people buy their equipment in pieces like poor people like me have to do since we can't cough up $1500 to buy complete gear at one time?


Vapor

 

[pete340]

I am impressed with the divers from northern climes. I guess I can understand the opinion of 75 deg being warm, but our instructor recommends a full wetsuit.

In January I went to the Carribean from Boston. The water was 75F. My dive instructor put on a 5mm vest and hood, followed by a 5mm fullsuit. I used a 3mm fullsuit, which was plenty. There's something to be said for living in a cold climate.

 

[JulesVerne]

For diving in the Caribbeans, I would err on the thicker side (5mm) of the collective recommendation (which seems to be 3mm) for 3 reasons a) it's easy to let cold water in your suit to cool you off in case you get too hot (just pull your collar or unzip your suit) - unfortunately, the reverse is not quite that easy , b) as i understand you're just getting certified, a thicker suit gives you more options in the future if you want to dive off-season or colder waters and c) after a few days of repetitive dives, you will get cold faster so a suit that's OK temperature-wise day 1 will not make you a happy diver day 4, with water conditions being the same.

Now for the personal recommendation, Henderson makes a suit (I think it's called hypertretch) that's very easy to don and doff. That's what we bought and we like them. There are a lot of good brands out there. If possible, make sure you try before buying. A wet suit works well if it fits you well and a 7mm is not going to keep you warm if it's baggy

For the kid, I would just rent. I survived years of renting supposedly dirty wetsuits and never had a problem or felt unconfortable. Just take a smell-test before picking the rental suit.

Just my opinion.

JV

PS: a hood is a good piece of equipement to have. Try one in the water before you buy though. It could be tight around your neck and some people, including my wife, can't deal with being strangulated while breathing compressed air 20 m under water.

 

[m3830431]

Being a newbie in c the cold water area of Wisconsin. I have been looking at Farmer Joen wetsuits. I think I like the idea of wearing the bottom and or top as the water warms up. We dont have to worry about coral abrasion if I just wore the top. For the price it appears that Akona make a good 6.5mm that would give me 13mm when both are worn.

Has anyone had good or bad experiences with Akona?

 

[Damselfish]

I have a question -

I'm a brand new diver, and I do not plan on buying anything but mask, snorkel & fins this year. I live in Idaho, and I'm sure most of my dives will be local, in the Pacific Northwest... I just can't afford to travel to anywhere "warm" but once every couple of years or so.

Is there a big price difference between the different millimeter suits? I'm guessing a 3mm suit is not warm enough for the waters around here... so what happens if I buy a 7mm suit and go diving in the Bahamas with it? Will I suffer? It would seem to me, that I'd rather be too warm than not warm enough in the water... but, then again, I have no experience to back what i "think" is common sense.

Speaking of buying equipment, should a wet suit be my next purchase? What seems to be the order people buy their equipment in pieces like poor people like me have to do since we can't cough up $1500 to buy complete gear at one time?

Vapor

yes, the thicker suits of the same quality/brand are going to be more expensive.

It's going to be hard to get one suit that is warm enough in PNW and not too much for warm water. You might get something ok for warm water and use it as a layer at home. Sure you can wear a 7mm suit in warm water and let water in if you get too warm (which you probably will, coming from a colder climate, and you'll certainly be warm before you get in the water) - but then you lose some of the benefits of diving warm water - the comfort of a thin suit and much less lead. And something thin will take less space in your luggage.

You might even find you're happy in just a lycra skin in warm water, which is cheap and would also be handy at home, makes it easier to get a wetsuit on. Or a 1mm which can also be fairly inexpensive. Beanies are also inexpensive and add some warmth in the tropics, and are more comfortable than a full hood and having something around your neck.

 

[DiveMaven]

I have a question -

I'm a brand new diver, and I do not plan on buying anything but mask, snorkel & fins this year. I live in Idaho, and I'm sure most of my dives will be local, in the Pacific Northwest... I just can't afford to travel to anywhere "warm" but once every couple of years or so.

Is there a big price difference between the different millimeter suits? I'm guessing a 3mm suit is not warm enough for the waters around here... so what happens if I buy a 7mm suit and go diving in the Bahamas with it? Will I suffer? It would seem to me, that I'd rather be too warm than not warm enough in the water... but, then again, I have no experience to back what i "think" is common sense.

Speaking of buying equipment, should a wet suit be my next purchase? What seems to be the order people buy their equipment in pieces like poor people like me have to do since we can't cough up $1500 to buy complete gear at one time?


Vapor

If you're going to dive in the PNW, you're going to really want to consider diving in a dry suit. The water is very cold all year around and IMO isn't worth diving unless you're dry. When you're talking about water colder than 55 degrees, a 7mil suit just isn't going to cut it. Which is exactly why I don't dive in this area and prefer to travel to warm, tropical climates.

The biggest hassle with diving dry is the cost of both rental and buying your own. A friend of mine just bought a used dry suit for $800, and another friend bought a new one last year for $1800. On top of that they both had to spend another couple of hundred on the undergarments, etc. Rentals run $100 a weekend for a dry suit locally, so no matter how you cut it, diving in cold water isn't cheap if you're going to stay warm!!

I haven't heard of anyone in the area trying out those 'semi-dry' suits that are being advertised, so it would be interesting to know if that's a good compromise or not. Talk to the folks at the LDS and see what they have to say about diving in Puget Sound, etc. It might be that you have to experience diving in cold water before figuring out whether you want to do it dry or wet.

 

[Wijbrandus]

For the Carrib, I always use a full length 3mm.

For one, you avoid the scrapes and cuts. As well as the sunburn.

For another, any water will make you cold over time. If you do repetitive diving over a week, you will get cold. Better to stay ahead of the curve by wearing neoprene from the start.

 

[ScottZeagle]

I would get a Henderson Hyperstretch 3mm suit. IMHO, they are the best fitting suits around.

good luck!

Scott