Opinion on what to do for cold water....

[cuyler]

I'm looking at diving at home and for most of the year I've been told for a single dive I could get away with a 7mm, so I think I have a few options. Currently I have a 3mm full bare elastek for my travel diving (I love the elastek).

Option 1: A bare elastek 7mm hooded vest. This gives me 10mm at the core but only 3mm on the limbs. Cost is around 200 (includes shipping to Canada)
Option 2: A bare elastek 7mm full suit. Gives the full 7mm around but cost is around $430
Option 3: Just suck it up and get something like an Edge dry suit. Cost is much higher at $800 plus all the extras. Getting a used suit of another brand would likely run in the same price area.

I'd love to just bite the bullet and go drysuit, add some doubles and a computer but I'm over my scuba budget for this year. Should I just hold off for a drysuit, is it worthwhile doing something in between with 7mm suit.

Thoughts?

 

[altaskier]

I sold my 7 mm wetsuit on EBay and bought a dry suit... If you dive a lot in cold water you'll want a dry suit eventually, so might as well bite the bullet and postpone other things like doubles and computer...

 

[decidedlyodd]

Save your money for the drysuit instead of buying a wetsuit you're only going to replace. For cold water diving, a crummy, used drysuit beats a nice wetsuit any day.

 

[Aqua-Andy]

I agree 100% with the two above posts. If the water is cold where you live a dry suit is worth it's weight in gold. Yes you can do one dive in a wet suit and be cold or do two dives in a dry suit and be totally comfortable.

 

[cuyler]

I was semi-afraid of this. It makes sense and what I had expected but I thought I'd ask. There's a wreck dive trip in two weeks and I was wondering if I could get away with a temporary solution. I appreciate the feedback - now to do my research on sizing, bilam vs trilam, and so on.....

So far, not a cheap sport...maybe I need some sponsorship - a nice new drysuit with a advertisement for goldenpalace.com on it.

 

[illinoisdiver]

Go to your local dive shop and ask them and RENT a wet suit. Need to know the temps. I am new to diving and never used a dry suit. If the air temp. is cold when you are diving it would be nice to get out dry and be warm. If you are going when the air temp. is ok and just the water is cold, a wet suit would be fine. Just went wet last weekend at Pearl Lake, South Beloit, Il, and the water temp. below the thermocline was about 58. I have a old 7mm suit with leaky wrists and 3mm gloves and my hands got cold but that was it. My buddy had a newer wet suit and could feel the temp. change but was not cold at all. Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[MichelG]

Definitely go with the dry suit. I live in Canada too and I ended up buying a dry suit only 6 months after my 7 mil plus hooded vest. It's the surface intervals that decided me to buy a dry suit. A buy that I will never regret. I bought a trilam because when the water temp goes up in the summer I can use it with less underwear.

 

[Azrael]

I have been diving my local quarry (temps in the lower 40f below about 18 feet) for 3 years in a 7mm Henderson, doing 2 - 3 dives a day. I jumped in for the first time this season two weeks ago and came home and ordered a whites fusion tech dry-suit and two sets of underwear. Got the whole package for a little over 2k with DiveRightInScuba. I am still waiting on it (should be here this week) but my plan is to never put on a 5 or 7mm wetsuit again. I wish I bought a dry-suit 3 years ago instead of two very nice wetsuits.

 

[spectrum]

If you want to go wet get the Bare Sport 7mm full suit and the matching 7mm hooded step-in vest. Total cost probably equals the 7mm elastic and you get real neoprene, not the squishy stuff. I was looking at the Elastec the other day and did not care for it against my well worn Bare Arctic which is what the Sport now seems to be. Here is some info on suits and on diving wet in cold water.

Pete

 

[smorneau]

I too am a new diver in cold water. I bought all quality used gear with the exception of a suit. For that I bit the bullet and bought a trilam that I am learning to dive. It cost a lot but I have no regrets. Just don't tell your wife what it cost