Skip 5mm and go to 7mm?

[divewithjp.com]

Skip 7mm and go to a drysuit

skip the 5 and 7mm and go straight to a drysuit.

Own a 3mm and a drysuit and you're covered for all temperature ranges.

Did you ever see an instructor teach a DSD or Open Water class in a drysuit while the students are in 3 or 5mm? Definitely not a solution...

 

[divewithjp.com]

I have a Fourth Element Proteus II 5mm which I used for Nusa in January and it worked very well. Very well fitted (for me) with good seals (including a neck seal) nearly eliminate water egress. If anything I have to flood my suit sometimes when it gets too warm. It's a bit of a pain to don and doth but still better than a 7mm which is non-starter for me due to the hassle. You can always pair it up with an incremental vest as well if you're real cold.

Thanks a lot, will be looking for a serious 5mm and layer it in case it gets chilly.

 

[kinoons]

Which neoprene beanie are you using? What's the thickness?
I was thinking about a Neoprene ear cover to keep my forehead, ears and neck warm. Because of the thickness of my hair, I don't feel the cold too much on top of it.
Or maybe combine the beanie and ear cover, hoping the mask stays somehow somewhere

I got an O’Neill 2mm neoprene beanie. Works to help keep the chill off a little. I specifically looked for one that does not go down to cover my ears. There are several differing styles/sizes with and without chin straps out there.

Coldest I dive is at blue hole in Santa Rosa NM. Roughly 62 deg Fahrenheit year round. It’s 7mm wetsuit with gloves and beanie diving for me.

 

[34109411]

Dear fellow divers,
hoping that someone with more experience can share their knowledge about wetsuit thickness for divers that get chilly quick.
I am currently in Cairns, Australia and plan to start working as scuba instructor, so calculating 2-5 dives daily for at least 4 days every week.

I have been using a 3mm Aqualung Hydroflex:

• in Thailand, Koh Tao: No temperature problems, very happy to have the 3mm to keep me warm, thermoclines ok, water temperature from 29-32 degrees, the warmer the happier I was. Everyone else was happy in rash guards or 3mm shorties.
• in Nusa Penida, Indonesia: Definitely more chilly in the water (27degrees) but feasible for the first 30 mins, the thermocline with 23 degrees made me freeze and shiver and I felt like ending the dive, survived but not comfortable and very exhausting

I like to be in the water and not even think about the temperature. Which is why I am thinking to get a 7mm suit and skip the 5mm for anything colder than 27 degrees.
I found a wetsuit with a front zipper which I could easily open up during a dive in case I get too warm, so I think to just buy 1 new wetsuit and be fine for most places. I am scared to get a 5mm and start feeling cold at 25degrees, especially with diving a lot.

I am however concerned about the donning on and off of a 7mm when everyone around is in 5mm.
I don't use a hood because of my hair (1meter dreadlocks) so that just does not fit.

What would be your advice?
Get a real 7mm wetsuit with front zip for cool downs? Like the Waterproof W8 with front zip?
Get a 5mm vest to combine with my old 3mm? Like the Waterproof O1?
Get a 5mm and maybe some undergarment in case it gets too cold?

Not limited in budget (also not trying to waste money), but limited in luggage, so not trying to travel with 3 different suits and trying to make a good longterm investment.
All in all, I just don't want to be cold, what's your recommendation?

get a 7 mm velocity ultra w. i fell like a bake potato under 70 F.

 

[LFMarm]

My personal preference:

• Always wearing a hood (dry suit), hooded wetsuit or hooded vest under a wetsuit without integrated hood – keeping your head warm can significantly curb your feeling of cold for a given water temperature
• Whenever 5mm wet is not enough, go dry – it is significanlty more complex to don and doff 7+mm wet suits

Only expection are 2 pieces 5mm wet suits that are as easy as a 5mm to don doff but provide signifcanlty more warmth to the core.

 

[Rilelen]

As someone who gets cold very very easily....I wear a 5mm in all water temps 80 degrees and above. Below 80 degrees, I'm in a 7mm wetsuit. Below 75 degrees, I'm in a 7mm wetsuit with a 7mm step-in vest. I buy nice suits. I have a very nice Bare Evoke 7mm that fits like a glove - I still get uncomfortably cold in it after an hour, no matter how many layers of neoprene I throw on top or underneath/hood/gloves/etc.

Really, a drysuit is easier; a neoprene drysuit is very similar in many ways to a wetsuit, and no more difficult/time-consuming to don than my 7mm layer monstrosity.

I have absolutely no use for 3mm wetsuit in my life; I'm comfortable diving my 5mm into the low 90s water temps.

 

[MB NZ]

Yeah, 3mm suits and shorties are no use to me either. I was wearing a 5mm closed cell freediving suit for SCUBA last summer in the Red Sea and Mediterranean and was absolutely fine at 29 degrees C (you do the maths).

 

[Derek of So Cal]

Dear fellow divers,
hoping that someone with more experience can share their knowledge about wetsuit thickness for divers that get chilly quick.
I am currently in Cairns, Australia and plan to start working as scuba instructor, so calculating 2-5 dives daily for at least 4 days every week.

I have been using a 3mm Aqualung Hydroflex:

• in Thailand, Koh Tao: No temperature problems, very happy to have the 3mm to keep me warm, thermoclines ok, water temperature from 29-32 degrees, the warmer the happier I was. Everyone else was happy in rash guards or 3mm shorties.
• in Nusa Penida, Indonesia: Definitely more chilly in the water (27degrees) but feasible for the first 30 mins, the thermocline with 23 degrees made me freeze and shiver and I felt like ending the dive, survived but not comfortable and very exhausting

I like to be in the water and not even think about the temperature. Which is why I am thinking to get a 7mm suit and skip the 5mm for anything colder than 27 degrees.
I found a wetsuit with a front zipper which I could easily open up during a dive in case I get too warm, so I think to just buy 1 new wetsuit and be fine for most places. I am scared to get a 5mm and start feeling cold at 25degrees, especially with diving a lot.

I am however concerned about the donning on and off of a 7mm when everyone around is in 5mm.
I don't use a hood because of my hair (1meter dreadlocks) so that just does not fit.

What would be your advice?
Get a real 7mm wetsuit with front zip for cool downs? Like the Waterproof W8 with front zip?
Get a 5mm vest to combine with my old 3mm? Like the Waterproof O1?
Get a 5mm and maybe some undergarment in case it gets too cold?

Not limited in budget (also not trying to waste money), but limited in luggage, so not trying to travel with 3 different suits and trying to make a good longterm investment.
All in all, I just don't want to be cold, what's your recommendation?

Great question! Thickness does help keep the diver warm, but if cool water is flushing in to the suit you'll get cold no matter how thick.

I would highly (and I mean highly) suggest you get a custom fit wetsuit. I dive a lot in California where it's between 50 and 75 degrees F, and I comfortably dive a 5mm fullsuit with attached hood year-round, and add a vest underneath when it's coldest. I have tried many wetsuit styles and this one works best for me.

I get my suits from JMJ Wetsuits, and they are *very* helpful - you should give them a call with your questions and take their recommendations - they know what they're doing and have helped tons of divers solve design challenges and made them great suits.

Hope that helps!
Derek