Suggestions for wetsuit thickness??

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nicole2

Contributor
Messages
107
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Location
California
# of dives
200 - 499
Hello,

I live in Arizona and I’m thinking about going to California for some diving during Labor Day weekend. I don’t have enough time to get drysuit certified before I go and I don’t have enough money to buy my own suit right now. Would semi-dry suit be okay? I get cold easily — I wore 5mm in 75.
I would also have to get the semi-dry if I do decide to go that route. Would it be just better to rent a 7mm this time and get the drysuit when I have time?

Also, it seems like NorCal and SoCal’s water temperatures are similar.. is it true?

Thanks!
 
For SoCal I'd go with 7mm if you are going below the thermocline in late summer. There are shallow dive sites, but in general the best places will tend to be deeper than 20 or 30 fsw and below the thermocline. Of course it depends on your objectives to a degree. Doing 3, 1 hour dives in a day requires more insulation that a single 20 fsw dive. Anyway the short answer is 7 mm with a hood is preferred in late summer if you are going deeper than the surface zone of water and want to do several dives in a day. Short of that you can get away with less. Someone who is cold tolerant and foolish will chime in and say this is nonsense. I dive dry nearly all the year in SoCal.
 
You can rent a 7mm and hooded vest if you run cold or do a 7mm and a hood. I wear a 4-5mm even in 85 degree water and I am cold in a semi dry in California :D. I found NorCal water to run colder than SoCal water even during the same time of year.
 
You can rent a 7mm and hooded vest if you run cold or do a 7mm and a hood. I wear a 4-5mm even in 85 degree water and I am cold in a semi dry in California :D. I found NorCal water to run colder than SoCal water even during the same time of year.

I don’t have a 7mm either. Should I just get semi-dry instead of 7mm? Because semi-dry is essentially a warmer 7mm.
I should probably get a semi-dry with hooded vest.

Do you wear 7mm hood as well? I only have 5mm hood.
 
I don’t have a 7mm either. Should I just get semi-dry instead of 7mm? Because semi-dry is essentially a warmer 7mm.
I should probably get a semi-dry with hooded vest.

Do you wear 7mm hood as well? I only have 5mm hood.

The semi dry will be warmer with an attached hood. You can find some regular 7mm with the seals like on a semi dry at the arms and legs which will help make it warmer but I’m not sure about the dam in the chest. I know there are wetsuit brands like this but don’t know if specific ones. I am only familiar with Aqua Lung Aqua Flex. The 7mm with a separate hood gives more flexibility in how you use it and you can layer with a hooded vest if needed. A semi dry like an Aqua Lung SolAfx (the one that I have) is 8/7 and you wouldn’t layer another vest over it. You pretty much have to wear the hood on it or it’s not comfortable and doesn’t seal.
 
I am not a fan of attached hoods....in my opinion it cuts down on the versatility of the suit. I find separate hoods to be a better option as I can change the thickness to suit my needs or pick a hood that works better for the size and shape of my head.

If your inclination is to go drysuit in the future and you plan on diving in cool/cold waters more often than not then rent a 7mm and save your money to invest in a drysuit.

I am not a fan of a wetsuit/semidry thicker than 7mm and even 7mm is a bit too thick for my taste as the amount of weight needed to get down and the change in buoyancy at depth presents a hazard that one should begin thinking about redundant source of lift. My wife recently purchased a custom made drysuit from a local shop....the shop initially wanted to sell her a custom 8mm semi-dry....the amount of weight needed to sing that would be enormous, instead she purchased a 5mm high density neoprene drysuit. The suit still takes a lot of lead to sink (currently 11-12kg) but the suit and her bcd create a system providing redundancy in lift should there be a problem with one or the other. I would shy away from anything over 7mm unless you plan on diving with a lift bag or large dsmb.

-Z
 
I live and dive in RI, cold water here, at 30 feet it is still only in the low 60'sF. I've always used 7mm Farmer John type wet suits with a bibbed hood. Over the torso I get 14MM; below 60F I lose the bibbed hood and add a 2mm hooded for a little extra. Below 55F a dry suit is my choice. @Zef is right on about the weight. Steel tanks are better as they usually allow one to use less lead. Also I do carry a 50lb lift bag in my safety pouch. I have a 12lb weight belt for my wet suit diving and a 20lb belt for my dry suit diving, any more weight goes in other pockets.
Cold water diving is very different than tropical diving.
 
You can easily rent a 7mm, a separate hood or hooded vest, booties, and gloves. You might want to consider buying one of those neutrally bouyant under-layers like Lavacore. I have a Sharkskin jacket, though I think they got absorbed by Bare's parent company and now those products are being marketed under that name. They pack small, so they're good insurance against not having enough thermal protection on any trip. I know they're sold under a couple different brands but I don't recall what the rest are. I feel you though; I've gotten a bit chilled on repetitive dives in low to mid 70s water in a 5mm, but I've survived low 50s in the setup I've described.
 
I dove in Socal for a few years in a 7MM Farmer John with a 5MM jacket over it I don't like the Michelin Man feeling of a 7mm top. I also used a 5mm detached hood, 5mm high boots and 3mm gloves. By the end of a second dive my hands were pretty frozen - by choice since I liked the dexterity. My boots otoh contained 100 degree water by then - except for my hands I was never cold. Occasionally in late summer we went without hoods but there's a greater heat loss than you realize doing that.

Since you mentioned getting cold easily , you probably should try to find a well-fitting rental or if you have the time, buy it over there - shops here are more used to Lake Pleasant/Mojave conditions and the Pacific runs colder since there's cold currents you don't find in most lakes.. El Mar dives in San Carlos in the winter which is drysuit conditions so they'd know what's appropriate. Also their entire mezzanine is BC's and suits - most brands/models I've seen in the
Phoenix metro area.

Some of the shoos also cert/dive in San Diego so they would also. IDK if Scubapro's of AZ is one now but the owner Paul dove SoCal for decades when he ran Scuba Sciences - it's where I got my rentals for trips to San Diego.
 
During the summer/fall if it's a shallow shore dive (Shaw's Cove and similar) I can usually get by in a 3mm surf wetsuit, during the winter/spring I prefer a 5mm. I just wear my drysuit hood (it doesn't have a skirt to tuck into the suit), 3mm gloves (I hate thick gloves), and 7mm boots. Otherwise I dry a semi-dry 7mm wetsuit (when not diving dry) w/integrated hood. A semi-dry 7mm keeps me comfortable on about 90-95% of the dives. There are a few where I'm still a bit chilly but tolerable.

If you book through Waterhorse Charters they rent wetsuits in addition to spots on the boat. I'm relatively sure Marissa Charters does too. San Diego Divers, Ocean Enterprises, Beyond Land Adventures all rent 7mm suits/hoods if you don't want to buy.

The local reports have been showing La Jolla/Scipps Canyon hanging around 50-52 degrees, Yukon Wreck Alley is a bit warmer in the upper 50s occasionally even the low 60s (damn near Caribbean water haha), with the Los Coronados Islands staying a bit warm than Wreck Alley and staying above 60 almost all the time now.

If you ever want to purchase a drysuit DUI Drysuits is based out of San Diego and has occasional tent sales on their parking lot area. I picked up a brand new TLS 350 for $500. You can follow DUI on facebook here . They will post things like this announcing the sales.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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