Suit for 7 footer?

[7ftDiver]

I am new to the board and going to be getting my C-card this summer. My problem is that i live on Long Island in NY when water temps can be somwhat cold. With that said i need a 7mm or 5mm full suit. Tha catch is that i am 7 ft tall and weigh about 310. No im not kidding. I have done my research and found that Akona make suits up to 6'6" and i have tried on a 3XL Henderson Hyperstretch. Is there any one else that might make a suit that would fit me. I am a beginer, so the $800 i was quoted for a custom suit is out. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

PS.- Any other pieces of gear i may have a problem with because of my height?

 

[radinator]

I am new to the board and going to be getting my C-card this summer. My problem is that i live on Long Island in NY when water temps can be somwhat cold. With that said i need a 7mm or 5mm full suit. Tha catch is that i am 7 ft tall and weigh about 310. No im not kidding. I have done my research and found that Akona make suits up to 6'6" and i have tried on a 3XL Henderson Hyperstretch. Is there any one else that might make a suit that would fit me. I am a beginer, so the $800 i was quoted for a custom suit is out. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

PS.- Any other pieces of gear i may have a problem with because of my height?

You can get custom wetsuits for far less than $800. I got mine from Aquaflite, and it was in the $200-something range. That was a few years ago (and the suit is still going strong), but I'm sure they are nowhere near $800 now.

 

[triton94949]

I am new to the board and going to be getting my C-card this summer. My problem is that i live on Long Island in NY when water temps can be somwhat cold. With that said i need a 7mm or 5mm full suit. Tha catch is that i am 7 ft tall and weigh about 310. No im not kidding. I have done my research and found that Akona make suits up to 6'6" and i have tried on a 3XL Henderson Hyperstretch. Is there any one else that might make a suit that would fit me. I am a beginer, so the $800 i was quoted for a custom suit is out. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

PS.- Any other pieces of gear i may have a problem with because of my height?

Whatever you do, you will need to special order.

I recommend a drysuit, special ordered.

 

[hex92]

triple L also has reasonably priced custom wetsuits. Buy the cheapest suit you can because if you decide you like to dive you are going to want a drysuit if you plan on diving locally.

 

[H2Andy]

7ftDiver, you might want to go a bit deeper... lots of nice stuff to see at 10 feet,
and tons more at 20!

(just teasing)

welcome aboard!

like these guys have said, i would consider a custom wetsuit. or even better,
a custom dry suit -- it's a lot more expensive, but diving in New York you will proably
eventually buy one anyway... just a thought

 

[jagfish]

Echo....

A big ol wetsuit like that is gonna weigh a ton when wet (for hangin out to dry, carrying, etc).

I'd go with the drysuit idea. A DUI TLS 350 comes rather long even stock, and the XL may be close to 7 foot (please check DUI website). It dries really fast, is light and probably better overall suited to the area you will be diving in...

DUI website... http://www.dui-online.com/

OK, I see from the DUI size chart (http://www.dui-online.com/dry_fbr_sizing.htm) that stock only goes up to 6'4", so you will need custom, but it will be well worth it...

JAG

 

[hardhat]

I am new to the board and going to be getting my C-card this summer. My problem is that i live on Long Island in NY when water temps can be somwhat cold. With that said i need a 7mm or 5mm full suit. Tha catch is that i am 7 ft tall and weigh about 310. No im not kidding. I have done my research and found that Akona make suits up to 6'6" and i have tried on a 3XL Henderson Hyperstretch. Is there any one else that might make a suit that would fit me. I am a beginer, so the $800 i was quoted for a custom suit is out. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

PS.- Any other pieces of gear i may have a problem with because of my height?

We have a guy that comes into the shop I work at that is around your size. He has just gone from wet diving to a drysuit and he maybe willing to part with his wetsuit for not to bad of a price. You would have to ship it from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I will pass your e-mail address on to him if you would like to PM me with you info. I probablly won't see him untill Friday, as that's a regular dive night for him and a couple of other buddies of his.

 

[daval]

As other said, Triple-L - http://store.triple-l.biz/ makes custom suits, a fully custom 7mm non-hooded wetsuit will run about $150 with delivery. I would get a shorty to go overtop of that and you now have a lot of versatility for a little over $200.

Good quality products too, my dive buddy owns a bunch of their stuff.

 

[fonfon5]

I am new to the board and going to be getting my C-card this summer. My problem is that i live on Long Island in NY when water temps can be somwhat cold. With that said i need a 7mm or 5mm full suit. Tha catch is that i am 7 ft tall and weigh about 310. No im not kidding. I have done my research and found that Akona make suits up to 6'6" and i have tried on a 3XL Henderson Hyperstretch. Is there any one else that might make a suit that would fit me. I am a beginer, so the $800 i was quoted for a custom suit is out. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

I would highly recommend AQUAFLITE. The owner, Ed Rodgers called me at home when I went on the website and requested information (aquaflite.com). His business is located in Florida and I am in Montreal Canada. After my measurements were taken according to the forms provided on his website, my custom wetsuit arrived on Thursday (less than 3 weeks from ordering) for a total cost of $240.00!!! The suit is awsome and fits like a glove and I am 100% satisfied. I have never ordered anything custom made before and I am impressed. I would highly suggest you give him a call or check out his website. You will not be disappointed..

 

[halocline]

7ft, 310 lbs, eh? Do you, umm, play basketball? If so, maybe you could put off the diving and move to either San Antonio or Phoenix. I'm SURE you could find some work in a few weeks when Shaq comes to visit....

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I heard a story once from Jim Whittaker (famous mountaineering guide) about trying to get Bill Russell into mountain gear going up Mt Ranier. At some point, they gave up and used two sleeping bags for the guy; too bad that won't work for the wetsuit. You're definitely looking at custom, but for sure you can find a decent one for way less than $800; maybe $300-$400 for a 7 mil?

Another issue will be fitting you with a BC; you might start by posting something on the "questions for manufacturers" forum here. Scott Zeagle (Zeagle BCs, very highly thought of) is a frequent poster on that forum and I'm sure he'd be able to advise you on fitting a BC.