Wet suit advice

[knfmn]

Hello all! I am in the process of buying my equipment and had a wet suit question. I get hot very, very easily so I would like to have the minimum thickness of wet suit for the diving I plan to do, mainly Mass ocean and during the summer months. Do you think I could get away with a 5mm suit, or do I *have* to use a 7mm? Is using a hood an option, or a neccesity? I wore one on my open water dives and couldn't stand it. I felt like I was choking to death from the material pressing against my neck. Is there something else I could wear that would keep my head warm but not press into my neck?

Thanks,

Kristopher

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Hello all! I am in the process of buying my equipment and had a wet suit question. I get hot very, very easily so I would like to have the minimum thickness of wet suit for the diving I plan to do, mainly Mass ocean and during the summer months. Do you think I could get away with a 5mm suit, or do I *have* to use a 7mm? Is using a hood an option, or a neccesity? I wore one on my open water dives and couldn't stand it. I felt like I was choking to death from the material pressing against my neck. Is there something else I could wear that would keep my head warm but not press into my neck?

Thanks,

Kristopher

I have NEVER been tempted to wear anything less than 7MM in Mass. If you gets a properly sized jumpsuit with stretchy neoprene you will be much more comfortable than a typical rental suite. The 5MM may seem OK for a few shallow dives, but will not be for long once you do longer or deeper dives.

As for the hood, you can go with a thinner one (3 or 5 mm) rather than a 7 and consider a size larger. You loose so much heat through your head diving hood-less is not a great idea.

 

[knfmn]

That was something I wondered about, Grumpy. The dive shop I was doing my cert dives through had me outfitted in an ancient farmer john type suit that had an over jacket that must have given me at LEAST 15mm of neoprene throughout my torso. To top that off, it felt like it was a size too small. I had no problems with the wetsuit I wore while diving in Mexico, but it was also a thin suit and a modern one piece. Do you think I would be ok with a 7MM one piece that fits correctly? I'm not a small guy and I would rather be a little cold that feeling like I can't breathe underwater, which is a little worry-inducing to say the least.

As far as the hood goes, what do you think about XS Scuba 2MM Tropic Beanie that? If I could find something along those lines in a 5mm, it seems like it would do a good job of cutting heat loss way down and I wouldn't have anything pressing into my neck. Hmmm....I think it might be time to talk to a different LDS. Nice to be on the ocean so there are several to choose from.

Kristopher

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Having 14MM of FJ+J is not unusual in NE and can be restrictive even with a good suit. When you factor in a rental (well used/abused and probably a cheap one to begin with) that probably does not fit you have a high likely hood of being uncomfortable. (Neoprene ages and gets stiff).

Yes, a 7MM one piece would be a logical way to go. I would really look at the stretchy neoprene though, it makes it a lot more comfortable especially when buying off-the-shelf. Stiffer neoprene works OK when it fits exactly right, but a poor fit is either uncomfortable or cold or both.

I don't know about the beanie. For $20 you could try it and still afford a full 5mm hood for colder water. One thing I learned is as I get older and dive more, I get colder.

 

[oldflounder]

The thin beanies are ok in the summer if you don't get below the thermocline. Viking makes a thicker one that goes under the drysuit latex hood. Maybe you could order one from a Viking dealer. I used to use a 7 mm Henderson bibbed hood but got tired of trying to scrunch all the material under my wetsuit neck, though you can just leave it on the outside. I now use a Pinnacle 7mm merino titanium zippered drysuit hood with my wetsuit. It doesn't have a lot of neck material. I like it a lot and it is very warm. So much so that it is usually the first thing off when I exit the water. No matter what you use you definately need something on your head if you're going to be under for any length of time.

 

[marcosdutra]

take a look at this link:

Bare Dry Tech Hood Scuba Diving DrySuit Wetsuit Zip LG - eBay (item 290503614719 end time Feb-20-11 12:42:53 PST)

 

[veryfastrunner2000]

Pinnacle polar 7mm with attached hood, never had trouble. The Pinnacle Extreme is also good also with an attached hood.

 

[Starcruiser]

I use a 7mm suit in NE (SE CT) and I'm usually pretty comfortable. I find that even a thin hood is a necessary evil because of the jellyfish in the water, too. During the early and late part of the season, i throw on a hooded vest under my 7mm wetsuit, otherwise just a regular hood.