Wetsuit Advice

[philly fresh]

My honest opinion is to pull a 3mm as soon as you get there and dive in that. This will be your base line as its still early and the water will be alot more colder than later on the day. dive in it and see how you feel. you should be warm. like i said my wife is a naturally cold person. set the temp to high in the house, wears a jacket in july at work, takes scalding hot baths and sleeps in sweater pants and a sweater. she likes to be warm. she dove just fine at mammoth in a tyr bathing suit and a rash guard. try and see if you like a 3mm. if you like the way it feels now it should be perfect as its only going to get hotter.if you get a suit that tooo thick you will over heat quickly and end up diving with the zipper undone plus it throws off your boyancy. I install fence's for a living so I am always under the sun. I like to be cool under water so i need no more than some 1.5 neopreen shorts. Just dive with the 3mm suit straight off the bat and see how it works for you. tooo hot, open up the zipper. if your arms and legs are too hot. then you might want to consider getting just a 3mm shorty. you can always add legs later.

 

[diverrex]

A wetsuit is something that I would never buy online, go to as many dive shops and try on as many as you can until you find one that fits and that is the one you buy whatever the brand.

I once bought a wetsuit online, it was a great experience. I knew the two-piece suit I wanted but no shop in town carried It. At first I thought it was crazy buying a suit online. I knew I was between a small and a medium so I bought both. Then I was able to try both on in the comfort of my own home, a couple times over a few days, then returned the one I didn't want. It worked out better and easier than going to the shop.

 

[philly fresh]

and a hell of alot less stress.

 

[Bob Sugar Bear Davis]

HEY CPG -

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Carapace Custom Wetsuits | Carapace Custom Wetsuits

Hopefully we can help you out!

Cheers!

 

[freewillie]

In 90 degree water you won't need much if any exposure protection. If you are concerned about comfort then a 3 mm layering vest should be more than adequate. My daughter uses a 1 mm long sleeve rash guard for the tropics usually in the low 80 temps and is fine.

Speaking of my daughter, she is very hard to fit with wetsuits since she is very petite. All of the wetsuit brands you have mentioned make very good wetsuits. What I have found is that even with the size charts it's still difficult to fit since brands will vary some running larger and some running smaller for the same size. Recently we tried a XS Neosport but was too long. Went back to store and wound up with a kid size 14 Henderson. It fits better than the adult XXS in Pinnacle which is her current wetsuit. You'll just have to rely on trying different brands on for size.

If you are going to dive more temperate waters then the 5 mm should be fine. You should do okay even in "colder" tropics like Hawaii which recommends 3-5 mm but many divers go with 7 mm. Choose the suit for the majority of temperature you will dive not for a single dive or unique conditions. Especially since it's easier to cool off than warm up.

 

[maat1976]

I can second the recommendation for the Swedish brand Waterproof. I have a fairly petite top half and curvy bum and thighs. I tried on about 5 suits in a shop and came away frustrated and humbled. I gave up and looked online at Waterproof's sizing chart for the in-between sizes Krazylaws mentioned. I measured myself up, and ordered the one online that looked like the closest in size to me. It fits like a glove and I feel like a superhero in it. So if you know your measurements, online can be a good option.

Check out their Waterproof's W1/W2/W3 suits. I have the 5mm W2 and love it.

 

[cmarkham5]

I ditto every single post that says try try try as many on until you find one that fits. If i went by what the "charts" said i would be miserable. The
charts say i should be a Med... in the scubapro line... and i ended up a large. i am a bit busty and hippy myself with a skinny waist. the med pinched my insides of my elbows and knees once i got in the water for a while and the neck was strangling me. (he told me this would stop once i got in the water and it didnt) Even when i tried them on in the shop, the guy that worked there was saying oh that med fits you good, the large looks too big. Go with what feels good! You dont want your suit to be uncomfortable or distracting. During my pool work i ended up taking mine off because it was so bad. My instructor (thankfully mines my dad lol) said get another suit! lol good luck!!

 

[R-balljunkie]

i hate wetsuits. absolutely despise getting into and out of one. yeah, you look cool, yeah your protected from scrapes and abrasions, but for someone who burns 10 tanks a month average, its a total PITA to get in and out of and feels totally restrictive...I also hate wearing a tie FWIW.
when i was in bali this summer, it was highly suggested i wear a wetsuit. after the first dive, i couldn't strip out of it fast enough...next dives, board shorts and rash guard, aaah, relief.

i have a 3 mil shorty that is in mint condition....worn once.

if the water is 79 and above, i'll choose to suck it up and dive.

sorry to go against the grain on this one. doesn't answer your original question, just my take on wetsuits. not everyone has the chance to dive 82 degree water all the time. sue me, im spoiled.

 

[DiversSupplyPDC]

The 3 suits you listed are all good mid level suits........ The Castoro is very cost effective and the other two are similar.

The quality of suit materials vary from brand to brand and within brands.

A suit that has lasted me for 6 years and 864 dives and is still serviceable is one from Waterproof. Yes it's faded but no holes, rips or zipper failures.

Yes arm and leg zippers, something you don't see on many suits today.

Regards,
Bob C

 

[razorbackdiver]

I just quickly looked thru this thread so pardon me if this has already been suggested. My first wetsuit was 2 piece 3 mil Henderson. It gives me 6 mills over the core of my body if I wear both pieces and leaves the option of just wearing the top or bottom if the water temp warrants it.