Wetsuit advice

[Kairoos]

I dove yesterday (74-75F water) and I was feeling colder than I'd like to be. I'm wondering if it's because my wetsuit is technically a surfing wetsuit - It's an O'Neill Epic 3/2mm. I can feel water flushing through depending on how I move (usually comes through the armpit area). The fit seems okay, I wouldn't be able to fit into a smaller sized one. My second dive yesterday I was arms crossed trying not to move so I've got to do something!

I've got a 7mm hooded vest that I haven't tried out yet, but I'm wondering if I may be better off with a better (made for diving) 3mm, or go with a 5mm. Maybe throw in a beanie or something as well. Is there going to be a big difference between a 3mm made for diving, compared to this 3/2 made for surfing?

I'm not looking to spend a whole lot right now on an exposure suit, so I'm looking at Evo's 5/4/3mm. It's very inexpensive, although not much less than I paid for my O'Neill Epic... I'll probably use the Epic when the water heats back up though.

 

[tbone1004]

just put the 7mm hooded vest on under the 3/2. If you're not diving terribly deep, sub 50-60ft or so you should be fine. Arms and legs might be a bit chilly, but with the hooded vest you should be plenty warm

 

[stuartv]

What I've read is that surfing wetsuits are generally not as warm as diving wetsuits - mainly because they tend to be made of stretchier neoprene. Stretchier == compresses easier == thinner at depth == less insulation == not as warm.

I looked at and tried on a bunch of suits in the 3/2 to 3.5mm range recently. One thing I noticed about them is a lot less consistency in having seals than thicker suits. Some of them have flatlock stitching (i.e. will seep water) and no seals at all. Others have glued and blind stitched seams (won't seep) and have seals at ankles, wrists, spine and neck. And others have some random subset of the features that will help keep water out.

I ended up buying a leftover ScubaPro (2012?) EverFlex 3/2 for $160 from here:

Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkel equipment from CoralEdgeAdventures.com

They have the 5/4 for $180, too.

The SP suit is glued and blind stitched and has smoothskin seals at the ankles, wrists, and neck, and a neoprene seal inside the zipper. I just dove it in 78 degrees down off Cozumel. 2 dives one day (to 85, then 30 feet), 1 rest day, and 2 dives again (to 89, then 60 feet). I was totally comfortable at all times. They were people on the boats I was on that were diving in 5 mm suits with shorties on over them, too. So, part of it is definitely just a personal thing. But, I also think having a suit that fits well and has good sealing all around helps.

I also did 2 cenotes dives in one day with the same suit. Water temp was 75. But, I wore a Lavacore farmer john (aka sleeveless full suit) under it that day so I can't say much about a 3/2 in 75 degrees without that - except to say that people said cenotes were cold and a 3/2 wouldn't be enough, so I wore the Lavacore based on that. After doing it, I was so warm I really felt like I could have done the cenote dives in just the 3/2 and still been comfortable. But, I don't KNOW, since I didn't actually do it.

Oh, and when you say you can feel water flushing inside your suit, that definitely sounds to me like your suit does not fit nearly as well as it should. A wetsuit should fit tight up into your crotch and tight up into your armpits. Those are areas of biggest potential (besides your head/neck) for heat loss. And that is one of the things I liked about the SP suit over the others I tried. It feels tight everywhere - but not too tight - and I hardly ever feel any water moving around inside the suit when I'm wearing it. Actually, I'm usually in the water for at least a few minutes before I feel water starting to seep in. And, when I was diving in Coz, several times I pulled the neck open to let some water in and air out.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Get the 5 mm suit for the winter and wear a hood too

 

[tbone1004]

that site also has waterproof 5mm's for $200 which is a smoking deal

 

[Kairoos]

that site also has waterproof 5mm's for $200 which is a smoking deal

Some really nice deals on that site, but I'm pretty hesistant about ordering something like a wetsuit online.

 

[stuartv]

I ordered 3 suits from LeisurePro, expecting to keep one and return the other 2. I told them what I was doing when I ordered and they were fine with that. I ended up not liking and returning all 3. No big deal.

If you call Coral Edge, I don't think they will have any problem with selling you a suit and then letting you exchange it for a different size if you need to. I would think you'll just have to pay shipping - which makes it worth your while to try and get the size right the first time. You could always try some suits locally to confirm what size you need, then order from Coral Edge (or whoever) if your local place doesn't have the actual suit you want or won't make you the right deal on it.

The Waterproof suits are the best quality I've seen and those prices are so good I'd say they'd be worth a little hassle.

 

[tbone1004]

the waterproof suits have pretty good size charts, wouldn't hesitate

 

[swimmer_spe]

A wetsuit is not the same as a wetsuit. And they both are not the same as a wetsuit.

Are you confused yet?

They make wetsuits for each different sport because of the demands of each sport.

I have 3 different wetsuits. one for diving, one for surfing, and one for swimming. I would never switch one for the other. Pain and cold would be the result.

Get a proper suit for diving and you will feel the difference.

 

[spectrum]

Kairoos,

Your description is one of a too thin and poorly fitting wetsuit.

3/2 is not enough to really be comfortable in 74/74 and you describe flushing.

Flushing can be exacerbated by sculling and flapping arms is that's you work on settling down.

Surfing suits may be less compression resistant and prone to squeezing thin with little thermal protection at depth. They are meant for maximum warmth and buoyancy on the surface.

I wouldn't even mess with vesting this, you don't have enough on the arms.

Consider a 5mm full suit and add a (hooded) chicken vest underneath.

More here.

Pete