Wetsuit fit guidelines?

[leo8877]

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone has a site or personal recommendations for proper wetsuit fit?

I've heard that snug is good, but not too tight. Then at at the same time I've heard that the suit will pretty much be uncomfortable when you first put it on, just that it should not be painful to wear and you should not lose circulation to hands/feet.

Is it true that after you get it wet it will loosen up a bit?

I am going to be doing most diving in Northern CA, so it's 7mm suits I am wondering about.

Thank you for your time!

 

[SubMariner]

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone has a site or personal recommendations for proper wetsuit fit?

I've heard that snug is good, but not too tight. Then at at the same time I've heard that the suit will pretty much be uncomfortable when you first put it on, just that it should not be painful to wear and you should not lose circulation to hands/feet.

Is it true that after you get it wet it will loosen up a bit?

I am going to be doing most diving in Northern CA, so it's 7mm suits I am wondering about.

Thank you for your time!

You should be looking for a suit that will not restrict your movement so much that you cannot reach down to pull on a fin up to adjust your BC, etc. Especially check to make sure you can easily swing your arms around or do a squat. Wrist & ankles should be snug, but not so tight that you wind up with indentations or red marks. It should not be so tight across the chest that you feel constricted in your breathing.

A good wetsuit will not "loosen up" very much u/w. Once the water gets in & your body starts to warm it up you really don't want it constantly exchanging for the cold stuff on the outside of the suit.

Anyway you look at it, the 5-7mm suits will feel very cumbersome and you won't be quite able to move as easily as without one.

Meanwhile, have you thought about investing in a drysuit instead?

Just wondering,

 

[fisheater]

Around here (Northern California), wetsuit fit is everything! Unless you're extremly lucky and have an "off the rack" body, an "off the rack" won't keep you as warm as it should. Also, don't rely upon some stretchy neoprene to keep you warm. It'll be too thin where it stretches to fit and the entire suit will compress too much at depth.

I recommend a custom wetsuit if you're going to dive wet around here. I had good luck AquaFlite (Www.aquaflite.com). It fits great, keeps me warm and cost me about the same as "off the shelf". Plus, it was delivered the same week I ordered it. YMMV.
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