Wetsuit sizing

[hummer]

I have been having trouble finding a wetsuit,I'm plump and only 5', yes I'm a woman I have this old Neosport ,size 10 that fits just perfect but it's so old and stretchy I'm not sure what size to get,according to the size chart there is no way I should be able to fit into a size 10 .i have a 3 mm velocity from bare size 16 but the arms are too log and the neck hole to big.there must be a better way of sizing ,because I by on the Internet,

 

[ljpm]

If you find something let me know. My wife is 4'10" and in the same situation. For some reason wetsuit manufacturers seem to think if you are under 5'2" you are either a size 0 or can't dive.

 

[2airishuman]

No easy answers. There are custom wet suits available but costs are over 2x off the rack. Despite being male I have trouble finding wetsuits that fit. My daughters have trouble also.

I would suggest trying a freedive suit as they have more stretch.

 

[Nemrod]

Free diver suits are usually made from softer neoprenes and they will crush more with depth as they are not intended for SCUBA so may not be as warm. N

 

[2airishuman]

I was in 45 degree water a week and a half ago at 70 feet, and was warm, and the people in 7mm "scuba" wet suits who were diving with me were not.

Only disadvantage so far is they are more fiddly to put on.

 

[hummer]

thanks for the reply's. i am going to try on a 5mm velocity from bare and will let you know how i get along. i love the neosport old style because it fits my core body height. but am thinking that this velocity which is made of the new stretch neoprene might fit better at size 16 in a 5mm because of the added mm. i hope so .im really just useing it mostly for snorkling i havent dived this year yet but if its really warm and fits better .i'll use it for that.

 

[oly5050user]

Why buy online when a LDS can properly size you and assist? I had a women in a class buy on suit on line thinking he it's less costly. Imagine her surprise when I showed her the exact same suit in our inventory with a price tag on it that was $14 less than what she paid online for. Oh, the one she purchased on line did not fit properly. There are also suits such as a Henderson thermax that is unavailable online and has features built into it that many consumerslike.
@

 

[Frenimy]

Me and my GF are both on the larger side. I went with a custom 7mm wetsuit and cannot express how worth it was to have something that fits perfectly. I got teh GF a pinnacle wetsuit, the king sizes might work for you. I also really like the stretch of the neosport X-span line. We have gloves and hoods from Neosport and the stretchiness is off the chart along with comfort. I recently bought a henderson shorty and they have probably the best sizing line I have seen. there are definitely options for those of us that do not fit the ideal diver size.

 

[charlier]

Free diver suits are usually made from softer neoprenes and they will crush more with depth as they are not intended for SCUBA so may not be as warm. N

The best free dive wetsuits are made from higher quality neoprene with choices of liners and density. My free dive wet suit is much warmer than my scuba wetsuit and is way more stretchy and flexible. Custom fit wetsuits are perfect, if done properly.

 

[yle]

Look for "short" sizes. My mom has a figure very similar to yours (height and body style.) I bought her a thick Aqualung suit in a size "14 short", which is a size 14 suit but with shorter arms and legs. It fit very well. I also bought her a 3mm Aqualung suit in a size 12 short, and it too fit very well (so I guess she's right in between 12 and 14.) Before that, she was wearing a regular 14 suit, but the arms and legs were too long (as you described.)

Most wetsuit manufacturers make "short" sizes, just google search the sizing chart for the company you're interested in and the list of available sizes will be there. Men's sizes are a little tricky to decipher, because they can be listed as "LS" (for large short), "MLS" (medium-large short), etc etc. Women's sizes are easier to interpret because they're numerical... followed by an "S" for short (they also make "long" sizes... e.g. 10L for a size 10 long.)

One last note: wetsuit sizes really vary from one manufacturer to the next. I currently use wetsuits from five different brands, and they are in sizes large, medium-large, medium-large-short and large-short. All of them fit me very well. When you find a wetsuit that fits you, just be aware that the same size from another brand might not fit the same way.

Good luck!