Wetsuit thickness

[bigsnowdog]

I am looking at wetsuits and believe I need a 7MM suit for quarry diving in the midwest and also want one for some tropical trips like Bonaire or Dominica. There are quite a few thicknesses and I can't buy them all.

I have worn, as an experiment, a 7MM suit in a pool at 82 degrees. After a couple of hours I was getting a bit cold. So, I wonder if a person could have just the 7MM suit and wear it to warm places, or is that a bad idea.

If a thinner suit is needed, what would be the one to buy, a 3 or a 5? I would like to buy only two suits.

Thoughts or experience on this?

 

[Towminator]

7mm in 82f , you will cook in it I would say a 3mm

 

[spectrum]

I'll be blunt, you are looking at a neoprene wardrobe.

Some divers do actually need a 7mm in the tropics but that is an uncommonly cold intolerant diver.

Meanwhile any meaningful quarry diving means 7mm with 2X on your core.

For most a 7mm in the tropics will be uncomfortably warm. it also means you will be stuck wearing the full needed weight and getting a steel cylinder is highly unlikely. In the end you will rob your self of some of the pleasure you paid to have. For the $100 -$200 you'll spend on a lightweight suit you can be comfortable and experience a more carefree form of diving.

Pete

 

[bigsnowdog]

I'll be blunt, you are looking at a neoprene wardrobe.

Some divers do actually need a 7mm in the tropics but that is an uncommonly cold intolerant diver.

Meanwhile any meaningful quarry diving means 7mm with 2X on your core.

For most a 7mm in the tropics will be uncomfortably warm. it also means you will be stuck wearing the full needed weight and getting a steel cylinder is highly unlikely. In the end you will rob your self of some of the pleasure you paid to have. For the $100 -$200 you'll spend on a lightweight suit you can be comfortable and experience a more carefree form of diving.

Pete

I don't know what you mean by the 2X notation.

 

[spectrum]

I don't know what you mean by the 2X notation.

In general cold water dive suits are in the form of a (Farmer) John and jacket or a full jumpsuit and some form of vest. Either one has you in 7mm head to toe with double thickness in the upper thighs, groin and torso areas.

More here

Pete

 

[selo]

Choice of thickness is quite personal. Some get cold faster than others.

My suggestion is for you to decide where you will be diving for the most part. If in a cold environment, then prepare for that first.

I dive in SoCal mostly; a 5/3 hooded vest and a 7/5 mm Henderson Hyperstretch and I am good for 3 dives in upper 50s. Some dive a drysuit and I am slowly getting to understand them!

Make sure that the 7 mm fits you well. My guess is that what you tried in the pool in 82 degrees was a bit too large/loose for you. But if the fit were fine, then take that to Bonaire. But this also means that you will probably need a drysuit for the cold environment.

For Cozumel, I used a 3 mm wetsuit (same size/brand as my 7 mm) but it does not fit as well, so I add my 5/3 hooded vest to go 70+ minutes per dive. The key is the fit; not the brand, although the brand also helps a bit.

 

[Mayor]

I do a bit of cold water diving wet and use a 5mm with a 3mm core warmer. This will give you a little more protection in the cold and let you remove 3mm when in warmer water. Most people dive a skin, 3mm shorty, or 3mm full suit in warm water. If you buy a 3mm shorty you could use it as a core warmer when diving colder water with a 5mm.

 

[bigsnowdog]

Choice of thickness is quite personal. Some get cold faster than others.

My suggestion is for you to decide where you will be diving for the most part. If in a cold environment, then prepare for that first.

I dive in SoCal mostly; a 5/3 hooded vest and a 7/5 mm Henderson Hyperstretch and I am good for 3 dives in upper 50s. Some dive a drysuit and I am slowly getting to understand them!

Make sure that the 7 mm fits you well. My guess is that what you tried in the pool in 82 degrees was a bit too large/loose for you. But if the fit were fine, then take that to Bonaire. But this also means that you will probably need a drysuit for the cold environment.

For Cozumel, I used a 3 mm wetsuit (same size/brand as my 7 mm) but it does not fit as well, so I add my 5/3 hooded vest to go 70+ minutes per dive. The key is the fit; not the brand, although the brand also helps a bit.

I think the fit of the 7MM suit was good. It was a 3XL. I could get a 2XL on, but zipping it caused me to feel my should blades were being pressed together. I am not real big, at 225 lb. and 6' 1-1/2".

What does 5/3 mean with regard to the vest?