What do you wear diving Monterey Bay?

[bbianchi]

If money is not much of an issue, I recommend Heat wave custom suits located here in Santa Cruz right by campus. They make custom fit 10mm farmer johns with 20mm core and attached hood. Cost roughly around 700 but all of my friends own one and they have no problem getting cold and definitely worth it. I want one myself eventually. I also attend UCSC and I use a 7mm Oneill J-type for all my monterey dives. Awesome!

Personally if I was going to spend $700 to have 20mm of neoprene at the core, id just go buy a used/value dry suit. Imagining the amount of lead, and thickness of the suit just doesnt seem like something enjoyable.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Personally if I was going to spend $700 to have 20mm of neoprene at the core, id just go buy a used/value dry suit. Imagining the amount of lead, and thickness of the suit just doesnt seem like something enjoyable.

I'm 13mm at the core and couldn't imagine another 7mm on top of that... I would probably feel too constricted...

I can hardly wait to try out my new drysuit... One more month before training...

MG

 

[Hinalo]

Really, trying to imagine how much lead I'd be carrying back up the steps after my dive. I'll pass on the 20mm of neoprene.

 

[Shunorlax]

Yea... but I was just listing suggestions for people that prefer not to use drysuits (like me) and yet want to be somewhat toasty

 

[rgiles]

EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT suggestions. We are going on a day trip to Catalina over Thanksgiving. I'll get to see if the thrill of diving has worn off. Talking to her sounds like she is as excited as ever to get back into the water.

She is making her own money so if we are talking 6-700 on neopreme - I'm thinking dry is in the near future. As some have suggested "oh come on dad" ya ya ya..... it's her inheritance anyway.
Heck we both may be dry soon...

I dove the Channel Islands yesterday. 62 degrees with my new Pinnacle Torso Warmer along with my Semi-dry (not so dry) and was pretty toasty. My daughter will have the same set up for our Catalina trip. I suspect that will work fine for SoCal.

Thanks all - dry someday for sure. For now - neopreme will have to do.

Thanks

 

[Shunorlax]

One more suggestion.
If so, then I say go with the ONeill J-type.
Good Price, for a good warmth.
IMO.

 

[Windspirit]

I can say from personal experience, that 5mm suit, 3mm beanie cap, 3mm tropical booties and gloves....is not real comfortable in May. I have a molten-core, according to my friends and I was chilly, real chilly. Dive computer read 46F at the low and hung around 50F for most of the dives. The warm water wash down on the boat after each dive, was heaven. When I got home, I promptly went out and purchased 5mm boots, 7mm full hood and 5mm gloves for my next trip to Monterey.

 

[alibi 2]

I live by UCSB and we teach out of Aqua Safaris (the UCSB dive shop)...she should be fine with what she is diving in but if she is cold have her go to Aqua Safaris and order the Womens Xcel Thermo Barrier wetsuit ...it is a mostly 8ml suit and the warmest I have ever used in the 30 plus years I have dove monterey....I also have so far refused to dive dry!

 

[alibi 2]

I strongly recommend that if your girl buys a suit at ONeils (a surf shop) she makes sure the suit she gets is for scuba and not surfing...also if she likes a wet suit and is comfortable in one she should do that rather than a drysuit...I have been diving monterey since 74 and have never gone dry...my hubby who teaches got a dry suit and they are a pain in the A$$....for someone who likes wet diving ...he uses the dry when he is in the water for a long time with students ...when we are diving rec.. we both dive wet....I have been on boats diving with others who have been too cold to do the 3rd dive in a dry suit and I've done all 3 dives dry...so I think it really has a lot to do with tolarance and the wet suit used....the hotest selling suit in santa cruz/monterey is the XCel...all the DM's and instructors are buying them...and all I've talked to love them..including me...if she likes diving wet she should dive wet...

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

the hotest selling suit in santa cruz/monterey is the XCel...all the DM's and instructors are buying them

I think a walk along the breakwater on a Sunday morning would
show that most of the instructors and divemasters are diving dry,
not wet.