What drysuit undergarments for new drysuit diver in SoCal?

[fnfalman]

I don't dispute the use of drysuit for SoCal diving, but dry gloves this and dry hood that and arctic liners...it's 55-F water temp, with maybe 50-F at the Yukon and Coronados Islands.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Palos Verdes gets down to 48° in July sometimes. I don't swim much during a dive. Sometimes I'll spend an hour or more in a twenty square feet area. After shivering through more than 800 SoCal dives in wetsuits I don't plan to freeze any longer.

 

[Peter_C]

I don't dispute the use of drysuit for SoCal diving, but dry gloves this and dry hood that and arctic liners...it's 55-F water temp, with maybe 50-F at the Yukon and Coronados Islands.

Last time I dove out at the Channel Islands everyone's temp gauges read 48 degrees. Arctic, no, cold yes!

Bioprene has a lot to do with it, and I don't have any. Plus I have more dexterity in my dry gloves vs wet gloves.

 

[merxlin]

I don't dispute the use of drysuit for SoCal diving, but dry gloves this and dry hood that and arctic liners...it's 55-F water temp, with maybe 50-F at the Yukon and Coronados Islands.

I used to never get cold diving wet. Then one day (on the Yukon as a matter of fact) I did, and it seemed like I never was as warm again wet after that, even after changing wetsuits. And not much help from my natural insulation any more ("bioprene" as Dr. Bill calls it ), even though there seems to be more of it recently.

 

[asha]

Is most of your California diving in San Diego? It tends to be colder down there versus the Channel Islands.

Yes, most of my CA diving is in San Diego. It can be quite a bit colder here--I've seen 48F at times in the winter. Catalina often seems tropical in comparison. Thanks for reminding me that it's not this cold everywhere

And +1 on increased dexterity in dry gloves over wet. Wearing no glove liners (just the Fourth Element wrist warmers), my hands were both warmer and more dexterous than they were in 3mm wet gloves. I love them!

 

[lcollar]

You might consider an undergarment made by Weezle. It's made in the UK so that should tell you something about the water temps the thing was designed for. I bought a used DUI trilaminate dry suit on-line and it has taken me several attempts to plug all the leaks. In the process, on too many occasions I've emerged from the ocean after 4 successive 55+ minute dives in a row and the undergarment is soaking wet but I was barely aware and never cold. I also have Si-Tech glove locks on the suit which means I can put any kind of rubber glove on the suit that I want. When it is 50 degrees or so I wear rag wool gloves inside the rubber gloves and my hands stay toasty throughout the dive. This allows me to suit up without gloves on (something you can't do with Zip Gloves) and also drain out a little extra water between dives back when the suit was still leaking. I LOVE my dry suit.

As Max mentioned earlier, photographers usually don't swim very much and without the Weezle and dry gloves I would not enjoy scuba diving in California waters very much.