What mil should my first wetsuit be (midwest US)?

[PeanyButter]

Completely new diver here, not even certified yet. I don't know what I intended to dive mostly, probably lots of cold water in the mid west in the summer/fall months. Some great lake diving (Lake Eerie and/or Michigan), river, lakes, and my dad talked about going down to Florida for lobster season. Not sure if a wetsuit is even needed down there but I get chilled by the end of my indoor YMCA pool sessions that I'm currently taking for the PADI certification. Was very cold half way through and starting to shiver last session but maybe my bad sunburn across my shoulders was causing me to lose more heat? May just be susceptible to chill faster than most people though.

Not sure how easy it is to get a wetsuit too hot for the water or if people just get thinner suits so they don't overheat instantly on the surface. Being too hot underwater is kind of a foreign concept to me if I'm not in a bathtub. Just typically not an issue for non divers so I have no idea if it could be an issue if I get a 3/4 mil for more all around use.

Bonus points if I can use the wetsuit for white water kayaking too but I think I will probably need something different for that given the intensive activity and upper torso being exposed to the sun 95% of the time.

Thanks for any input!

 

[lermontov]

Completely new diver here, not even certified yet. I don't know what I intended to dive mostly, probably lots of cold water in the mid west in the summer/fall months. Some great lake diving (Lake Eerie and/or Michigan), river, lakes, and my dad talked about going down to Florida for lobster season. Not sure if a wetsuit is even needed down there but I get chilled by the end of my indoor YMCA pool sessions that I'm currently taking for the PADI certification. Was very cold half way through and starting to shiver last session but maybe my bad sunburn across my shoulders was causing me to lose more heat? May just be susceptible to chill faster than most people though.

Not sure how easy it is to get a wetsuit too hot for the water or if people just get thinner suits so they don't overheat instantly on the surface. Being too hot underwater is kind of a foreign concept to me if I'm not in a bathtub. Just typically not an issue for non divers so I have no idea if it could be an issue if I get a 3/4 mil for more all around use.

Bonus points if I can use the wetsuit for white water kayaking too but I think I will probably need something different for that given the intensive activity and upper torso being exposed to the sun 95% of the time.

Thanks for any input!

i get pretty cold in water average temp where i live 1s 12-14 c so i normally go dry but if required i wont go less then 7mm and then for no more then 70 min if i got top tropics in 28 c i use a 3mm if im doing deep dives and deco i use a 5mm @Marie13 will have all the info on lake diving
a 3mm is flexible fro kayak I would think anything thicker would be too restrictive

buy a cheap secondhand one so you won feel bad if you have to dump it later

 

[lowwall]

Your next class should be a drysuit certification. Don't waste your money buying the 7mm you would need for Midwestern diving. Take the class from whatever local shop has the largest selection of rental wetsuits and keep renting until you are sure this is something you really want to do.

 

[Marie13]

Drysuit cert.

 

[El Diablo]

Completely new diver here, not even certified yet. I don't know what I intended to dive mostly, probably lots of cold water in the mid west in the summer/fall months. Some great lake diving (Lake Eerie and/or Michigan), river, lakes, and my dad talked about going down to Florida for lobster season. Not sure if a wetsuit is even needed down there but I get chilled by the end of my indoor YMCA pool sessions that I'm currently taking for the PADI certification. Was very cold half way through and starting to shiver last session but maybe my bad sunburn across my shoulders was causing me to lose more heat? May just be susceptible to chill faster than most people though.

Not sure how easy it is to get a wetsuit too hot for the water or if people just get thinner suits so they don't overheat instantly on the surface. Being too hot underwater is kind of a foreign concept to me if I'm not in a bathtub. Just typically not an issue for non divers so I have no idea if it could be an issue if I get a 3/4 mil for more all around use.

Bonus points if I can use the wetsuit for white water kayaking too but I think I will probably need something different for that given the intensive activity and upper torso being exposed to the sun 95% of the time.

Thanks for any input!

DON'T buy a wetsuit yet and surely DON'T listen to all the experts in here.

While getting certified, ask your Dive Center / Instructor to lend you different wetsuits with different thicknesses.

Everybody is different so just try before buying. Just ask them to give you a relatively new suit as rentals tend to be compressed, therefore insulate less du to overuse.

 

[Marie13]

DON'T buy a wetsuit yet and surely DON'T listen to all the experts in here.

While getting certified, ask your Dive Center / Instructor to lend you different wetsuits with different thicknesses.

Everybody is different so just try before buying. Just ask them to give you a relatively new suit as rentals tend to be compressed, therefore insulate less du to overuse.

Do you dive in the US Midwest? I doubt it since your location says Germany. The locals here know what’s up with cold water diving.

 

[rhwestfall]

The thing is diving the Great Lakes and Rivers, you can have water from the upper 30's to the mid-70's......

There is nothing worse than suiting up in 80+ degree air (sweating and overheating) to go plunge in waters with a wicked thermocline... but a necessary evil.

I use a dry suit for the lakes where the thermocline will be present, a 5/7mm 1-piece for 60 degree waters (up to the 70's), and can do a 3mm shorty for non-thermocline waters once they are above 72 degrees for dives under an hour, and not repetitive (that can get cool - I'd like to consider a full 3mm suit).

It is challenging here....

 

[El Diablo]

Do you dive in the US Midwest? I doubt it since your location says Germany. The locals here know what’s up with cold water diving.

People have different tolerances to cold Marie. Local and foreign.

ps. Cold water exists in Germany as well. Go figure...

 

[El Diablo]

Completely new diver here, not even certified yet. I don't know what I intended to dive mostly, probably lots of cold water in the mid west in the summer/fall months. Some great lake diving (Lake Eerie and/or Michigan), river, lakes, and my dad talked about going down to Florida for lobster season. Not sure if a wetsuit is even needed down there but I get chilled by the end of my indoor YMCA pool sessions that I'm currently taking for the PADI certification. Was very cold half way through and starting to shiver last session but maybe my bad sunburn across my shoulders was causing me to lose more heat? May just be susceptible to chill faster than most people though.

Not sure how easy it is to get a wetsuit too hot for the water or if people just get thinner suits so they don't overheat instantly on the surface. Being too hot underwater is kind of a foreign concept to me if I'm not in a bathtub. Just typically not an issue for non divers so I have no idea if it could be an issue if I get a 3/4 mil for more all around use.

Bonus points if I can use the wetsuit for white water kayaking too but I think I will probably need something different for that given the intensive activity and upper torso being exposed to the sun 95% of the time.

Thanks for any input!

...and never trust anyone that holds a regulator in their mouth like this:

 

[Chanly83]

I agree in part with @El Diablo but I would listen to the responses about the drysuit. I would be much further ahead if I would of gone directly to a MTM drysuit.
I don’t have the room for tons of gear, I live in my fifth wheel, so I have a MTM drysuit and sharkskin one piece and a vest for the tropics.
I plan on traveling with my drysuit.