What suit(s) do I need?

[Pyramid65]

Have yet to be certified, will be doing the SSI Open Water Coarse in June and they will provide the suit for that but looking into the future I want my own, what's the best suit for me? I realize there are a bunch of variables, I live in NJ so most of my dives will be off the coast here as well as a quarry in PA. I've done some research on the net but figured it's best to talk to divers before I buy. Should I get 2 suits, thinner and thick? I have a pretty good tolerance for cold, in fact I prefer cold weather to warm, I wear shorts most days in the winter here in Jersey....thx for any and all replies

 

[Aqua-Andy]

My thoughts would be to purchase a drysuit. Use thin undergarments for the warm water stuff and heavy for the cold water. You can purchase a Fusion One for $1k and they are often running specials with the undergarments. A good wet suit will cost you two thirds of a Fusion One. You are a little south of where I am but up here even during the summer months the ocean never gets above 50F below 30 or so feet. A drysuit will allow you to dive year round and still be comfortable. If you do go with a Fusion just be sure to purchase it through a dive shop that will support it's customers because Whites will not deal with the end user.

 

[Dive-aholic]

For diving off the Jersey coast and at Dutch Springs I definitely recommend a dry suit. You'll get varying opinions on dry suits. My preference is high density/crushed neoprene suits. I've owned several suits throughout the years and the neoprene suits have been my favorite. They dive more like wetsuits and they keep you warmer than shell suits. You can also get into a new neoprene suit for about $1000 vs paying $2000-3000 for a shell suit. And you'll need less weight with a well fitting neoprene suit than you will need with a shell suit and undergarment.

 

[altaskier]

I echo the suggestion to go straight to a dry suit for cold water diving. DUI used to run an advertisement which purported to show a dry suit diver's log (bulging with excess pages from many, many dives) versus a wet suit diver's log (nice and tidy and small). There is a learning curve to dry suit diving, and you want to get 10-15 dives in the quarry before you head offshore, but drysuits make the cold water way more tolerable. I've been on charter boats in Monterey, California where the wetsuit divers sit out the second dive while shivering; the drysuit divers do the second dive. Of course there are people who do well with 7 mm wetsuits in cold water, but many find that drysuits make cold water far more tolerable.

 

[Pyramid65]

Appreciate all the input...was in the local dive shop yesterday for 2 1/2 hrs talk'in to a tech there...he suggested I get a "farmer" (long pant, bib and suspenders) and a "shortie" with long sleeves wet-suit combo, that way my core will have 2 layers. Once I get proficient with the BC he said I could move to a dry-suit.

 

[industrious95]

I'm a NJ diver and do about 50-60 dives a year here. My first wetsuit was a $25 garage sale special that I used for about 5 years, until I wanted to start going earlier and later in the season and was getting too cold. I went dry over 20 years ago and would never go back.

I have a DUI Norseman shell suit (similar to their TLS350). I have thick insulation for cold water, extra thick insulation (my mother-in-law made for me) for those January & April dives, and use regular thermal underwear for "warm" NJ dives in Aug & September. When I go to the Caribbean, I rent a wetsuit because it's less stuff to carry on a plane. I've tried a crushed neoprene drysuit, but felt like it was too thick and cumbersome and slowed me down.

When I bought my dry suit from my LDS, I was also looking at a Henderson Gold 7mm, and the price was about half of what I paid for my drysuit. Coming from a $25 garage sale wetsuit, it didn't make sense to buy a $700 wetsuit that still wouldn't keep me warm in April, November, December & January. (I draw the line at NJ diving in February & March)

Some of my dry suit friends will go wet in August & September. I'm just so comfortable in my drysuit, and so used to my buoyancy control, weighting, etc, I don't see the point in changing out for a few dives.

A few things:

I understand that you like the cold. But the NJ ocean is 40 degrees in April. With luck, it'll be 70 degrees by August. It'll still be high 50's in November. So, in a dry suit, you'll be able to extend your local diving by many months, versus using a wetsuit. Just remember, when you get back on the boat and the ocean is 55 degrees, the air can still be 40 degrees. You're not going to want to be walking around the deck of a dive boat in a wet neoprene suit then. The cold will literally suck the life out of your body.

Your LDS is suggesting you buy two wet suits? And you're not even certified yet? Unless I miss something, he's putting the carriage before the horse. I'd pick up a used 7mm wetsuit (or just rent) to get some diving experience in, then go shopping for a drysuit if you find that you need it. You might find you don't want to dive in NJ.

 

[Pyramid65]

I can get a farmer john and jacket for $300.00 vs. a dry suit that'll cost at least 3x that + insulation....I can see gett'in a dry suit down the road but I'm not into the renting thing, I'd just rather buy it new and this will get me started, the tech said I should get ahold of buoyancy before I go dry...I get what ya mean about air temps as well, I'm the guy in Jersey riding a motorcycle in Feb with jeans and a sweatshirt on, forgot the formula but 50 mph on a 40 degree day is chilly...I like the idea of having a wet & dry setup....I do appreciate the info

 

[jamiep3]

All of this is good advice, but honestly, the longer you dive, your collection of exposure protection will grow. I started with a 1/4" two piece beavertail wetsuit. When it died, I bought a 5/6/7mm Steamer. The next year I was going to Mexico, so I added a 3mm one piece. Got a good deal on a dry suit a few years back. There really is no one suit fits all, it mostly comes down to the type of diving you do. You won't want a dry suit to dive the Caribbean.