What wetsuit should I buy for the tropics?

[Jorgy]

Thanks diversteve.............I am a big fan of LP...........

The picture looks like Titanium Hyperstrech but it does not say so in the description......

If is is a Hyperstrech then but it right away for $75 bucks.......

However, it might be there "standard" neoprene before what they now call "Thermoprene" (I think)......

If that is the case I would skip it.............

The other disconnect is the price the Hyperstrech they retailed in the $300's (I think)...........

Definitely worth checking out........

M

 

[Jorgy]

I see it now, the difference is the word Titanium on the left hip.......

Henderson 3mm Mens Titanium Hyperstretch Jumpsuit, Black/Blue,

The 3mm is $250.............

M

 

[OceansideOcean]

Seen this: Henderson 3MM Mens Neoprene One Piece Jumpsuit,

$75 new.

My buddy dives all over the Caribbean in a 3mm (sometimes with a skin under it). He gets cold easy, just bought a drysuit to dive in your area. But he's comfortable all day in the 3mm, even at night, water temp doesn't change overnight. We were in Utila end of March and he was fine. I dove in a t-shirt and was cold at depth. But it hadn't warmed up yet. Belize would be similar.

This looks like a smokin' deal. Right now, it's at the top of the list. Since most of my diving will be in the drysuit, I'll only need this 2 weeks a year - that's all the vacation I get. For $75, I can use it until it dies and then have a really good idea of what I want in my second wetsuit.

So what I get from you guys so far is:

Fit is the most important factor - the better it fits, the warmer I'll be.

Warmth is dependent on the diver. A 3mm will probably work for most in 77+ degree water, but not all.

Gloves, boots and hood will help increase warmth. As previously mentioned, my LDS had me get these items almost as a requirement to learning. Hood for warmth, gloves to prevent me from wrecking things I might touch, and boots to go with the open-heel Atomic SplitFins. All 5mm.

The advice from everyone is exactly what I've been hoping for. Keep it coming.

Thanks.

mike.

 

[Jorgy]

For 2 weeks a year......it is a great deal......kudos to diversteve for finding it.......

LP has a perfect guarantee.........so you can buy with confidence............

Lots of places in the Caribbean don't allow gloves......we bring a pair and leave one glove each tucked in a BC pocket, it is only there to hang onto a anchor line if needed........in current, so you don't get cut........

The key is the hood........we prefer beanies to help retain a little extra heat.......a little easier than having to tuck in a regualr hood......

Since our fins are open heel, we always use booties.......

We also bring jackets to wear on the boat during the SI..........

Hope this helps............M

 

[Downing]

My wife and I dived every day for two weeks in Belize last year, late June through mid-July. The surface water temperature around the Turneffe Atoll was consistently in the 80-83 degree range.

She's cold-blooded but was fine in her 1mm skinsuit and a hood.

I'm warm-blooded and was fine in my 2mm shorty with no hood. I skipped the shorty altogether a couple of times. I would describe those dives as cool but not chilly.

I noticed the majority of divers who were with us used 3mm suits with no hood, including the divemasters. A couple of divers went without a suit but didn't dive every day. I was the only one with a shorty. No one complained about being hot or cold.

Much depends on the comfort level of the diver, methinks, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another.

We're headed to Oahu for 10 days in late July and decided to both get 3mm wetsuits for the trip. The recommendations for Hawaii that time of year have been all over the map, ranging from no suit all the way up to a 5mm suit with a hood! So we're both taking both suits just to be safe.

 

[OceansideOcean]

I'm going to take your advice.

I don't think diving 10-15 dives a year in the tropics warrants a Henderson Hyperstretch Titanium Insta Dry Plutonium lined wetsuit for a bazillion dollars.

I'll find a good deal in the $125 or less range, and if that lasts a couple of years, I'll know a lot more about what kind of diver I am (I'm on dive 15 now) and what I'd like in a wetsuit.

Thanks for all the good info - it really helped me make a decision.

mike

 

[5615mike]

When diving tropical waters this is a real long conversation. What it really comes down to is how do you handle temps. By that I mean, are you warm blooded or cold blooded?....lol Me, I rarely get cold but it has happened. I strickly dive tropical waters now.....79-82 or 83 degrees F. I have been diving a Henderson Microprene for almost 10 years. Its about worn out now but I will buy another one soon. My wife dove an O'Neil polartech for a number of years and she loved it. It was a 1mm with a microflece lining. She loved it but it faded really bad. Last year we got her a microprene as well and I hoped it would be warm enough. The last two trips to Coz she has loved it and said its every bit as warm as her previous suit. I cant imagine diving Coz waters or tropical waters with a 3mm but many do it. I just know I would get far too warm. A buddy of ours bought a microprene after we raved about ours last Nov. in Coz. He bought one just before our trip this past May and he loved it as well.

 

[OceansideOcean]

So far what I'm getting is this:

1. Most important is a great fit because that's what keeps water out - which means you'll be warmer.

2. I'll want a 3mm because I'm warm blooded (meaning I get cold easily). Actually, until the air temp is over 95 degrees F, I'm not hot. I like showers so hot, my skin turns red, and I live in SoCal because I grew up in Boston and within weeks of graduating college, I was living in Ft. Lauderdale. I hate the cold.

3. Buy from and LDS if they help you out.

4. Stick with a name brand.

To that end, I've narrowed it down to the Henderson mentioned earlier, a Henderson Gold Core I can get new for under $100, and a Bare 3/2 Velocity for $140.

I'd really like a Pinnacle Merino lined, but I can't justify the extra expense for an occasional suit.

I'm trying to find something without a thick spine pad as it's a travel-only suit and I want it to pack as small/light as possible. I REALLY like the idea of a 1mm suit but since I'm warm-blooded, I don't think it would keep me warm.

The responses have been VERY helpful so far, so keep 'em coming.

m

 

[Downing]

Actually, I use "warmblooded" to mean just the opposite of the way you're using it.

In other words, to me "warmblooded" means that I don't get cold easily (because my blood is "warm") so I tend to go thinner wetsuit-wise. Relative to me, my wife is "coldblooded," meaning she gets chilled easily (because her blood is already "cold")so she tends to use a thicker wetsuit.

Of course, technically speaking we're all warm-blooded creatures--no reptiles are posting here--so we're using a sort of shorthand to express what we mean.

 

[RetMTFE]

I'm in agreement with everyone else. I live in Florida and use a 3mm full suit in the springs (no hood) and a 3mm shorty or less in the ocean.
As far a brand, I have to disagree with "name". It's about fit, not name. I have a Evo I paid around $79.00 for and it's held up a lot better than my wife's custom fit Henderson.