What wetsuit to buy??

[Sam308]

Forgive me for asking perhaps this simple question however, I am new to the board and diving and could use the advice of seasoned divers.

I'm planning on diving in the carribean this summer and cannot decide on a wetsuit. Do I get just a skin or a 1mm jumpsuit? Perhaps a 3MM would be wiser?

What would you use??

Thanks,
Sam

 

[glbirch]

I use a Bare 3mm full suit and find it quite comfortable for warm water. I have a 1mm but I find I get cool on longer dives if I'm not working much. Some use shorties, but I prefer the full suit for protection.

 

[saltwater taffy]

Hi Sam,
The dive skin will give you only dermal protection. The 1mm will give you dermal protection and a tiny bit of thermal protection. If your new to diving, the best bet, IMHO, would be a 3mm full suit. Invest in a good, basic suit. You can always layer this suit should you be in a cooler enviroment. Good fit is very important.

Welcome to the sport. Most importantly, be saffe and have a blast!!!!

 

[HaoleDiver]

Hey man, like they said, welcome to diving, good to have you

I was in Guam recently, and wore a .5mm SilverSkin, and it was perfect. I used a full body suit for its dermal protection (jellyfish, firecoral are prevelant in Guam) and I was never cold (but then again, Guam is always like 88-90 degrees with high humidity). I'm heading to Cozumel in a few months, and I think I'm going to get a 3mm full suit, for protection, and warmth over multiple dives for multiple days.
I'd recommend full suits wherever you dive, for protection, but you may, at least once, want to dive in shorts, so you can say you did.

 

[Sam308]

Thanks for the replies. I was leaning toward the 3mm however I was not sure if it would be too warm for the carribean.

 

[ABQdiver]

Mostly on "your" cold tolerance. I dive with a Bare 3/2 jumpsuit in the tropics and it's fine in most conditions. This last December we were diving in Cozumel, Roatan and Caymans. After the second dive I was getting a bit cold with a water temp of about 81°. Some people just wear shorties or skins and some wear 5mm or thicker suits.

 

[5615mike]

Been diving a microprene for a number of years in tropical waters with no problem. My wife wears a O'neal microfleece that's basically a 1/2 and she has no problems. 3mm certainly is a nice idea as well since you probably won't be getting too hot. You can easily find a 3mm if you shop for under $150. Parkway makes nice suits very reasonably. They along with Henderson use the same material for their superstretch suits. Geat stuff. Have a 7mm that is so easy to put on it does not even feel like your doning and doffing a wetsuit.

Divers Direct has cheap, I mean cheap suits on sale right now so you might check it out.

 

[NeoDiver]

I dive in south florida and have been using a 3mm ScubaPro wetsuit. I not really the type to get real cold at depth so the 3mm has been working for me all year long.

NeoDiver :shades:

 

[wetnorm]

Forgive me for asking perhaps this simple question however, I am new to the board and diving and could use the advice of seasoned divers.

I'm planning on diving in the carribean this summer and cannot decide on a wetsuit. Do I get just a skin or a 1mm jumpsuit? Perhaps a 3MM would be wiser?

What would you use??

Thanks,
Sam

Get a 3mm w/ easy on features and a 2-3 mm shortie. Then you are covered for the Caribe and North Carolina in two seasons, single and multi-dives! Total less than $150.

The shortie works for single dive or dive day; in winter, you can don it over the 3mm for extra warmth.

The 3 mm worked for me in the Caribe in summer - never too warm, prevents sunburn, and protects from jellyfish. My dive instructor believes 3 mm full is better than the shortie for a dive vacation w/ multiple dives over several days.

The combo was perfect in January in the keys w/ water temps 70-74. I had a 2mm shortie.

Any lower I would add a 3mm hood and gloves. I would ask someone w/ the experience how low this combo could be used? 65-68 F?

 

[HaoleDiver]

One thing that I think is being overlooked on this thread is that exposure suits serve two purposes, protection from temperature, and protection from everything around you. While it should be every diver's goal to not touch anything underwater, I think insurance is always better (i.e. every diver also claims to never dive with a reg that will fail, but we all carry alternates) and in warm water, you have jellyfish, fire coral, regular coral, all sorts of things that even a small brush against can mess you up. Now, no offense, you say you're new to the game, so you may have not mastered buoyancy yet (you will, trust me, it just takes some practice) so protection against the occasionally brush against the coral, or the jellyfish that you dont notice on your ascent is a must. That was why I wore a skin in Guam, protection, not for warmth, and I was happy with it, because occasionally while diving large intricate reefs or wrecks, I'd get bumped, or brush up against something, and never had any marks to show for it.