Question for the scuba divers....

[AUMM]

I'm looking to get a wetsuit for scuba, I will most likely be diving in tropical waters, but it would be nice to have something that would work for me in colder waters as well. Anyone have any suggestions? How much should I be looking at spending?:thumbsup:

 

[ruffilb]

One that fits?

 

[AUMM]

Originally posted by: ruffilb
One that fits?

gee thanks :roll:

I'm looking for suggestions for brand, type, thickness... etc

 

[AUMM]

bump

 

[GrantMeThePower]

it really depends where you're diving. One suit isn't going to be for everything. Caribbean you dont need much (of course, going south of 60 feet you would def. want something) so you're looking at a shorty (same for hawaii, but its a bit cooler). Brand doesn't matter so much, but try them on and make sure nothing pinches you or anything. move around in it. It won't be uber-comfortable, but you should have free range of motion without, like i mentioned, pinches. Thickness will be determined by location

 

[HardcoreRobot]

did 2mm shorties this past week in st. croix. it was definitely sufficient, but i wasnt doing very deep profiles - 60/40/20, and no more than 2 dives a day. if i get one id prolly go for a full-body 3. you can always unzip or suck cold water in, its hard to warm up if you arent wearing enough. i think the range on those is like 200 - 300, depending if you want some of the standard suits or the really stretchy kind. if you are slim i heard its not really worth the extra to bump up for the stretchy.

not sure what kind of cold water you are eyeing. for where i am (virginia), i kinda think there really is no middle ground. a 5mm full would be sufficient for only the warmest of water here, and that same 5 would probably be too warm in the carribbean. i did my cert dives here in 2 layers of 7mm + hood, still cold as balls

otoh, it was like $5 a day to rent a wetsuit on my last vacation... financially thats like 40 days of diving to recoup the money. it would take me a few years for that... if the suit even lasted that long. of course there is the whole personal comfort aspect too which definitely plays a role.

i dont have any real suggestions on brand or anythign... i just know what i know from asking the same type of questions around here...

 

[Stojakapimp]

If you want to go into colder waters, then a 7mm would probably work. But if you wear a 7mm into tropical waters you'll be pretty damn warm. So it's kind of a give and take. Like that other guy said you could just go with a 5mm and tough it out in the colder waters. I own both a 3/2mm and a 7mm which is probably a good way to go. I got my 3/2mm for ~$100 and my 7mm in a crazy deal at some tent sale. For a new 7mm you can probably expect to pay between $200-300

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
did 2mm shorties this past week in st. croix. it was definitely sufficient, but i wasnt doing very deep profiles - 60/40/20, and no more than 2 dives a day. if i get one id prolly go for a full-body 3. you can always unzip or suck cold water in, its hard to warm up if you arent wearing enough. i think the range on those is like 200 - 300, depending if you want some of the standard suits or the really stretchy kind. if you are slim i heard its not really worth the extra to bump up for the stretchy.

not sure what kind of cold water you are eyeing. for where i am (virginia), i kinda think there really is no middle ground. a 5mm full would be sufficient for only the warmest of water here, and that same 5 would probably be too warm in the carribbean. i did my cert dives here in 2 layers of 7mm + hood, still cold as balls

otoh, it was like $5 a day to rent a wetsuit on my last vacation... financially thats like 40 days of diving to recoup the money. it would take me a few years for that... if the suit even lasted that long. of course there is the whole personal comfort aspect too which definitely plays a role.

i dont have any real suggestions on brand or anythign... i just know what i know from asking the same type of questions around here...

Sure... remind me of cold temps... I'm going diving tomorrow. Surface temp: 78 degrees... at the depth we're heading to: 42 degrees.

 

[AndrewR]

3/2mm is a good all-around for tropical diving, though it can get a bit warm in the hot summer. I would recommend against a shorty unless you're sure you won't ever be around coral -- not having that protection on the knees can get bloody.

I used to tropical dive weekly, and I have a 3/2mm and a .5mm dive skin plus a dive shirt and another dive shirt with a thermal hood. With various combinations, I was able to dive year round from the mid-60s to the mid-80s (water temp). Any colder, and I would have needed a 5mm (never tried the 3/2mm plus the dive skin and the shirt with the hood, but that might have worked, too). In the warmer months (90ish air temp, high humidity), even a dive skin was hot, but I appreciated it at depth (70-100') once we got past the thermalcline.

You're not going to have one set of gear for tropical and cold weather diving. Even some regulators won't work well in cold water when they are designed for warm. Face it, scuba eats your bank account. 🙂

 

[AUMM]

thanks for the replies... most of the diving I will be doing will be in tropical places....right now im looking at getting a 3mm one and see hwo it goes...