I am looking to buy a wetsuit and I am looking for recommendations. Most of
my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
dove in a quarry yesterday here where the surface temp was in the 80's but
below the thermocline it dropped to the 50's. Burr. I wore a 5mm rental
suit which was fine below the thermocline but a little much above 30 feet.
My question is what thickness should I be looking for, 3mm or 5mm? One
piece or two? Brand recommendations? I don't want to spend too much on a
suit because I will probably need to replace it soon when I move to Ohio in
a year or two with a warmer one. In other words, I'm looking for a good
suit around $150-$200, or less if it exists.
Nitespark - 11 Aug 2003 01:47 GMT
> my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
> dove in a quarry yesterday here where the surface temp was in the 80's but
> below the thermocline it dropped to the 50's. Burr. I wore a 5mm rental
> suit which was fine below the thermocline but a little much above 30 feet.
Let me guess....Fantasy Lake??? I was there a few weeks ago. Viz
sucked. You cooked on the surface and froze below the thermocline.
flybrew - 11 Aug 2003 02:00 GMT
No, Blue Stone Quarry. Not a bad dive, vis wasn't great maybe 20 feet but
acceptable. I live about halfway between Rolesville and Blue Stone.
> > my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
> > dove in a quarry yesterday here where the surface temp was in the 80's but
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Let me guess....Fantasy Lake??? I was there a few weeks ago. Viz
> sucked. You cooked on the surface and froze below the thermocline.
Nitespark - 11 Aug 2003 11:01 GMT
BlueStone was my next guess. Nice facilities there.
As to your original question....you are not going to find a wetsuit that
will be comfortable above and below the thermocline. Since you
mentioned diving the ocean, if most of your diving will be when the
ocean temp is around 70 deg., I might suggest a 3mm and then just "suck
it up" when you hit the quarries (and those thermoclines).
> No, Blue Stone Quarry. Not a bad dive, vis wasn't great maybe 20 feet but
> acceptable. I live about halfway between Rolesville and Blue Stone.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>>Let me guess....Fantasy Lake??? I was there a few weeks ago. Viz
>>sucked. You cooked on the surface and froze below the thermocline.
Jon C - 11 Aug 2003 12:54 GMT
There's no way you can just "suck it up" in 50 degree water in a 3 mm
wetsuit, especially at depth. You're asking for serious hypothermia if you
spend more than just a couple of minutes there.
Jon
> BlueStone was my next guess. Nice facilities there.
>
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> >>Let me guess....Fantasy Lake??? I was there a few weeks ago. Viz
> >>sucked. You cooked on the surface and froze below the thermocline.
Alan Street - 11 Aug 2003 16:27 GMT
>There's no way you can just "suck it up" in 50 degree water in a 3 mm
>wetsuit, especially at depth. You're asking for serious hypothermia if you
>spend more than just a couple of minutes there.
>
>Jon
Even though Jon associates with SB droolers :-), I have to agree
totally. 50 degrees in a 3mm is near suicidal. If anything, I'd suggest
"sucking it up" by dressing for the colder water and dealing with the
overheating issues. As for the 5mm rental, as you get a little
experienced, you might find that even too thin. I use a one piece 7mm,
and it's OK down to the mid 50's or so, but I froze my a.s off
yesterday with dives in the 48-52 degree range (definately drysuit
territory).
Alan
Scott - 12 Aug 2003 18:49 GMT
> There's no way you can just "suck it up" in 50 degree water in a 3 mm
> wetsuit, especially at depth. You're asking for serious hypothermia if you
> spend more than just a couple of minutes there.
You have obviously never been diving with The Old Kane, Dinky Dave or me.
Kane is infamous for 42 degree night dives in a 7mm with no hood;
Dinky Dave did 250 for 15 in Agamemnon in January;
I dove for a year and a half, several dives a day, in Hood Canal in an old
Mares 7mm.
"Blue Acorns" all 'round.
Dry is much better in these temps, but even then, pushing past 60 minutes
makes it a chore.
Scott
Jon C - 11 Aug 2003 02:57 GMT
For temps dropping to the 50's I'd get at least 5mm... but most preferably a
7/5 or something like that.
Akone makes a nice 7mm jumpsuit,
http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=10
29&prmenbr=946&cgrfnbr=982&parentCategory=980&sort=prsdesc
So does Bare:
http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=28
44&prmenbr=946&cgrfnbr=982&parentCategory=980&sort=prsdesc
And, for even less money, Mares:
http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=94
6&prrfnbr=81318&merchant_rn=946
I recently bought a 3mm Evo (Divers Direct house brand) wetsuit that I'm
very happy with, they make a 5/4/3:
http://www.diversdirect.com/scripts/ecatalogisapi.dll/Group?Group=106&Template=9
990000001000999&searchn=0&maxresults=
For my money, though, especially considering you'll be moving to Ohio, I say
get a drysuit. The guys at http://www.dansdiveshop.ca will be able to hook
you up with a Bare drysuit for a hell of a price. They'll send you a
measurement sheet and make sure you get something that fits. My ATR HD came
from them and I can't say enough about the excellent service. You can also
find mad cheap Nexus suit packages on ebay that include everything for under
$700.
Failing that, I'd come up with the extra cash for a semi-dry. Never been in
one, but they seem like a nice inexpensive alternative to extremely large
amounts of neoprene.
http://s1059kxm.leisurepro.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=49
82&prmenbr=946
Jon
> I am looking to buy a wetsuit and I am looking for recommendations. Most of
> my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> a year or two with a warmer one. In other words, I'm looking for a good
> suit around $150-$200, or less if it exists.
Alexander Strouk - 14 Aug 2003 19:38 GMT
> I am looking to buy a wetsuit and I am looking for recommendations. Most of
> my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> a year or two with a warmer one. In other words, I'm looking for a good
> suit around $150-$200, or less if it exists.
It is funny. Doesn't look like anybody (except for a couple of people)
have given you a recommendation regarding wetsuits. Instead, they have
preferred to demonstrate their extensive knowledge skills in
absolutely all fields.
Ok. It will be difficult to find a decent wetsuit for diving in 50F
for $150-200. Try http://www.leisurepro.com Anyway, they have the best
prices to my knowledge. IMHO a good wetsuit is the one that fits. Of
course, it is good to know if it is made from quality neoprene, but
most of well-known manufacturers use the same kind of neoprene, mostly
from Japan. I live in Northern California where a temperature of water
usually doesn't exceed 56F, so I'll tell you what I and divers I know
like to wear and that's it:)
Mares Isotherm Millennium (very good one, but they come only in 4-5
different sizes. Nor M or L suit didn't fit me)
Henderson Gold Core or Hyperstretch (good, warm, but stitches are not
the best quality)
XCel SCS Polar Tri-Density (I have this one. It is 9/7/6 mil , 9 is on
the chest, one-piece, hooded. I like it so far:) Good size chart. It
comes in every size imaginable. It fits like a custom one, very good
stitches)
Parkway Scuba SemiDry 7 mil (Pyrostrecth or Shark Skin) - This one is
not so expensive. You can find it at internet less than for $300. My
friends like it.
Some of my friends dive in Bare, Harvey's, Ocean Reef 7mil (7/5 etc)
wetsuits and they are pretty satisfied with them.
Again, find a wetsuit that fits you, made from decent neoprene, has
good stitches and zippers and you'll be ok.
P.S. I am not talking about dry suits here. They cost a lot more than
$200:))
Greg Mossman - 15 Aug 2003 07:23 GMT
> for $150-200. Try http://www.leisurepro.com Anyway, they have the best
> prices to my knowledge. IMHO a good wetsuit is the one that fits.
How do you make sure it fits when you order it online?
Grumman-581 - 15 Aug 2003 12:27 GMT
> How do you make sure it fits when you order it online?
Be prepared to either diet or pig out...
Jim.Greenlee@cc.gatech.edu - 15 Aug 2003 13:04 GMT
mossman@qnet.com stopped playing nethack just long enough to say:
>How do you make sure it fits when you order it online?
The same way you do any other mail-order apparel item. Are you telling
us that you have *never* ordered clothes through the mail?
-JimG

Signature
Jim Greenlee (jkg@cc.gatech.edu) You are standing inside a large
College of Computing unexecuted /dev/unix. The only
Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332 _exit you see is at 0x02004000.
Dan Bracuk - 16 Aug 2003 12:43 GMT
Jim.Greenlee@cc.gatech.edu entertained us with:
: Are you telling
:us that you have *never* ordered clothes through the mail?
Yes.
Dan Bracuk
As Big Ben said to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I've got the time if you've got the inclination.
The Best of Rec.Scuba
http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/
nospam@all.please.net - 15 Aug 2003 17:09 GMT
> > for $150-200. Try http://www.leisurepro.com Anyway, they have the best
> > prices to my knowledge. IMHO a good wetsuit is the one that fits.
>
> How do you make sure it fits when you order it online?
You try it on when it arrives and send it back if it doesn't.
Grumman-581 - 15 Aug 2003 22:21 GMT
> You try it on when it arrives and send it back if it doesn't.
And after a few cycles of that, you end up probably paying as much as if you
bought it at your local dive shop... The problem with buying an item like a
wetsuit from mail order is that the size measurements that the shops use are
not absolute measurements... A 'L' from one manufacturer might be an 'XL'
from another... Complicating the process is the fact that there might be
slight differences in sizes between two suits of the same specified size
from the same manufacturer...
Personally, I think it works out best if you just happen to be taking a dive
trip to somewhere that is close to the mail order company's location so that
you can just stop by their store and try it on... My last wetsuit was bought
because I happened to be in Orlando and stumbled across a Divers Direct
Outlet store... I had bought things from them mail order and upon stumbling
across their physical store, I ended up buying other things including a
Harvey FJ wetsuit...
Salty - 16 Aug 2003 07:45 GMT
> > You try it on when it arrives and send it back if it doesn't.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> slight differences in sizes between two suits of the same specified size
> from the same manufacturer...
<snip>
IMHO, unless your body measurements are so different from the average
standard that the manufacturer lists, it probably won't kill you to
buy from a catalog. I've bought clothes from catalogs for years and it
ain't a big deal. Most times the item is great and fits fine.
Sometimes the item fits fine but I don't like the color or pattern or
cut once I see it and so I send the item back. I figure that the
shipping cost is the cost of what I'd spend to drive my car, using
gasoline/tire tread/my time to drive, find a parking spot at the mall,
etc.
IMHO, the person needs to weigh the price differences and consider the
chance of the item fitting well the first time. If a person can't
deal with that concept, then they should go to the store directly.
~Salty, CID~
Alexander Strouk - 16 Aug 2003 17:37 GMT
> > for $150-200. Try http://www.leisurepro.com Anyway, they have the best
> > prices to my knowledge. IMHO a good wetsuit is the one that fits.
>
> How do you make sure it fits when you order it online?
I try it in the dive shop and then buy it online:))
Salty - 16 Aug 2003 07:24 GMT
> I am looking to buy a wetsuit and I am looking for recommendations. Most of
> my diving is in North Carolina and consists of quarries and the coast. I
> dove in a quarry yesterday here where the surface temp was in the 80's but
> below the thermocline it dropped to the 50's. Burr. I wore a 5mm rental
> suit which was fine below the thermocline but a little much above 30 feet.
You can always open up and vent a suit that is too warm or wear one
piece of it if it is two piece. But if your suit isn't thick enough
and you're too cold, then you're pretty much outta luck and left to
pee into your wet suit for warmth. Even that only lasts a little
while.
> My question is what thickness should I be looking for, 3mm or 5mm?
For a temp of 50's, you should be be wearing 7mm or a dry suit.
> One
> piece or two? Brand recommendations? I don't want to spend too much on a
> suit because I will probably need to replace it soon when I move to Ohio in
> a year or two with a warmer one. In other words, I'm looking for a good
> suit around $150-$200, or less if it exists.
You need to pick a priority : Warmth or price. You might not have the
luxury of both. If I were you and thinking of moving to Ohio, I'd go
with a 7mm and figure on the possibility of buying a dry suit.