Just about to buy a wetsuit, looking at full 7mm for Victoria ( Australian ) waters mainly.
It has since occured to me to consider the option of a 5mm full suit, with an added vest (probably hooded).
I think the last wetsuit I hired on my OW course was actually a 7/5 anyway ( Pinnacle "Cruiser"), so just wanting opinions of the pros and cons of each..
Also, what's the go with wearing a hooded vest...under or over..does one provide better insulation..?
And if I'm a size medium wetsuit, and choose to wear a vest over the top...do I get a size large vest...or will it stretch enough ??
losts of questions I know...but I'll my likely be purchasing online ( due to high local retail ), so need to look at all options first....
Unless you have a compelling reason to get a wet suit, I would get a
dry suit. Much easier, nicer and much more comfortable! Once you wear
one you will NEVER wear a wet suit again!
On a personal basis, I agree. I wouldn't be doing cold water dives if I hadn't gone to a dry suit. It's like night and day in terms of convenience and warmth. This is not a universal conclusion. I dive with someone who wears a wet suit. A dry suit is way more expensive, and it adds complication (an extra low pressure hose to control) and makes buoyancy a bit more complex. In answer to the original question, it really depends on how warm you want to be. A warmer alternative would be to get a 7 mil suit with a built-in hood and then get a vest to go with it. Since it's such a matter of personal preference, the usual advice is to try to rent something similar to what you're considering and see if it proves to be something you'd like to live with.
Just about to buy a wetsuit, looking at full 7mm for Victoria (
Australian ) waters mainly.
It has since occured to me to consider the option of a 5mm full suit,
with an added vest (probably hooded).
I think the last wetsuit I hired on my OW course was actually a 7/5
anyway ( Pinnacle "Cruiser"), so just wanting opinions of the pros and
cons of each..
Also, what's the go with wearing a hooded vest...under or over..does one
provide better insulation..?
And if I'm a size medium wetsuit, and choose to wear a vest over the
top...do I get a size large vest...or will it stretch enough ??
losts of questions I know...but I'll my likely be purchasing online ( due
to high local retail ), so need to look at all options first....
bc
5mm suit and vest gives you more flexibility if you dive further North but
will it be warm enough for your normal diving. You don't want cold knees
Yeah..I think I'm going to go with a full 7mm...like the Pinnacle / Paragon Elastiprene.. I have a Tusa 3mm steamer for warm water anyway..
I've often wondered what the hell those dry suits are all about...they look pretty funny ( unless you're a diver )...but I think way too complicated and too much fuss for me...and don't you need a special certification to wear one too ?
too much fuss for me...and don't you need a special certification to wear
one too ?
Special certification?! Riiiight ;)
PADI runs a dry suit course $250 and you get a dive thrown. No wonder PADI
stands for Put Another Dollar In
just kidding btw
Yea, I know. I did my OW cert through PADI at the LDS. The instructors didn't bother with the "PADI propaganda", as they called it. Instead they focused more on safety and common sense instead of 'going through the ranks and becoming a uber divemaster.
After I passed I ordered my equipment (we used rentals for the course, so I had a better idea of what to buy). When the choice came to wet or dry, it had to be dry. I said something like "I guess I'll have to do the dry suit course now, right?" The instructor/owner said "No, we'll take you out and show you how it works on one of our 'fun dives'(a bi-monthly event)." Cool, saved me some $$
Just about to buy a wetsuit, looking at full 7mm for Victoria (
Australian ) waters mainly.
It has since occured to me to consider the option of a 5mm full suit,
with an added vest (probably hooded).
I think the last wetsuit I hired on my OW course was actually a 7/5
anyway ( Pinnacle "Cruiser"), so just wanting opinions of the pros and
cons of each..
Also, what's the go with wearing a hooded vest...under or over..does one
provide better insulation..?
And if I'm a size medium wetsuit, and choose to wear a vest over the
top...do I get a size large vest...or will it stretch enough ??
losts of questions I know...but I'll my likely be purchasing online ( due
to high local retail ), so need to look at all options first....
bc
What's the temperature of the water and air in Victoria?
Well..the water is around 19-20 celsius on the summer (approx.65 f), but as far as air temp...we are quite famous for being all over the place...often four seasons in one day...summer would average around high 20's celsius though.. So if I want to dive all year round might need to anticipate range of about 60-70 fahrenheit...
While I was dreaming about my next Hawaii visit <47f5865d$0$13246$5a62a c22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>, dechucka <dechucka@vomithotmail.com> wrote
What's the temperature of the water and air in Victoria?
Well..the water is around 19-20 celsius on the summer (approx.65
f),
And down to as low as 9C in winter <50F
but as far as air temp...we are quite famous for being all over
the place...often four seasons in
one day...summer would average around high 20's celsius though..
So if I want to dive all year round might need to anticipate range
of about 60-70 fahrenheit...
A cold day in Winter can be around 8-10C
bc
You don't need a dry suit. And you're right, diving with a dry suit
is more complicated, besides the extra expense of the dry suit. I
dive in Southern California
with similar temperatures and use a 7/5 with a hooded vest over it.
Some put the hooded vest under the suit. Spray some hair conditioner
on your legs and arms to ease getting the suit on.
First, and probably most important point to consider is, "What is comfortable for you?" I know divers (generally female, but not exclusively) who won't dive in Victoria any time of the year without a dry suit. And I know others who will dive in a wet suit or semi-dry all year around. A lot depends on your metabolism and possibly how much "personal insulation" you may happen to have.
I dive in Victoria. Started with a 5mm "Farmer John" 2 piece and added a 5mm hooded vest later. The hooded vest underneath was a good compromise since it meant no cold water down the back of the neck. And with what I was wearing I effectively had 15mm of neoprene over the torso. Comfortable at 9C (after the initial shock) as long as I was moderately active. If I had been taking photos, it would have been bloody cold, though. (I tend to not move a lot on dives where I'm doing photography.) I'd have to say that in 9C my arms an legs were "cool". In any case, female partners have referred to me as the "human space heater", so it's probably fair to say that I'm less affected by the cold than most.
Another type of wetsuit to consider is the "Probe" brand available here. They use a "stretchier" type of neoprene. And since part of the goal is to reduce the water flow, a tighter fit is good. The only problem is that putting one of these suits on is a tad more difficult. (But see comments re ways of making it easier to get a suit on.)
BUT.... Now that I'm doing deco diving, I'm using a dry suit. Hanging around on the stops I find that I get cold easily since there is limited movement.
I still haven't thrown the wetsuit away, though. I pull it out for Summer most years.
Another alternative for getting on tight wetsuits is either a lycra "skinsuit" or a surfing "rash vest" with long sleeves and a pair of cold weather bicycle tights. The lycra and neoprene slide better against each other. I've also seen people put a plastic bag over their foot to help it slide into a suit.
What's the temperature of the water and air in Victoria?
Well..the water is around 19-20 celsius on the summer (approx.65
f),
And down to as low as 9C in winter <50F
but as far as air temp...we are quite famous for being all over
the place...often four seasons in
one day...summer would average around high 20's celsius though..
So if I want to dive all year round might need to anticipate range
of about 60-70 fahrenheit...
A cold day in Winter can be around 8-10C
bc
You don't need a dry suit. And you're right, diving with a dry suit
is more complicated, besides the extra expense of the dry suit. I
dive in Southern California
with similar temperatures and use a 7/5 with a hooded vest over it.
Some put the hooded vest under the suit. Spray some hair conditioner
on your legs and arms to ease getting the suit on.
First, and probably most important point to consider is, "What is
comfortable for you?" I know divers (generally female, but not
exclusively) who won't dive in Victoria any time of the year
without a dry suit. And I know others who will dive in a wet suit
or semi-dry all year around. A lot depends on your metabolism and
possibly how much "personal insulation" you may happen to have.
I dive in Victoria. Started with a 5mm "Farmer John" 2 piece and
added a 5mm hooded vest later. The hooded vest underneath was a
good compromise since it meant no cold water down the back of the
neck. And with what I was wearing I effectively had 15mm of neoprene
over the torso. Comfortable at 9C (after the initial shock) as
long as I was moderately active. If I had been taking photos, it
would have been bloody cold, though. (I tend to not move a lot
on dives where I'm doing photography.) I'd have to say that in 9C
my arms an legs were "cool". In any case, female partners have
referred to me as the "human space heater", so it's probably fair
to say that I'm less affected by the cold than most.
Another type of wetsuit to consider is the "Probe" brand available
here. They use a "stretchier" type of neoprene. And since part of
the goal is to reduce the water flow, a tighter fit is good. The
only problem is that putting one of these suits on is a tad more
difficult. (But see comments re ways of making it easier to get
a suit on.)
BUT.... Now that I'm doing deco diving, I'm using a dry suit.
Hanging around on the stops I find that I get cold easily since
there is limited movement.
I still haven't thrown the wetsuit away, though. I pull it
out for Summer most years.
Another alternative for getting on tight wetsuits is either a
lycra "skinsuit" or a surfing "rash vest" with long sleeves and
a pair of cold weather bicycle tights. The lycra and neoprene
slide better against each other. I've also seen people put a
plastic bag over their foot to help it slide into a suit.
Hope this is useful
-Don
Yeah I've been looking at that Probe....nice looking suit for sure...does look tight at the ankle...and no zippers there by the looks of the promo pic..
The Pinnacle (Paragon ) I tried on was the new "Elasteiprene" 7mm, and fit me way better than the previous "Cruiser" ( non stretchy )., also a little bit cheaper than the Probe.. so top of my list so far..
