John Bantin 101 Posted February 9, 2006 You're right. I get to use a lot of different suits, wet, semi-dry and drysuits. I would always prefer to dive in any thing but a drysuit if I could if I am taking pictures. When I once shot footage for a programme underwater in the UK back in 1989, I opted to abandon my Viking drysuit and wear a 7mm semi-dry. (I had a couple so I always had a dry one to put on.) I found that a drysuit was simply not stable enough (it pitched and yawed due to the tiny amount of air in it migrating around) to be able to hold a motion-picture camera steady enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeanB 19 Posted February 9, 2006 Holy crap a doodle Mike. 7mm in 27oc.. When i was over in your part of the world i was in a 3mm shortie. Before that (after Continental lost my luggage) I was in a 1mm full suit. I think it was called a 'shark skin'. Lets put it this way you could tell what religion i was from 10 paces That was doing 3-4 dives a day. Last week I was in a quarry in the U.K and some Idiots were in semi-dry's, it was 5oc. You blokes are spoilt...God bless you all. Dive safe Dean(not in the slighest bit jealous)B Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RogerC 4 Posted February 10, 2006 There is definitely a water temp range that calls for a 7mm and not a drysuit, IMO. I dislike body glove since they moved production from california to offshore; I think that almost every suit they make will need at least one seam repair (free, but a pain) and the quality of their neoprene isn't great. It's tough, but gets stiff and loses warmth, probably the opposite end of the scale from the stretchy/fluffy neoprene that's so great when new but gets thin and torn with time. My wife has a 3mm bare that really impresses me. It has many panels in it and she says it's really comfortable. I'd definitely try a bare if you're buying off the rack. Look for stuff with a lot of panels, especially if it's not the stretchy neoprene. Another knock against body glove, their suits don't have many panels, they are really basic cuts. Custom is, of course, a good way to go, not just for cut but also so you get the neoprene you want. Aquaflite has some tough, thick stuff that could be 10mm, I can't remember, that a lot of serious SoCal lobster hunters wear. You can also go skin-in, like a freediver wears, that's warmer and takes a spray bottle of conditioner to put on. There is also something to be said for buying a cheap suit off the rack frequently. A new, soft, fluffy coat of neoprene is really nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
