Wet Suit help ASAP

[rcpilot44]

I am going to start lessons this weekend to become certified. I can not decide if I should purchase a 5mm or a 3 mm. I am 6 ft tall and weight 300#s. I will be in the Caymans in the beginning of March. I know it is a personal preference but what will give me the most versatility? I am looking at buying a Zeigler Ranger LTD BC and upgrade to 65#s of lift. It only costs $60.00 more to add. I am also looking at Mares Proton 42 all metal regulator. I appreciate any input.

[fishome25]

I would go for the 3mm and maybe get a core warmer but I doubt you will need it.
I'm 6 ft 150 lb. So i'm not so insulated.
I was getting a bit cold in the Bahamas this past April after a few days of repetitive diving.
that was 4-5 dives a day for nearly a week.

I wasn't real cold but a bit uncomfortable.
Since you weigh more and possibly will have more time to warm up after diving I think a 3mm will be fine.

[billsreef]

It's a bit of personal thing in regards to how your body reacts in the water to the temperature. Myself, I don't use a wetsuit or skin in the tropics finding the water plenty toasty. Some people do however chill easier and find a 3 mm suit or shorty to be the ticket to keeping comfortable in the tropics. The 5 mm would definitely be way too much for the tropics, to the point of sweating underwater ;)

[fishome25]

I dunno Bill, to us from the NE it might be warm. but when I was in the Philippines early this year most of the divers were using 5-7mm suits.

[billsreef]

True. I always laugh at my FL friends that complain about the water being cold when it drops around 70ish :lol:

[tibbs2]

I would probably get the 3mm myself. I prefer the full wetsuit with headcover and gloves. Don't forget that the wetsuit is also for protection. One of the last times I was snorkling I was bitten by a picasso triggerfish on the hand. Luckily I was wearing gloves otherwise I would have had a nice chunk of flesh missing from my hand. All kinds of stuff out there like jellyfish, urchins, etc. that you don't want to make skin to skin contact with.

[billsreef]

They won't let you wear gloves in the Caymans ;)

[rcpilot44]

Thanks guys,
I bought a 3mm suit last night. I can always add a core warmer or buy a 5 or 7 when doing colder water dives. I can't wait to get started. What underwater camera do most people use. I have a Canon 10mpixel camera but the housing is 1,400. I am looking at the Sea and Sea 860 with a strobe...

[Reefdiver77]

Puerto Rico also does not allow gloves. They discourage you from touching anything while underwater.

[bhbell]

The 3mm will be fine. Besides, you can always use the wetsuit heater if you get a little cold. Seriously a good fitting 3mm will be warmer than a poorly fitting 5mm suit. I'm 6'2" 270ish & would likely use a dive skin for that area.

[rcpilot44]

Thanks, I ordered an Henderson 3mm custom made suit.. Looking forward to Cayman..

[Ron Leversee]

Good choice......take some pics of your dive!!! Have a great time!!!!

[David P]

I would re think your bc choice... Lets say you come out here to the coast and decide to dive in a full 7mil wetsuit with an aluminum 80 (worst case scenario for my point) As an average you take 10% of your body weight plus 5 lbs, and that is what you start with for you weight belt/ditch pockets. So you are looking at carring 35 lbs of lead. Why do you need 65 lbs of bouyancy? You are neutral/slightly positive (normally float at eye level with normal breath, but due to your size I would assume that you are even more positively buoyant), you're wetsuit is buoyant at the surface, the only thing a bc that big is going to do is slow you down as you swim, make you breath harder, and end your dives faster. I personally dive in a drysuit, double steel 120's, big ol light canister attached to my belt and I have an oversized bc, at 60lbs, I would have more than enough buoyancy with a 50 lb model. If you are looking for a bc for tropic water, you could get away with a much smaller unit, Like an aluminum back plate and a real small set of wings like 20 lbs!

[Tech Diver]

I agree with David about the BC - too much buoyancy. I too use a steel backplate, double steel 100s, a big-a$$ canister light, dry suit, only 4 lbs on my weight belt, and 40 lb wings (I have no natural buoyancy since I am 5' 8" and 135 lbs). If you dive the tropics you can probably get away with 35 lb wings or less.

Speaking of wings, for those of us who are technical divers and use double tanks, the standard method of attachment is a backplate (metal or plastic), a harness, and wings. Nearly everyone who has used this configuration has found it to be far more superior to the BC approach that has been dictated by the fashions of the dive industry. I know many recrational divers that switched to this plate-wing configuration (using a single tank) once they have experienced the simplicity, versatility and improved control that you get. Therefore, I encourage you to check it out before you make your final decision. If you are curious, you could look at companies like Halcyon or DiveRite.

[David P]

and if you ARE fashion minded, you can always get different colored 2" webbing to make the harness! I promised my wife I would set her up in pink, purple, maybe even rainbow striped (I've seen it once but... thats pushing it!) if she would go diving with me.

http://www.waveaction.net/Back%20plate%20harness/files/page4_3.jpg
that is a good picture of a backplate and harness (also a very good brand)
http://subseasports.com/store/media/conversionkitsm.jpg
pretty good diagram of how a wing is attached to the backplate (I would NOT recommend this brand though

[coral diver]

I will check our Mexico Plant for the pink and purple webbing just for your wife David

[David P]

huh? SP has webbing? Any rumors of you guys putting out plates and wings again? I don't know if you know of him but Dr Bill (marine biologist/DM here on Catalina) dives one of your old tek wings(cant remember the name) and this thing is so well used, he desperately needs a new one. He says he always watches ebay for more and prays you guys start making them again.