sel1005

looking for mfg name, thickness, good / bad / ugly comments, what to look for, what to avoid, all that.

been a long time since I bought one, but they have changed a lot; used to be quarter inch, all that, now its 4/3, 3/2, stuff I dont really understand.

shallow water, wear on the boat when not in the water, what do you recommend?

Native Diver

We use pinnacle and scuba pro wet suits and have not had one problem with them. We have used the 3/2's all summer. That is the thickness in mm. Most of the wetsuit is made from 3mm of neoprene with areas of 2mm thickness under the arms for comfort/ mobility. It wont be long before we start using the 5mm's with the water temps starting to drop.

Evensplit

Wetsuits have come a long way in the last 10 years. I would recommend hitting the local dive shops and seeing what is available. Things like "hyperstretch", "Merino lined", "Duratex", and "Thermaprene" are difficult to describe over the internet.

You'll be impressedwith the new technology.

Telum Pisces

I dive a 3mm full body one piece suit all summer. It is a Akona stretch suit. I love the stretch part of the suit. It makes it easy to get on and off.

When the water cools off, I put a 7/5mm Pinnacle Elitesuit that has the Merino lining in it. It has 7mm in the core areas of your torso and 5mm in the arms and legs to allow more movement. It's a great suit.

ul412al

I dive an Xcel 3/2 and love it. Bought it at MBT.

sealark

7MM farmer John and hooded vest for me when the water gets below 70 degrees

Orion45

My very first wet suit was a 1/4" (6.35 mil) farmer john which was replaced by several 6 mil suits. Unless you are cold blooded, make long dives at shallow depths, ormakedecompression dives which requirelonghang times,a one piece 5 or 6 mil with a hooded vest is all you should need around here.I plan to get a one piece 5 mil and a hooded vest as soon as I drop a "few" pounds. On the other hand, if youdive the springs and/or rivers,you shouldconsider more neoprene. For me, the biggest problem with winter diving in this areais not the temperature of the water but the chill factor after surfacing.As long asI can get out of the wet suit, intodry clothes, and out of the wind, I'mcomfortable.

Another option is a dry suit. However, you need to considerthe cost factor, maintenance, and hassle when diving with a<STRIKE>wet</STRIKE> Dry suit.I've tried itonce in the Jan-Feb time frime and found outit was not worth the extra hassle.

However, bear in mindthat diving out of a center console in the winter time is miserable, no matter what. If you go out in a center console, invest in some quality foul weather gear and rubber boots to wear over a sweat suit while running to and from the dive sites.

Edited portion in Red

polar21

I have two wetsuits that I use. The first being an Xcel 3/2 that I got at mbt for $79. It is an outstanding suit that does its job and for the price its hard to beat. I also ordered a 5/7 from leisurepro.com that is made by Henderson. I bought a package deal that included hoodie, boots, suit, and gloves along with several other items (wash, hanger, etc) for about $150. The Henderson suit is quite nice and keeps me nice and toasty especially during the winter time. I have not worn any other suit so I have no comparisons, just providing some input.

sel1005

Thanks everyone for your input and advice. Have to ask though, what is the SOS deal all about? It seems at a 300,000 ft level like its reasonable, but can someone educate me on why folks are against it? I understand the animosity for the NMFS and commercial boats, but why are charter boats / captains being tossed under the bus too?

Apologize for my lack of understanding on this, I am out of touch on the real issues I guess but thanks in advance for helping get me up to speed.

Worn Out

Just be sure to get one that doesn't shrink like mine have over the last 35 years....