Warmest, most comfortable 7mm

Um ... 7mm ... when you get to that sort of thickness wouldn't it be easier to just go for a drysuit ?

there are tropical drysuits which offer great movement and can be worn in temp's about 76 deg to 80 deg. (the site states up to 30 deg C)

probably easier to pack ... and more comfy.

personally I would choose my dive destination better (he says shivering at the thought of SA this June)

Giles,

I have worn a 7mm for the last 3 years, except for the last 2 months when my latest developed holes so i have a 5mm that was given to me (yes i am freezing on the second dive)

I dive in nothing less than 27C or 78F.....

Some of us are just wusses and can't stand shivering...blame it on the liveaboard days....

I think a drysuit is a pain in the ass and am much more comfortable in a nice fitting one piece 7mm, one less hose and no worries about air in the suit crap.

Mmmmm SA, whats that? Bout 16-18C? Have fun buddy!

I suppose I will eventually break down and get a drysuit. In the meantime, it's one less thing to fail. Until I start getting cold during dives I'm don't plan on bothering with them.

Someone asked what temps I use the wetsuit in... Typically, the water here varies from 38F to 70F with the average being in the low 50s. At the coldest temps I'm still comfortable in the suit for over an hour.

Several times a year I DM a few classes and I get to chuckle at the other DMs and instructor when a student accidentally pulls their neck seals open. Nothing like a quick shower of 40F water

I'm with Mike on this one - even in warm water, if you do 5 dives or more in a day you start losing some serious body heat - do it every day, week in and week out and it can catch up with you. Plus if you're in conditions where your depth may change a lot (taking pictures in midwater following animals) it's a lot nicer to have only one source of bouyancy to worry about.

I wear a 7/6/5 in the Bahamas sometimes when we're doing the shark dives there because I've spent 10 hrs in the water in a day on many occasions - and a drysuit is a pain in the ass for some diving. Don't get me wrong - I love my drysuit and there are conditions I wouldn't even consider diving wet in, but there are times when it's too cumbersome/bulky (cave diving is another occasion).

I use the Xcel Polar Quad-Density here in Northern California. I love it!

However, I notice you want the ability to wear a vest with buit in hood. That would be a problem with the Xcel because this particular wetsuit already has a built in hood. Personally I think the built in hood is one of the things that makes it such a nice fitting and warm suit. Perhaps you could use a core warmer vest with out hood?

There's a small store accross the bay from you in Sausalito that carries Xcel wetsuits. It might be worth taking a trip over to try one on and see if it would work for you.

Oh...and it's all black with not a single hint of bright greens, yellows or pinks. An added plus.

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.

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

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.