Wetsuit??? How heavy?

[S&M in Pgh]

I used to dive wearing only a shortie, but now after some serious knee reconstruction, I feel I need some extra padding and insulation there.

 

I was never really cold in the shortie, even at 100 ft in 80 degree water (I sweat like a pig when I exercise) so I think 3mm might be too much. But is 0.5mm or 1mm enough? I only dive when I am in the Caribbean so the water is never less than 75.

 

Mike

[scubaran]

I used to dive wearing only a shortie, but now after some serious knee reconstruction, I feel I need some extra padding and insulation there.

 

I was never really cold in the shortie, even at 100 ft in 80 degree water (I sweat like a pig when I exercise) so I think 3mm might be too much. But is 0.5mm or 1mm enough? I only dive when I am in the Caribbean so the water is never less than 75.

 

Mike

 

Hi,

 

I dive in 80 degrees with a 3mm full wetsuit. I sweat watching a beach show on TV and dive in 48 degrees with a 7mm with 3mm gloves and hoodie. With the new hyperstretch materials, they're much more flexible and wick very well.

 

Randall

[cmdchiefthom]

Randall has it right. A 3mm full suit not only gives your knees some protection, especially with knee pads, but also provides some compression on knees that have had work done on them. I've had both my knees done, and my Parkway suit suit helps maintain an even strain on my knees. It also packs nicely, without much bulk, and I never get cold in the Caribbean, Red Sea, or South Pacific, where I now kind of limit my diving too.;)

[Pilot70D]

We dive in Caribbean frequently and wear diveskins however the dive leaders are usually wearing 3mm wetsuits. You might want to consider a 3/2mm full wetsuit. They of course have 3mm thick foam for the torso and 2mm for the arms and legs. They usually have knee pads molded in for more knee protection.

 

We wear Henderson wetsuits exclusively because of their quality and their fit. There are a number of other good wetsuits though. BTW I am not affiliated with any manufacturer of dive equipment nor any dive shop. The Henderson recommendation comes from getting years of comfortable use from their products. :-)

 

Hope this is helpful. Enjoy that next dive.

[Hilary]

If you think a 3mm is too thick, look at the microprene suits. They're about 1/2 as thick as the 3mm and have the same construction as a regular 3mm suit with knee pads, etc.

[booth22]

If you're just looking to pad the knee, why not just by a neoprene sleeve for it? You can get them at the sports shop, where they have ankle braces, etc. If you're used to a shortie, I wouldn't switch, you'll probably just be uncomfortable.

[S&M in Pgh]

Booth,

 

I tried that and they sleeves tend to slide down as water gets underneath. Plus I need the padding for bump and brooze protection as well since I am not that smooth getting out of the water.

 

Mike

[Bassethound]

When I had ligament problems in my knee I used my 1 mm full suit for general warmth and used the neoprene sleeve OVER the 1 mm for extra knee support. The neoprene on neoprene keeps the knee sleeve in place.

[S&M in Pgh]

Thanks for the idea. I will have to try that when I do my refresher course.

[Scuba Laura]

The best suit I've found for knee protection is offered by Water Proof , website is www.waterproof.se

 

The knee pads are larger than normal and the suits have other excellent features as well. Might be what you're looking for.