wetsuit

My X-CEL suit has blown the zipper again (right before a trip as usual) and I'm thinking of buying a new suit. The X-CEL has a lot of life left in it (after the zipper's fixed) so I'm considering saving it for north coast and winter diving and buying a 5mm suit for summer local diving and Channel Islands. I'm thinking of getting a Yazbeck. Does anyone use a 5mm suit here? Do you stay warm? Thanks you guys.

i get cold fast! i use a 6.5 farmer john and top by omer. its gettin old though and i lose heat faster now. i think i need to hunt down a new suit as well; (

Last year the water was once 45', I was very glad for my 7mm suit then, but usually I can get by with a 3mm FJ and a 7mm top.  The full 3mm suit is fine too if you aren't going to spend hours in the water.  I prefer it for short stints because I only need a 12lb belt...  My tolerance to cold, coming from MN, is probably higher than most though.    I might be happy with a 5mm, but that frigid day last year makes me err on the side of warmth.

For the northcoast, I've always been happy in 7mm and especially lately the water has been cooooooold.

I love the warmth and suppleness of my Yazbeck.  It's way warmer than my Omer 7 mm and it's so flexible you feel very free.  I would not recommend it if you are tough on suits, though.

John

Thanks you guys. I ordered a custom 5mm suit from Diveskin (in Greece). Camo 2 piece with added knee and elbow pads; ~$225 with shipping. I will report on it.
John, I am hard on suits and that's why I didn't get the yaz. Lobster diving eats suits up!

Head's Up!

I just returned my Yazbek because the seams were coming unglued after only being used 4 times.  They say that it happens with this batch so the distributor is sending me a new one from a different batch.  I sure hope this one lasts.  I'll keep you posted if this one falls apart.

John

Got my Diveskin suit and I've used it twice so far. I really like it. The custom fit is great. The 5mm didn't keep me quite warm enough at Carmel (49 degrees) though warmer than I would have thought, but at Del Monte and Montara at 56 degrees it was perfect! Much nicer not lugging all that neoprene around.  Seems well made. Less compression than the thicker suit too = a greater neutral bouyancy window (easier for halibut diving). Now all I need is some blood on it!