going out in the cold cold Pacific ocean?

Danglin on Deck.... 

 First of all...  That little pond in our front yard can be more dangerous than the ocean...

Sudden Strong winds, high chop waves and strong tides can really ruin your day....

  Respect... Respect... Respect....!!!!

 The spring Hali's will be coming soon, many trips to the Alameda Rock Wall and my favorite

Ferry point in Point Richmond... what I'm saying here is safety in numbers and real good advise to prepare for the worse...

Tallpaul had it right too in that ya want a Farmer John suit as not to overheat...

as far as the modifications... I have no idea,

The guy at Steels Dive shop in Berkeley seems pretty Kool and he is wanting to help out with HOW...

I could give him a call as pose this question...  but please, if anyone has advice please post up...

 And Jerbear,

 So glad you are participating with us, 

you have found a Great resource of Friends, information and Good Times!!!!

   

Either is jumping in off a rocky perch in just shorts...   

Threadjack:  B'Ab, that's a helluva NICE cove.  Where that be at?

Abalone Point at Shelter Cove, Martin.  I was trying to kill a hangover...   

Jer, get a wetsuit.  I've gotten hypothermia on several occasions doing supervised swims in the bay with no wetsuit.  Its not fun (unless near death experiences are your thing LOL).  It kicks in pretty fast, even in "summer".

Don't believe anything this guy says - he gets hypothermia just for kicks and has been known to taunt tourists by swimming rings around jet boats in the bay. 


and just in case any kids (or adults who behave like kids) are looking; seriously, don't mess around with the bay & ocean. Ain't no joke, hypothermia kills. Dress for immersion and were a PFD . . . ALWAYS.

Abalone Point at Shelter Cove, Martin.  I was trying to kill a hangover...   

Dude, I'd say you were still loaded...........brrrr.............those be some cojones, jumping in that s@#t.

Regarding the wetsuit:  If you're just starting out, man, get the wetsuit.

I wear waders usually, but I'm old and my kids are grown up, so I'm kinda a biological dead end.  I've paddled for a long time, so I don't fall off my boat that much.  But if you're new to the game.......get a suit.

I got the NRS farmer john used n patched the butt up a little=40 dollars of life saving pure pleasure. I dont use it in the bay as often as i should. but this thread makes me think twice. yeah farmer john dude. as far as relief. just zip down the zipper  good luck out there and WTTM!

A wetsuit is just good manners. Say you go out and fall in, then get hypothermia. One or two guys will have to follow and/or help you in. This might be OK if the bites off, but if the bite on....   

Hey Jerry, i'll bring my spare farmer-john to delvalle on friday and you can check out and see if it will work. My only concern would be whether the foot piece will slide through easily enough. Is that thing saltwater corrosion resistant?

I'm wondering if spraying some conditioner/water mixture will resolve it.

if u don't know, many of us freedivers spray hair conditioner/water solution to aid in getting our dive suits on. Glides on smooth as silk, and afterwards, your wetsuit has a pleasant aroma instead of smelling like BO. I use a mint conditioner

Peace, y'all

Danglin on Deck.... 

 
The guy at Steels Dive shop in Berkeley seems pretty Kool and he is wanting to help out with HOW...

Back in 1985 a good friend of mine took up diving with us all. He went to Steeles on Saturday morn where they helped him cut and glue a cheap wetsuit to fit his withered leg, he'd had polio as a kid and it left one leg in really bad shape. Then he went to Salt pt on Sunday, shot some perch, took'em home and roasted them for dinner, Showed up Monday morning and said "now I'm ready for some ab diving and told us the story....... we dove together for about 15 years before he finally retired from it.  So yeah Steeles is the palce I'd recommend, they'll bend over backwards to help and get you out the door as cheap as they can, they're in it for the fun....

Family operation, I think Jim still runs the place.

I got just one thing to say and that's THANK YOU VERY MUCH for all the info. I think it might be some time before i can afford a wetsuit. guess i will have to stay in the lakes for now.

What size...height weight are you?  I got a few surfsuits that still have some life left in them.

I dont use it in the bay as often as i should. but this thread makes me think twice. yeah farmer john dude. as far as relief. just zip down the zipper  good luck out there and WTTM!

Hey JerBear(WTTMadness) & FiShadow!

check this vid out....@430 the current is going soooo fast, that the bay IS the most dangerous when it comes to flipping and getting seperated from your kayak.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qp2x8zGnMsI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

well, I am 5'8" and about 220. I have a little belly and large arms and skinny legs or 1.5 leg, missing 1/2 of one of them, left leg.
will i fit? I was a body builder but when i got hurt it all went to hell. cant do any cardiovascular work outs.. YET! I still lift a little weights but mostly just for the arms. I wear extra large shirts and my waist is 34" and length is 30
Jerry

JerBear, I used to manage a surf shop. One of my good friends was a double leg amputee, well above the knees. He used to cut wetsuit legs off, glue and handstich for bodyboarding (untill he got sponsored). Don't know how much this helps as every custom adaptation is, well, custom. I'd say get a cheap 2nd hand suit. If you buy right, it could suffice for quite some time.

I've modified several suits over the years, my advice is to take up an offer on a cheap or free suit, get a NEW can of neoprene glue and experiment a little.  New glue is a must.

Follow the directions on the can and do your first trys on some extra material as it does take a few trys to develop a little "technique" .  But the seams once dry are amazingly strong.