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Everyone has different limitations when it comes to cold. I wear a 7mm all summer and winter and am fine. During the summer a 5mm is fine. Last year I wore a 3mm in October and was toasty warm...until I hit a thermocline at 45’ and my teeth were chattering. I think you will want at least a 7mm during winter. Half my buddies go to a dry suit during winter, which I think is overkill for the most part. Partly because I can’t afford one, and partly because I like to pee in my wetsuit!
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LOL thanks for the response. I have thought about that, what do you do if you have to pee while in a dry suit. I’ve done 65 in a 5mm, guessing 55 in a 5mm with a 3mm vest wouldn’t cut it.
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When I’m there I dive with a 7mm suit, 5mm integrated vest hood, boots, and gloves. I have a fairly high tolerance for cold but still require it. I don’t care to dive dry either for the same reason as Rich and I don’t care for the extra weight requirement. Have fun!
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I wear a 7 mil jumpsuit over a 3 mil hooded vest plus a beanie, I don’t like 7 mil around my neck!
7 mil gloves would have kept my fingers warmer but 5 mil is the best I can do and still manage the camera buttons.
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From pphan13: LOL thanks for the response. I have thought about that, what do you do if you have to pee while in a dry suit. I’ve done 65 in a 5mm, guessing 55 in a 5mm with a 3mm vest wouldn’t cut it....
I thought about purchasing a dry suit but for the same reasons as everyone else, I have not made the conversion. (I’m sure you have heard that there are two types of divers when it comes to peeing in a wetsuit.)
If you do go dry, you have a couple of options. You can choose to hold it until you are topside again (but that’s crazy, I think). You can wear adult diapers. Or you can have your suit outfitted with a pee-valve. For dudes, you can buy condom-style catheters from a medical supplier and connect it to the valve. If you want a suit that has a valve, plan to spend a couple hundred dollars extra and it will be just one more thing you have to maintain. From what I’ve heard, the valve option is available to women but it is a more complicated set-up that I won’t go into on the forum. (Drop me a line and I can explain if you are curious.)
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LOL SeaGoat, I was only joking about the peeing int he drysuit :) I don’t think I’ll ever go dry suit, it just looks too bulky and I don’t like the thought of hauling around more weight. Lattitude, you said 5 mil for gloves to operate the camera? I was thinking three because I was afraid 5 would be too think to be able to manipulate the small buttons.
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avi - 10/17/2012 2:10 AM 
Just got back from San Diego diving. Wore a 7 mil w 5mil gloves and was very warm. leave your gloves hooked to your bcd till you decend or youll be burning up on your surface swim.
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Ya don’t pee in your drysuit when your staying warm enough. The only pee was dive #651 from a DCS hit. The pee went fine. Getting off the boat into that 50 degree surface water to flush myself. The drysuit was wash/wear yrly. Well it got washed two times that year.
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Pphan- thank you for asking this question, I was wondering the same thing! I wonder what else I should consider that will be different from the East Coast...
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SWO, well from what I hear beach entry with surf possibly. All beach entries I’ve ever done has been nice and flat with no surf at all so that might become a little challenge at first.
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