What to look for when buying your first diving suit?

This is the question facing every diving student. We are drawn in by the underwater world and start planning everything to have as many opportunities for further dives as possible. It doesn’t matter if we start the course or if we already have our licence in hand, we are already thinking about how to complete our diving equipment. ABC we already have, the next step is our first wetsuit. Where to start? What should we remember when buying our first wetsuit?

As a newly qualified diver we will naturally direct our questions to someone with more experience. That is, our instructor, or people with whom we happen to dive. Being curious about everything new and fascinating, we will decide to check every piece of information at the source, which is most likely to be asking Uncle Google. With an outline of the situation, tons of analysis and plenty of tips, we’ll finally set off to buy our dream equipment.

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We are already familiar with the offer of online shops, and we have also checked if any of them have a materialised location somewhere near where we live. It’s always a good idea to see for yourself what you’re buying. The staff are sure to have diving experience and will be able to advise what kit will be best for our needs. They will also take care to fit and adjust the equipment properly.

A wet suit is essential. It is our first line of defence against the cold reality that awaits us underwater. Taking care of the right body temperature is a significant step in increasing the comfort of diving, and thus increasing our pleasure. Regardless of where we are going to dive and which wetsuit we are going to buy, let’s remember that it should fit well. Pay attention to its finish and the features it has. Are the knees, elbows and buttocks (the areas most prone to abrasion) reinforced and how flexible is the neoprene? Of course, we can start with a dry suit, but it is more expensive and involves additional purchases, such as a padding, rings, etc. Therefore, our suggestion for the beginning is the popular wetsuit.

Overall 3mm thick, this is gear for the warmest waters only. It works great in tropical climate, but even for Egypt, except for the warmest periods, it will be insufficient. The number of dives we plan and their duration is also important. Even in the hottest regions, frequent and long underwater stays expose our body to serious heat loss.

A more reasonable solution seems to be 5 mm thickness. However, if we add an appropriate warming vest (7 mm thick), we get a set perfect for Polish waters, capable of giving us adequate cover even for short ice dives. Thus, the 5 mm overall and 7 mm thick warming waistcoat is a universal set. Ideal for those who dive wherever they can, regardless of the climate and the prevailing temperature.

For all those who are only interested in cold waters and want a suit that provides protection in harsh conditions, an interesting variant will be a set in the thickness of 7 mm overall and a waistcoat. It puts an extreme emphasis on warming up, but you have to remember that it is at the expense of our freedom of movement. It will also not be suitable for trips to warmer parts of the world, as we will simply be too hot.

As for the models on offer, there is a lot of them and we can find equipment of various qualities and in quite a wide price range. Looking for a wetsuit it’s worth checking the offer of companies such as Scubapro, Mares, Bare, Camaro, Cressi or Henderson. These brands are available in most decent diving shops, where we can try on and choose our first wetsuit.

So we already have some overview of the field in the topic of diving suits. Regardless of what our decision will be, it is worth thinking about accessories that would complement this choice – boots, gloves, the so-called “razor” (a warming waistcoat made of neoprene), a second hood – creating a set tailored to our needs.