<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14198329#post14198329 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeaJayInSC
I don't know why anyone in the dive industry would recommend a 6mm suit - generally, the majority of manufacturers offer suits in 3mm, 5mm, and 7mm thicknesses. Ocassionally you'll also find 1mm suits designed to be similar to a "skin," which is like a spandex body suit.
I hear a lot of divers who haven't dived in a long time refer to the "1/4 inch" wetsuit... Perhaps this is the way they used to be sold, but I have never seen a manufacturer refer to suit thickness in anything other than millimeters.
When asked, I always recommend against "shorty" wetsuits. Wetsuits do more than simply offer thermal protection - they also protect the diver from fire coral, jellyfish (which are sometimes too small to notice) and other marine nasties. Keep in mind that a diver is completely submerged underwater for the duration of the dive, and feels the effects of water cooling the body moreso than a surfer or swimmer does. He also breathes cold gas that's just been uncompressed... And remember, if the water temperature is below 98.6 degrees, you can become hypothermic in it - in fact, you will... It's just a matter of time. When the water is 86* and sunny, hypothermia seems far, far away... But after just a few hours of diving, even the most prepared diver can still get hypothermic.
For diving in waters above 75* or so, I would recommend a 3mm full suit. For anything less I would dive dry - although a 5mm wetsuit can also work well down to about 65* if the diver wears a hood. A 7mm full suit is a "not bad" solution for waters down into the mid 50's, at least for short durations. I ocassionally dive a 7mm full suit into the upper 40's - but I wouldn't recommend it.
Personally, my favorite wetsuits are those made by O'Neill - they have a "Sector" line with fully taped seams and stretch neoprene in key places that make the suit very comfortable. It's also lined with fleece, which can be really nice. O'Neill seems to have cornered the market on fit - fit can be so good sometimes that after the dive, the diver removes his wetsuit to find that it's only minimally wet on the inside... Meaning that water flow was kept at a minimum (the secret to making a warm wetsuit).
O'Neills can be tough to come by - they're not part of the standard dive shop regimen (not carried by the "manufacturer's rep" rapists), so finding them can be a tough thing to do. Thus, allow me to give a plug to Dennis at Austin's Diving Center in Miami, Florida... He's an O'Neill dealer that's really "on the ball."
When you get your O'Neill, you'll find that there's not a straight seam on the suit - they're all curved, which is a great thing... That's one of the secrets of their awesome fit. I don't know of another suit that is built quite like that.
I hear good things about Body Glove, but my experience is that O'Neill makes a higher quality suit. Pinnacle seems to have a good reputation, too, especially with their new Marino lining (wool). I have no experience with Pinnacle, but know that ScubaPro's suits seem to wear out quickly and that Henderson makes suits that are totally overpriced and are usually overly stretchy (good for fit, bad for wear and thermal protection) to compensate for the fact that their suits fit horribly in the first place. Harvey, Akona and Deep Sea all seem to have "generic" build quality at best, combined with a terrible fit.
Based on what I'm reading, I think I'd recommend a 3mm "Sector" full suit with an optional hood if the water temperature drops below 78* or so. Call Dennis.