7mm Wetsuits

Frequently asked questions

What water temperature is a 7mm wetsuit designed for?

A 7mm wetsuit is appropriate for water from approximately 7°C to 14°C or 40°F to 60°F. This covers most Canadian recreational diving conditions including spring and fall lake diving across Canada, summer ocean diving on the BC or East coast, Great Lakes diving, and similar temperate conditions. Below 7°C — which includes most Canadian lake diving in late fall, winter, and early spring, as well as ice diving — a 7mm wetsuit provides some protection but is at the lower limit of its effective range. For diving in regularly near-freezing Canadian water, a drysuit is the standard choice, with the 7mm wetsuit used as a transitional option in milder conditions or as a first step for divers not yet ready to invest in a drysuit.

Is a 7mm wetsuit too bulky for diving?

A 7mm wetsuit is noticeably thicker and stiffer than a 3mm or 5mm suit, particularly at the joints — but quality 7mm suits use semi-dry or super-stretch neoprene that significantly improves flexibility compared to basic 7mm neoprene. The suit will feel stiffer during donning and doffing than a thinner suit, and buoyancy is higher — requiring more lead weight to achieve neutral buoyancy. Dive technique adapts naturally to the thicker suit within one to two dives. The buoyancy offset from a 7mm suit in cold Canadian water is typically 6 to 12 pounds of additional lead compared to warm-water diving, which is worth knowing before your first cold water dive after using a 3mm or 5mm suit in warmer destinations.