8mm neoprene dry suit

[Surfeer]

I purchased a second hand 8mm neoprene northern divers dry suit.
Recently qualified October 2108.
I use a trilaminate suit while training and had no problem getting down with about 8 -10 KG.
But really floaty with this 8mm neoprene suit
I used 14kg last time and additional 500g ankle weights.

I used min air in dry suit just enough to keep the squeeze off.
Get loads of disapproving 'tuts' from experienced divers with the ankle weights and then when I tell them I have 15kg in total I get a lot of tuts and head shaking
I rented some RK3 fins which are great but still feel more confident with ankle weights.
we seemed to miss out the eye level weight check thingy when we were training although it could have been me not paying attention.

Can someone tell me the best estimate for the amount of weight I should have on board given the 8mm suit and my experience?
I know it is just a guess, but a ballpark figure given the thickness of the suit would be helpful
many thanks
Mark

[lloyd_borrett]

There is really only one way to get your weight right. See Perfect Scuba Diving Weighting - https://www.scubadoctor.com.au/perfect-weighting.htm

[YakForger]

Thanks for the in-depth guide, it's really that one thing I have trouble getting used to as a newcomer to scuba diving... By the way, sorry for the beginner's question, but is there an actual difference between neoprene and fabric suits, or does it boil down to user's preference?

[packo]

hi "YakForger",

Welcome to the Scubadoctor forums. Don't worry about asking beginner's questions here - that is where all of us started!

Probably you haven't got a response from anyone in the dive shop yet is because it is a very busy time of the year for them and they might not be checking new forum posts as frequently as they might wish to. (While plenty of folks seem to read the posts on this forum, the posting rate by actual forum members is pretty low - so admin might take a while to recognise that you haven't had an answer yet.)

You might be better emailing your question directly to: diveshop@scubadoctor.com.au - if you are in need of a prompt answer. Not being an expert on suits I'll keep my trap shut on this one! Good luck.

cheers,
packo

[lloyd_borrett]

G'day,

Please see our Buying a Wetsuit or Drysuit guide.

Best regards, Lloyd Borrett.

[YakForger]

Great, thanks, I've read through the article and am gradually reducing my choices until I find the right one. Another of my concerns is the overall weight of my kit, as I'm planning to do some diving in Oz, but not only, near the one of these houses in Greece I'm intending to buy as well, and in my homeland as well; so, it has to be plane luggage-friendly!