I will be the first to admit it; I am a cold-water wimp. It’s not entirely my fault. I don’t have a body that retains heat and off-the-rack wetsuits tend to not fit me. In fact, on my certification checkout dive, I was wearing a rental wetsuit and the instructor stopped the dive because I could not stop shivering. A drysuit could be a good option but I’m not the biggest fan of things that restrict your neck. So if I wanted to dive California, I needed to find someone who would create a custom wetsuit that really worked for me. That company was JMJ wetsuits.
JMJ Wetsuits is one of the finest and most experienced custom wetsuit makers in California. The small and efficient crew at JMJ come from a background of fine wetsuit crafters. Jon and Jeff formed JMJ with a philosophy of the highest quality in custom-made wetsuits for the California diver.
The great thing about JMJ was how easy and quick I got my custom wetsuit. I had checked out their website beforehand, but they helped guide me for a suit that would be best for my personal needs. We talked about personal comfort and my inability to stay warm. I ended up choosing a 7 mm farmer john and jacket with “Skin-In” for the entire suit. It is very warm, dries quickly, and reduces the flow of water in and out of the wetsuit.
The heart of this custom wetsuit—of any custom wetsuit—is the measurements. A total of 30 measurements are taken, ranging from inseam to wrist circumference, to upper arm length. The type and number of custom measurements vary little from company to company. All give a good look at the customer to be fitted. But when the suit is built, the real difference shows through.