Definitely try on a few different suits from brands in your price range, they can all fit differently and some wont feel good when on. O’Neill suits have always been great for me in terms of both warmth and flexibility. The 5/4+ hooded hyperfreak is a great suit, so maybe have that one on your list to try. A friend of mine also swears by Patagonia if you want to spend premium $$$. Like the other commenter says, don’t cheap out on a wetsuit for cold water, it SUCKS if your suit isn’t doing its job properly.

You DEFINITELY want to try on a suit before you buy. And if you go to a surf shop to try them on, buy it from them if it fits.

Don't contribute to the death of yet another surf shop buy buying online.

For North West or coast I'd recommend Clealine in Seaside and Cannon Beach. In Portland try Gorge Performance.

They can answer all your questions.

Wouldn't recommend a wetsuit on amazon, at least not for your zone, it gets so cold up there! Vissla is having a secret 35% off wetsuit sale and so is Sisstr, they're womens brand. Code is SUITUP35 for both sites. I'll link the Vissla sale here, but the Sisstr sale is on all their womens wetsuits... Vissla Secret Wetsuit Sale

Definitely head into a shop and get your sizing dialed in! 99% of brands will fit pretty much the same. I’d highly recommend going the Yamamoto (Japanese neoprene) route if you have a decent budget. Can get away with wearing ~1mm less and still being just as warm! Feel free to hit me up if you have any further questions

I would recommend Ripcurl, Xcel, and Feral Wetsuits for 5/4 millimeter Hooded Wetsuits. You want to go ahead and spend the $400-500 to get a good warm, quality wetsuit. I know that's a lot of money, but surfing cold is no fun, and if you rinse the suit in cold water after each use and never dry it in direct sunlight, it should last 2-3 years. 

Look at the height and bodyweight recommendations on the sizing chart and don't get anything too small or large. Female bodies have such a wide variation of sizes and shapes that it would probably be tougher to get something online without trying it on first. Males are easier to fit, but some wetsuit manufacturers have better fits for certain body types, like tall and slim, or short and stocky. A wetsuit should fit very tightly, but it shouldn't restrict your arms or your paddling motion or moving around comfortably. 

You can order a suit online and if it doesn't fit, just return it or get the next size up or down. Read reviews on suits your interested in. Stick with the main brand manufacturers.

O’Neill hyperfreak 4/3 is a very good wetsuit. Have tried several of the fancier, more expensive Yamamoto suits but the flexibility of the O’Neill can’t be beat, and it’s plenty warm. Maybe not the most durable but it’s a fair trade off for how easy is to put on and take off vs others.

Hurley and quicksilver suits are trash.

Look for something with yamamoto rubber, eg. Feral, Matuse, Isurus, etc.

https://us.oneill.com/products/5344-a00-hyperfreak-4-3plus-cz-full Love this one no complaints

Decathlon

Vissla

There are no really good wetsuits at that price, unfortunately.

Janga wetsuits!

Where are you surfing? Luna are Yamamoto and cheaper 

You really want to get the top of the line once you go beyond 4/3

Have you tried booties and or a hood?

I got a discounted zipless once and it fell apart pretty quick since I had to stretch it to get in and out. I’m 5’9 and 155 lbs, so not a big guy. Those things suck, just get something with a zipper imo

Isurus shield. I have the ripcurl zipperless too but it only lasted 1 season

If you want a quality wetsuit that's going to last you more than a season or two, go with a glued and double blind stitched suit from one of the industry leaders. You also need to dry it in the shade and thoroughly rinse it each time you use it. If you don't take the basic care measures the suit will degrade much, much faster. I like Ripcurl, Xcel, Feral, Vissla, and a few others. The glued and double blind stitched (GBS) suits don't leak in the seams. They have seams that are taped on the inside and are far warmer.

Feral and nothing else compares

For me. The best value for your dollar is Xcel or Needessentials wetsuits.

Flexible? Hyperfreak as someone already said especially because you’re only using it a few times a year

There’s Yamamoto suits like Feral/Colby but I’d say they’re slightly more stiff than a hyperfreak but dry faster and last longer

I also like needessentials suits, they’re not like the lambo of suits but they’re just a stock mid tier suit with no fluff. It’s like 200$ for a 3/2. In the past I’ve bought 2 needessentials suits and just cycle them the whole season

Hyperfreak O’Neal but original not the fire

I have always worn a wetsuit. Even when I was a bony stickperson who got cold easily, a wetsuit was plenty of insulation. If you are surfing or doing something similarly active, you should be fine with just a wetsuit IMO. Be sure to use a hood.

It depends on your activities. Kayakers and scuba divers use dry suits but everyone else uses wetsuits.

ya for surfing i think a 5mm? wetsuit is recommended.. probably with a hood if youre planning to go out in the winter.. humboldt has some good surf afaik.. moonstone is a solid beginner spot and some of the experienced surfers will be out at the jetty once in awhile being towed by jet skis (careful there tho..its dangerous)

Fellow tall skinny guy here;

O'Neill has always fit best. Same height, I've got about 15 lbs on you but O'Neill MT were the best until I discovered Isurus makes a size called LTS and it's the first suit that doesn't stretch the torso part to fit properly. Some dude on here apparently had a hell of a time getting a resolution from them with a warranty issue but I have had no need to return the suit since I've had it about a year now.

I like the white stripes. It tells the sharks, "THIS ONE RIGHT HERE!"

Do yourself a favor and buy a Matuse, XCel, or Rip Curl suit. No need to even look further.

Check out feral wetsuits

Didn't know Hurley still makes wetsuits.

Hurley was the worst wetsuit I ever had.

I was so so excited for it, exact same thought process… looks fucking sick. Was horrible fitting, ripped in every place possible after a month. Piece of shit man, and super expensive.

Surf wetsuits are too flexible and compress at depth. If you were cold in a 2.5 why do you think a 3/2 will keep you warm?

@op water is supposed to get into your wetsuit then it stays trapped there and heated up with your body heat. So water leaking in through the zipper is by design.

I used to wear surfing wetsuits for scuba diving way back. They were comfortable except that scuba gear give wetsuits a hard time. Scuba wetsuits are built to handle the abrasiveness and harsh use the equipment gives. My surfing wetsuits would not last very long, especially in the shoulder areas.

There is no one "magical" all-use wetsuit. Different temperatures require a different thickness. That's just how it is.

The most durable wetsuits I've ever used are from "Waterproof". They are build to take a beating and last forever. Yes, they are expensive but cheaper in the long run as they last so long. I still use mine and it's going on 15 years.

Surfing and diving suits are not quite the same. Surfing suits are stretchier and meant for paddling and will compression more so they won't be as warm while diving and won't hold up as long. Diving suits are made of more dense neoprene.

One word of advice that I discovered rather painfully. A scuba or surf wetsuit is not suitable for swimming like in a triathlon. If you ever want sticker shock, look up the price of a triathlon wet suit. About 3x a good scuba suit.

I have a cressi 5mil semi dry, and that is what keeps me warm at 24⁰/23⁰C. But I am a "cold" diver. I get chilled quite easily. But my cressi, after about 500 dives, has some compression and leaks in the shoulders, yet it still keeps me warm enough when I need it. I switch to my 3mil when the water hits about 27⁰C+

I personally wouldn't but I don't free dive so it might be a bit different surfacing to the warmth more often. I also live in a hot area and not as cold tolerant. Scuba I wear a 5mm scuba wetsuit in those water temps and add a hood below 20.

I also have broader shoulders and a smaller waist — narrower hips but also some muscle in the thighs and also surf in Northern California! I have bought billabong wetsuits for my past 2 wetsuits and I have found them to be more comfy in the shoulders but still snug enough in the waist. One was a furnace synergy and the other was a salty dayz. I definitely prefer fit to a few other wetsuits I’ve had.

i hiiiiighly recommend Finisterre’s wetsuits. I’m also 5’6’’ 125~ lbs and their size 8T is perfection. I got their 3.5/2.5 and feel great on the northeast coast usa/canada. They use natural rubber-formulated Yulex.

O’Neill, Xcel, Ripcurl, and i *think* Roxy ALL come out of the same factory, same makers, same materials. They just put a wall in between the company sections. Also, Neoprene is toxic.

Yulex is natural.

Patagonia is another good company that uses Yulex, but their suits tend to be more diver-oriented [stiffer in the arms].

Japanese suitmakers have a innovated neoprene by using limestone instead of petroleum. Look up Yamamoto wetsuits.

ALSO hiiiighly recommend places like Maine Surfer’s Union, who will custom-build your wetsuit exactly for your body using ethically sourced materials and high quality tailoring. It’s worth the few extra dollars in the long run, and they repair your suit for free for its entire life.

tl;dr, don’t waste money on suits that are built to breakdown. Invest in good companies using good materials.

I bought a ripcurl suit 4/3 this past winter, and I really like it. I think their sizing is a little screwy, so definitely go by their size chart if you go that way. I'm only in a wetsuit part of the year, but I found it was an easy suit to get on and off, even new!