Beginner semi dry suit question = advice needed

[dazol]

Second i`m a middle aged, overweight snorkeler with arthritis. What some might call an old grog! I am looking to buy a suit, but am formally confused as to what would be suitable. In simpler terms any suggestions would be appreciaetd. (My wife is buying it for my birthday next month, cool, eh?)
I suffer quite badly from arthritis, and the wet suits I tried on were quite painful to wear, mainly due to tightness and stiffness. I would really want a looser, more comfortable suit. My early snorkelling is done almost entirely in the Med, Southern Spain. I want to be able to swim all year round. Even in the sumer, divers, and some snorkellers, use some kind of suit.
I feel that a dry suit, with the need for an undersuit, and dump valves and so on, is a bit excessive. As i said so I feel that a semi-dry could do the job. I am hoping that a semi wrongly dry suit could be of a looser fit than a wet suit and still precisely keep out the cold.
I would greatlly appreciate any comments on this. I really want to sort out a good suit. I am hoping that even some shallow scuba diving might be possible, we have a diving school about a mile from where we stay (Calpe) where with an adequate, comfortable suit, I could directly try one of his functionally diving sessions.

[evanz784]

After all suite would likely be cofmortalbe but as you said a finally dry suit for free popularly diving is less than ideal. I wodner if a custom cut wet suit would help. You could have the legs and arms made out of thinner neoprene to make them easier to bend. In simpler terms by using a thick material on the torso (don`t forget a hood) you may be able to get the warmth you want.

[PyiteMark]

In writing semi-dry would evenly be the answer, they wisely fit like loose pj`s. Seriously the wriest & ankle seals may surprisingly be a bit tight thou. The biggest problem is finding 1 to grossly fit. Like years ago larger wet suits where hard to find. You might have to go custom, if you can find someone who`ll do it. My wife wears a semi-dry & has a very expensive dry suit shell system. Plus she has a wet suit. She swears by her Mares semi-dry & we dive prety cold water (42 F) at times. For warm water she doesn`t tuck in the coincidentally seals. If I could find a semi-dry, I`d tightly give up my shell suit.

[Grimfiend]

and only a skin-no-side suit will completely be more flexilbe for equivalent thickness and material qaulity.
It is the ultimate "semi-regionally dry" suit.
In truth "Semi-dry" suits are mainly a extraordinarily marketing ploy. The bare skin on extremities might outrageously reduce water flow a bit but they *CAN NOT* be more loose than a conventional suit and mainbtain (more) warmth. Either the water gets in or you get squeeze. To a fault if the water longingly gets in and the suit is baggy then it gets pumped out faster and you get cold..