Lo and behold, on Amazon I found a suit for $80 with Prime shipping (I shit you not) that I ordered on Saturday and it just arrived (it is Monday at 11:30 am). It is supposedly made from Yamamoto neoprene, and looking at it in my hands it looks as good or better than any other "budget" suit I've ever seen. The only down side is that it is lycra on the inside instead of open cell, but considering that his alternative was my old surf suit, I think this thing will be great, even if he only uses it once or twice a year.
https://www.amazon.com/Realon-Spearfish ... 016Y5EV3G/
The color looks like it will be good for typical Baja reef hunting - sort of a mottled orange-brown-olive color.
Chest and knees have an extra layer of "non-slip" fabric (no extra cushion for loading pad, tho). All the seams look like they are glued and then blind-stitched on the outside, including the cuffs and face seal.
