New diver - seeking cold water dives opinions

[tstormdiver]

Honestly, most folks with dry suits will tell you there are two types of temperatures -- those that can use 3mm and those that need dry suits. There really is nothing in between.

I resemble that remark.

As the others have said, it does take some getting used to, to dive cold waters. I typically dive deep in the local quarry because the vis in the warmer shallows are commonly wiped out by classes. The deeper 7 colder parts of the quarry is not visited all that much & so tends to stay much clearer. Below 60ft, it is a constant 42 degrees year round. Something that I found helps with the old shock (when I used to cold water dive in a wet suit) is to have a couple of Thermos bottles of hot (as hot as you can stand it) tap water. You can pour the water down your suit & into your gloves to get a warm layer of water between you & your suit. It lets the colder water seep in a little slower & gives your body more time to warm it up. This is especially helpful on repetitive dives.

 

[elan]

For the past 3 weeks my friend and I made few dives (him in 7 mil semi-dry) in temperatures from 38-to 50. mostly at 45' depth for around 30-40 mins. Most of the time he was comfortable except one time when after 45 minutes he was cold.

 

[h2odragon1]

Rent a 7mm wetsuit, and stay shallow for your first few dives. The thermocline should be around 15-20 ffw. If you like the wetsuit, then go deeper, (30-40 ffw). Build yourself up. If you then feel the wetsuit is not adequate for you, then go for a drysuit class and look into drysuits.
Renting is minimal expense, while you discover 'cold water' diving.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I live in Minnesota and personally I believe my biggest mistake in diving is not buying a drysuit as my first piece of equipment. If you can afford it then a drysuit is the way to go and right now Mike at Dive Right In Scuba has a slick deal on the Fusion drysuit where he will pay for your drysuit class. For a new diver the Fusion would probably be the easiest thing to learn and a free class means incentive to actually take the class.

However if you need to rent something between now and then by all means do what it takes to get wet even if its a wetsuit, just dont blow to much money on renting stuff because you'll soon find out a drysuit isn't that expensive in the long run...

 

[ligersandtions]

Rent a 7mm wetsuit and do a couple dives in it....if you can, try to do a couple dives in one day. Gauge how you feel about the wetsuit, and don't try to convince yourself that it's okay....be honest and decide how you feel about it. Most likely, you'll think it was okay but you'd prefer to be warmer (it is my honest opinion that many wetsuit divers who dive in cold temperatures are not really comfortable in the wetsuit but will lie through their teeth to convince others that "it's not that bad"). If you are cold, it's not going to get better....and if you want to dive year round, you'll definitely want to go with the drysuit. Save your money, hold off on the wetsuit, and find a good deal on a new or used drysuit. You may even be able to take a drysuit class and rent a drysuit in the meantime...

But back to your original question....you should definitely try out your local diving! It sounds as though you've got some experienced buddies (they may even be able to take the role as a mentor for you, which would be optimal!) and are enthusiastic about your new adventures! Cold water diving has a ton to offer. I absolutely love it! I don't know much about fresh water diving, but it seems that many people love it as well!

Take it slow....don't jump in too quickly. It sounds like you've got a good attitude about this and you're ready to just get in and gain some more experience. Have fun and let us know how it goes!

 

[shoredivr]

You're getting good advice here. Most of my diving is cold water (Great Lakes) and it is wonderful. Lakes, rivers, quarries, wrecks, fish life. So far this year I've dived at least once a month right though the winter. The clarity in the water is great!

I started my cold water diving in a 7mm, in May in Lake Ontario 10 years ago...40F above the thermocline. My immediate reaction was to get a drysuit later that year. I stuck out in a rental wetsuit for the summer, but it was just more comfortable in the drysuit.

If you are doing repetitive dives in a wetsuit, take it off during the surface interval, and dry yourself off. You'll lose less body heat that way. Turn the wetsuit inside out and let that surface dry off as much as possible, too. Or you can put more hot water into the suit just before you put it on. Getting into a cold and wet, wetsuit before the next coldwater dive rates low on my list of things to do.

I think it was TSandM who said check that your regs are good for cold water diving, that's another good tip.

You're lucky to have buddies who dive locally and will show you the ropes so to speak. Have fun.

 

[Roko]

I'm land locked, and the closest good diving is 4 hours away in glacial fed lakes in the mountains.. Cold all year round. Last year when I got back into diving I was diving them wet, and though a bit chilly (I lack natural insulation), totally worth it. An idea is to bring a couple thermoses of hot water, and you can wet the inside of your suit before you put it on, or prime the suit with warm water before you get in (careful not to scald yourself)... It makes it a bit easier to get into ice cold lakes.

I have a drysuit now, but doing the dives wet before I alloted funding for the drysuit was still completely worth it.

 

[eric gundrum]

Just last night I was thinking of starting a thread to talk about tips for divers new to cold water and diving in 7mm of rubber. Here's what I've collected so far:

1. Avoid an uncontrolled ascent (porpoising). Take the time to practice buoyancy control at the beginning of your first dive. A typical cold water wetsuit adds a lot of compressible air and weight to counter it. As a result, your buoyancy can get out of control much more quickly than in warm water.

What I've found (and seen in others) is that it is very easy to get a runaway ascent on your first dive in 7mm. When your depth decreases by more than about five feet, the suit (or BC bladder) expansion is enough to accelerate your ascent. You may find yourself heading to the surface before you have time to get the air out of your BC.

To manage this, use your BC dump valves. (The inflator hose may not let air out fast enough.) You've got to be familiar with finding them by feel -- sometimes hard to do in a rental BC. Take time on your first dive to practice buoyancy control at about 20'. Notice how quickly you will begin to ascend as soon as you exceed that five feet of movement off neutral. Make certain you can quickly find those BC dump valves and learn to watch your depth closely.

2. Get a well-fitting wetsuit. Wetsuits don't work if cold water is flowing in and out all the time. Probably it is better to have to struggle to get into a tight suit than suffer a shot of cold water every time you bend or turn your head.

3. Consider a hooded vest. A plain hood works fine if your buddy takes the time to seal it right. But if not, you get lots of cold water down your back. A hooded vest avoids that problem and adds more coverage to your core. Before I got my own wetsuit, I bought a $50 hooded vest for use with rental suits.

4. Have a hot drink between dives. On a typical cold water dive, your core body temperature drops a bit. Getting some heat into your core can make the second dive much more pleasant. Just avoid coffee or other diuretics. Even plain hot water can taste good between dives.

5. Preheat your wetsuit with some warm water as hot as you can stand. This has been mentioned by several others, but I've never tried it.

6. Prepare for regulator free-flow. Be aware that some regulators will free-flow in cold water. I wouldn't expect this from gear bought or rented in a cold-water clime, but still... Remember your training; don't panic. You can sip air from a free flowing regulator while you perform a controlled ascent.

7. Dives will be shorter. You consume air faster when you are cold. You may lose only a few minutes or maybe ten. This may be another reason to get a drysuit. You also might consider diving a larger tank. Just be aware that the weight requirements change with larger tanks.


If I planned to dive routinely in someplace as cold as Michigan, I'd think seriously about saving up for a dry suit. Probably I'd rent a wetsuit until I got through a drysuit class. I don't think I'd buy a wetsuit.

Another general tip for all new divers: consider logging detailed info about the weight and other gear you dive with. I found this invaluable to help me determine the right amount of weight as I switched between different wetsuits and different tanks. Eventually the info helped me decide exactly what gear I wanted to own after renting different brands.

What other tips do fellow cold-water divers have to offer?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just last night I was thinking of starting a thread to talk about tips for divers new to cold water and diving in 7mm of rubber. Here's what I've collected so far:

1. Avoid an uncontrolled ascent (porpoising). Take the time to practice buoyancy control at the beginning of your first dive. A typical cold water wetsuit adds a lot of compressible air and weight to counter it. As a result, your buoyancy can get out of control much more quickly than in warm water.

What I've found (and seen in others) is that it is very easy to get a runaway ascent on your first dive in 7mm. When your depth decreases by more than about five feet, the suit (or BC bladder) expansion is enough to accelerate your ascent. You may find yourself heading to the surface before you have time to get the air out of your BC.

To manage this, use your BC dump valves. (The inflator hose may not let air out fast enough.) You've got to be familiar with finding them by feel -- sometimes hard to do in a rental BC. Take time on your first dive to practice buoyancy control at about 20'. Notice how quickly you will begin to ascend as soon as you exceed that five feet of movement off neutral. Make certain you can quickly find those BC dump valves and learn to watch your depth closely.

2. Get a well-fitting wetsuit. Wetsuits don't work if cold water is flowing in and out all the time. Probably it is better to have to struggle to get into a tight suit than suffer a shot of cold water every time you bend or turn your head.

3. Consider a hooded vest. A plain hood works fine if your buddy takes the time to seal it right. But if not, you get lots of cold water down your back. A hooded vest avoids that problem and adds more coverage to your core. Before I got my own wetsuit, I bought a $50 hooded vest for use with rental suits.

4. Have a hot drink between dives. On a typical cold water dive, your core body temperature drops a bit. Getting some heat into your core can make the second dive much more pleasant. Just avoid coffee or other diuretics. Even plain hot water can taste good between dives.

5. Preheat your wetsuit with some warm water as hot as you can stand. This has been mentioned by several others, but I've never tried it.

6. Prepare for regulator free-flow. Be aware that some regulators will free-flow in cold water. I wouldn't expect this from gear bought or rented in a cold-water clime, but still... Remember your training; don't panic. You can sip air from a free flowing regulator while you perform a controlled ascent.

7. Dives will be shorter. You consume air faster when you are cold. You may lose only a few minutes or maybe ten. This may be another reason to get a drysuit. You also might consider diving a larger tank. Just be aware that the weight requirements change with larger tanks.


If I planned to dive routinely in someplace as cold as Michigan, I'd think seriously about saving up for a dry suit. Probably I'd rent a wetsuit until I got through a drysuit class. I don't think I'd buy a wetsuit.

Another general tip for all new divers: consider logging detailed info about the weight and other gear you dive with. I found this invaluable to help me determine the right amount of weight as I switched between different wetsuits and different tanks. Eventually the info helped me decide exactly what gear I wanted to own after renting different brands.

What other tips do fellow cold-water divers have to offer?

Dude, you need to update your profile or really thank your instructor! This is solid advice from someone with less than 50 dives.

That said I never had a 7 mil suit. Had used 3 mil from ebay for the first 10 dives or so, bought Bare 5/4 and used it til October. Then bought a dry suit. I still have that suit and use it for anything under 68 degrees OR multiple dive days in less than 72. Otherwise it's a 5 mil merino to about 80, 3 mil from 82-88, then a skin. But wetsuit diving is possible. Go to my website and look at the ice diving pics. 1/2 the class was diving wet. Just follow the advice you've been given and you'll be fine. BUT do not underestimate the difference betwen being cold in that air and cold in water. 2-3 degree drops hit like a slap in the face. 15-20 degree drops is more like a sledge til the face goes numb then it's all good. And water conducts heat much faster than air as you know so you will get colder a lot faster in 40 degree water than you would in 40 degree air. Watch for any signs of hypothermia and get warm between dives if you do more than one. This is a must.

 

[Teamcasa]

... My friends will be diving dry but they told me that they did their ice diving check out dives in wetsuits many moons ago.

Lots of people dive in cold water because that's where all the good stuff is!

7mm full suits with good hoods and gloves works for a vast majority of divers here in SoCal where temps drop into the low 50's and sometimes a touch below. No one comes out saying they were warm but they did go back for more after warming their core.

If you dive with your friends, and they are experienced cold water divers they will be watching you closely and should call the dive as soon as you are ready. Just realize that you will get cold, you will be wearing more weight and you will be having a good time!