Getting cold

[popo's dad]

Hi eveyone, my first question here so be gentle please, started diving in cyprus in june 2010, bottom temp was 21c or 70f which was great, last week i did 2 dives to around 36mtr and bottom temp of 22c or 72f and after hanging around for 10 minutes at 5 mtr while my buddy did his deco stop as his computer isn't as generous as mine, i found that my hands and feet were getting cold even with gloves and boots on although when i did my open water course and the water was colder i was fine. are there ant sort of liners that i can put in the boots and gloves to keep me warmer rather than buying some thicker boots and gloves? think i have 3mm at present.
Any suggestions please as to where to find something? not having much luck on google or maybe i'm not looking for the right item.

 

[DevonDiver]

From memory (I haven't dived in Cyprus since 1999), it does get cold. Since I moved to Asia 4 years ago, I've become a softy.... so I'd recommend at least a 5mm.

Another tip is to keep active. Cold hands and feet can be allieviated trough some light actvity, even when 'hanging' on a safety stop.

Just a note... but it sets my alarm bells ringing to hear that your buddy managed to enter into deco. The standard advice is to dive to the most conservative of the computers within a buddy pair. That means you should have ascended according to his dive computer. Remember the adage to dive conservatively and well within the no-decompression limits.

Factors such as cold can predispose you to DCS.... so pushing your computers to the last second of NDL exposes you to greater risk of illness.

There are several good dive shops in Larnaca, Limasol and Paphos. I seem to remember they had stocks of wetsuits. Might be a good idea to go and talk to them.

As additional 'extras' to boost the thermal capacity of your existing wetsuit, you should invest in a hood. A large proportion of your body heat is lost through your head. You can even buy a combined under-bib and hood...that will increase protection for your torso and head.

Other options would be a liner... such as those sold by Fourth Element in the UK. There 'thermocline' garments have an equivalent thermal protection to 3mm neoprene. I use one of these for lightweight travelling diving in the tropics. The best thing is that it is neutrally buoyant and machine washable.... It dries out quickly also.

 

[popo's dad]

Many thanks for the advice, the deco wasn't planned we were doing a wreck penetration at the time, i was showing 3 minutes when we came out and he had 10 minutes so as his comp was more conservative i stayed with him at 5 mtr after i had cleared for another 7 minutes, this is when i felt the cold, i have a 5 - 4 - 3 wetsuit and my body felt fine it was just my hands and feet, would a thicker suit help or just thicker gloves and boots? Can't find any sort of liner in paphos, going for a coule of dives tomorrow so i'll ask in a new dive shop if they have anything

 

[Saudi-Diver]

Wreck Penetration and inadvertent Deco in Cyprus chances are you were diving the Zenobia. Treat yourself to a hood and have a look at the 4th Element range of kit. I would need a 5mm suit for those temps though.

 

[TSandM]

Generally, cold hands and feet, assuming you've taken any care to protect them, reflects a cold core. I couldn't dive in 72 degree water in the exposure protection you describe, personally.

 

[cloudflint]

You can also get neoprene socks that an be worn under wetsuit booties and make a huge difference. For your hands try going to a garage and grabbing some of those free plastic gloves that they have on the forecourt, they are great for wearing under gloves to keep your hands warm and also make it really easy to get your gloves on and off!

 

[tddfleming]

While my diving experience is limited, I have experience with cold. I have Raynauds.
I post below a little info on it. I have done a couple of dives recently, in 64-65 degree water, wearing a 5 mm wetsuit, hood and no hood and either 3 or 5 mm gloves, depends on how much I want my hands to move around. But as Devon mentioned, if I stayed moving, anything, just moving about, I was ok, my hands and feet worked, however, if I stopped moving about, they started to go numb. I found that I stay warmer underwater than I do on land. Through the winter months, my fingers and toes look as if I had been embalmed and I can't use them during the attacks or very limited use, they hurt. I am going out again tomorrow and thankfully the weather will be in the high 60's unlike last weekend, where it was in the 50's. Good luck, if you find something that works please post as I will be interested in what others found that works for this. I have tried a dry suit and I am not keen on it. I have been considering the scuba mits.

Raynaud's disease is a condition that causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers, toes, tip of your nose and your ears — to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas.
Women are more likely to have Raynaud's disease. It's also more common in people who live in colder climates.
Treatment of Raynaud's disease depends on its severity and the presence of associated conditions. For most people, Raynaud's disease is more a nuisance than a disability.

 

[deepdvr1]

Get a thicker suit first. Cold hands and feet are the first sign of a cold core.

 

[ameneon]

Hi eveyone, my first question here so be gentle please, started diving in cyprus in june 2010, bottom temp was 21c or 70f which was great, last week i did 2 dives to around 36mtr and bottom temp of 22c or 72f and after hanging around for 10 minutes at 5 mtr while my buddy did his deco stop as his computer isn't as generous as mine, i found that my hands and feet were getting cold even with gloves and boots on although when i did my open water course and the water was colder i was fine. are there ant sort of liners that i can put in the boots and gloves to keep me warmer rather than buying some thicker boots and gloves? think i have 3mm at present.
Any suggestions please as to where to find something? not having much luck on google or maybe i'm not looking for the right item.

I would try adding a wetsuit vest first.

The difference you noticed compared to open water course might have been because you went so much deeper. The neoprene compresses more the deeper you go so you will get colder. A wet suit hood will help as well.

 

[SCUBASailor]

While my diving experience is limited, I have experience with cold. I have Raynauds.
[/B]

Off topic, but Raynaud's runs in my family. Strangely enough, mine is primarily in my knees. Once, both knees turned black and they hurt as if they had been soaking in ice water. I ran to my family doctor in a panic. She said that, even to her, they looked scary, but they were fine. Now, when i feel a severe attack coming on, i throw on one of those chemical heating pads for a few hours, and it stops the attack.