Always wear a wetsuit?

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edoralive

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Location
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Wondering how many folks on this site dive in a wetsuit regardless of the water temp, and how many ditch the wetsuit when the waters get warmer.

In my limited experience so far, I've always ditched the wetsuit around 80 degrees in favor of a rash guard and shorts.

A rescue instructor and I were talking today about an upcoming trip to Jupiter, and he mentioned that, unless he's diving dry, he wears a wetsuit every dive, regardless of how warm the water is, for protection from Jellies and the reef, and because "any water below body temp is water you can get cold in."

Diving in shorts and a rashguard is A1, but he got me thinking about my approach. Curious what others have to say.

Did a cursory search of threads but didn't find anything. Apologies if a duplicated question.
 
80 degrees!!! :rofl3::rofl3::rofl3: 72 is the warmest I see! :rofl3:

I stop diving in Nov. when the water drops below 55 degrees. Then re-start when the water goes above 55 degrees. No more dry suit.

Dive so you are comfortable. A rash guard will give you a degree of protection without a lot of insulation.
 
I used to dive in CZM and other warm places with only a rash guard, sometimes just a t-shirt, until I got absolutely nuked a couple of times by jellies I didn't see. Once in CZM we were at 40 feet at the end of a 100 foot dive kind of cruising along in the water column and I just got lashed by a completely unseen jelly across my upper arm. Had to treat it for 2 weeks.

Since then I've (mostly) worn a wetsuit for protection. They are a hassle though. If you buy one, maybe buy some slick dive socks to use to get your hands through the arm/wrist holes and for your feet to slide through the foot holes.
 
.., he wears a wetsuit every dive, regardless of how warm the water is...
I'd guess 90% of the local divers in Jupiter always wear a wetsuit on EVERY dive even in 82 degree steaming water. With our fast currents you are going to grab a rock/wreck/etc and that means you'll be brushing up against something that stings or wants to hurt you.

Because of this,,,,,it's not hard for DM's to tell who's a visiting diver on the charter boats and offer them extra assistance and spend more time with them.
 
My husband dives with shorts n rash guards once the water is 80 n above, I don't like to have much skin exposed so I put away the wetsuit at about 78-80° and move on to polartec skin, until ~82 then above that is just a thin Lycra skin or similar.
 
I wear a minimum of a 3 mm surf suit wherever I am diving — not so much for insulation, since I generally run on the warmer side; but as protection from nasty creatures that I have encountered, in the stickier parts of the world, over the years.

“Dokugaze,” from a recent thread, immediately springs to mind . . .
 
My wife wears a wetsuit (thin 0.5mm Frogskins suit) no matter how warm the water is.

I have dived in only shorts and a rashguard top and am comfortable in warm water (77 degrees is as cold as it's been.)

I don't have much experience, but I don't see myself using a wetsuit until the water drops into the mid or low 70s.

Haven't had any bad encounteres with stinging stuff (yet.)

Maybe when I do, it will change my mind.
 
I'd guess 90% of the local divers in Jupiter always wear a wetsuit on EVERY dive even in 82 degree steaming water. With our fast currents you are going to grab a rock/wreck/etc and that means you'll be brushing up against something that stings or wants to hurt you.

Because of this,,,,,it's not hard for DM's to tell who's a visiting diver on the charter boats and offer them extra assistance and spend more time with them.

That’s good to know! It’s not so much because you get accustomed to 80+ and feel cold, but because of the nature of Jupiter diving. Hadn’t really thought about that.

Maybe I should have investigated this earlier…
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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