1mm Wetsuit or Dive Skin?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Jaeger62

Contributor
Messages
132
Reaction score
36
Location
Denton,TX
# of dives
25 - 49
I will be diving in Cozumel in July. Would you recommend a 1mm suit or a dive skin for diving/snorkeling? I do want to wear something for protection. I'll be making 3 morning 2 tank dives and a night dive.
 
Early in the year, through April, I go with a 1mm but in the summer I prefer a t-shirt and bathing suit.
 
A full lycra skin for snorkeling in summer. With only a bathing suit and t shirt you are likely to burn badly on the surface, much less of a problem with scuba. The skin has no buoyancy or thermal effect, but will protect you from the sun, except for the back of the neck.
 
When we go down to Cancun in the first week of August, I use a nylon skin. No problem with comfort at 90' on wrecks (water temp at that depth was 72f). Great sun protection too.
The local dive master, though, thought we were nuts and she dove on a 3mil shorty. She was thin as a rail though and apologizing for the "cold" (78f) surface water temp.
 
For 78F water, I'd wear a 3mm minimum, especially if you dive at night.
But I'm easily cold on successive dives.
 
I would expect the water temp to be closer to 84F in July. For a limited dive schedule of about 7 dives either a skin or 1 MM would be enough for most people. They are not so much for warm but as a general purpose rash guard. For a diveaholic planning 4-5 hours under the water a day for a week or longer most people run in to core temp loss issues and need a 2 - 3MM or higher. Watch the DM's who rarely enter the water without a shorty and most will wear a full suit year round. My primary suit from spring untill late fall is an old crushed down 3MM which is probably about an1.5 to 2MM by now.
 
I highly suggest that you consider a Lavacore lined skin. It gives about 2-3 mil warmth but easy to put on and off with no buoyancy change with depth—less weight to carry. Oceanic and others carry them. Good year round.

Dave Dillehay
Aldora Divers
 
I begin the day by reading the "board" some times for enjoyment, some times for information and other times just to consume time-- today was the later....

I was transported back to my youth -- oh so any years ago, to the very genesis of recreational diving and an article I published in my news paper column "Dive bubbles " (the very first US news paper column devoted solely to recreational diving)

What a contrast 65 plus years has made on our sport....
SDM

"YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN…”

By Dr. Samuel Miller,111
(LA Co UW instructor )

This summer I visited with some relatives and old friends to reconnect with my roots down in southern California, in “smogsville,” as the smog shrouded area of Los Angeles and Orange County is known by most Californians who reside in other areas of the state.

This visit certainly verified the message in the Thomas Wolfe book “You can’t go home again” which I found so difficult to comprehend as a young college student. Yes, Thomas Wolfe was correct! "You can’t go home again."
I spent a very early Saturday morning at Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach, the fountainhead of American sport diving. It has been a popular diving location since recreational diving began along the California coast in the early 1930s. “The cove” as local divers refer to it, was catapulted from obscurity into international diving fame when it was chosen as the location for the world’s first competitive spear fishing meet in June 1950. The Compton, California “Dolphins Spear Fishing club”, won the meet with a three man team consisting of Ken Kummerfeild, Paul Hoss and Pat O’Malley.

Lots of changes have occurred in and around Divers Cove with the passage of thise 60 plus years.
In the early 1950s the rolling hills surrounding Diver’s Cove were devoid of housing and covered with dry chaparral, which emitted the classic California golden glow always associated with the “Golden state.” Now when viewed from the cove the hills appear almost surrealistic emerald green, blanketed by modern multi- million dollar homes on well-manicured lawns interconnected labyrinth of roads.

It is no longer possible to drive up to the edge of the cliff at Diver’s Cove and park haphazardly. Parking places are now regulated. They are neatly identified with white stripes on the concrete and crowned with a row of coin eating parking meters; silent sentinels waiting for the next quarter for fifteen minutes of violation free parking.

Also absent is the steel cable that provided beach goers and divers to access to the beach. It was a much-appreciated gift from some unknown beach lover who spent their time; money and effort to securely bury one end of the cable in cement and dangle the rest of the cable over the cliff to create a Tarzan style hand over hand beach access. Now modern stairs complete with handrails and a drinking fountain welcomes the divers to the beach

The beach scene I remember so well from my youth is now only a distant memory, but they are memories of gold as were the hills surrounding the cove
.
In the genesis of recreational diving the beach was populated with young athletic sun tanned male youths clad in the diving costume of the era, baggy long underwear, tucked in to equally baggy swim trunks,* round often home made diving masks on their faces,** short green fins on their feet ***and the weapon of choice three or five prong 3 “Jab Stick”**** unceremoniously stuck in the ground.

Like ancient tribes returning from a successful hunt they stood in small groups, wrapped in surplus WWII olive drab army or navy blue blankets, shivering and blue lipped from the cold of the water and the chill in the air. Roaring bonfires fed by WWII surplus tires added much needed warmth as it belched fourth thick heavy black smoke into the clean crisp smog free Orange County air. *****



Divers Cove has now become a popular diving destination for dive training classes. It is populated every Saturday and Sunday morning by young certified diving instructors who have arrived before 7:00 to conduct an ocean check out dive for their classes of aspiring divers. Under the ever-watchful eye of their SCUBA instructor, young and old, male and female don the costume of modern diving. Bright colored wet suits have replaced the long underwear for thermal protection; clear form fitting twin lens masks of clear silicone replaced the black round rubber masks; multi hued long lightweight split plastic fins now adorn their feet replacing the short green Churchill fins. Not a spearfishing weapon is insight, since this area has been a game reserve for over a generation.

Yes, there have been a lot of changes in the last sixty plus years. Tomas Wolfe’s message has been verified. "You can’t go home again," but you can relive fond memories from the distant past and dream and hope for the future of recreational diving.

Only the sea, the eternal sea, has relentlessly remained the same..."

SDM 111

Copyright Dr.Samuel Miller,111 & Lee/CCnews/TPR; maynot be used with out permission of author and Lee/CCnews)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
footnotes

(*Long underwear or heavy GI surplus OD sweater was the consume of diving ..

See SDM anniversary edition,2001, John Steele Painting of me as a 20 year old right after WW11 --- in the winter weather long underwear and a GI sweater was used or if exceptionally warm water such as in Mexico old pajamas were used - not for warmth but to protect from sun burn-)
8985.jpg

(** see my article "The Mask" made by the late great Charlie Sturgil, www.ledgensofdiving.com)

(*** Churchills by Voit were green or greenish- WW11 Churchills were black,

(****Jab stick - Previous (original ) (name for a pole spear-by my tribe) Power supplied by thrust of arm, later a plumbing elastic was discoverd by Bill Barada (LA Co UW instructor)

(***** Huge bonfires to warm up participants & avoid hypothermia- wraped in a blanket or heavey GI surllus WW 11 overcoat
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom