40-45F OWD (drysuit)

[eelnoraa]

40-45F water, I will definitely do OW in drysuit. Drysuit will be a lot warmer both in (with proper undies) and out of water. And you carry less weight for the same warmth level.

 

[aquaticj10]

Worry about your hands. In 10°C water your hands will suffer. Get a decent pair of neoprene gloves.

Thats one advantage of a dry suit. No immediate pain from the cold water. Imagine doing the washing up, now add marigolds, now add woolly gloves underneath.

Where are you planning the open water part of ocean diver? Stoney Cove?

Thanks a lot, and yeah stoney!

 

[aquaticj10]

Yes, you'll feel 40-45 F cold water on your face. When you do a mask remove and replace, it can be shockingly cold, but you get used to it, and you try and be as efficient as possible.

I did my o/w in 38F/4 C in Tobermory years ago, but since it was early June and we spent a fair amount of time at the surface, at least the air temp was warm-ish, which helped.

+2 on practicing the mask re&re in the pool with especially the hood, but also the gloves. That way you'll know if the hood fits you properly or if you need a different size/type or slight trimming.

You will need good insulation in the drysuit otherwise it might keep you dry, but not that warm.

If you spend long enough in very cold water, your lips might get numb, which poses a challenge if you're orally inflating an SMB. If you blow an SMB in the middle of numb pursed lips, a lot of the air will escape around the mouthpiece. If you place the tube in the corner of your mouth, the air will go in very well.

Your instructor might give you some tips to avoid a free(ze)flow in those temps. Besides diving with properly maintained and tuned cold water regs, avoid overbreathing your reg or placing simultaneous demands on the reg, like inhaling and inflating at the same time. Use short bursts when needed rather than holding down the inflator or purge button.

Diving in extremely cold water poses a host of challenges, but hopefully you go in with an arsenal of strategies.

I guess doing your o/w in summer temps or a little warmer water isn't an option?

Thanks for the detailed info! I could do them in summer temps but I'd have to wait an extra 9 months to complete it...

 

[BlueTrin]

If you plan to train often at the quarry or if you plan to do winter diving, I’d recommend you to have a 1cm+ hood for when it’s really cold.

That’d be an additional hood to the one you’d use all year around: for UK diving, I use a 7mm most of the year and a 1cm hood for when it’s really cold.

It’s probably not worth buying a dedicated 1cm hood if you don’t plan to do this kind of diving too often.

Like @Nick_Radov said, fit is very important for any wet neoprene undergarment: it won’t keep you warm if too lose and has too much water moving in and out.

 

[Ayisha]

Thanks for the detailed info! I could do them in summer temps but I'd have to wait an extra 9 months to complete it...

Aww, I see why you'd power through then.

At least you will be trained for colder, more challenging conditions, which will serve you well in your future diving.

 

[W1nst0ne]

Have you thought about completing the Ocean diver through a BSAC Center? yeah you pay for it, (just like a padi course), but its a lot better than waiting 9months... then you are qualified and can then gain experience through diving with your club.. then when the cold weather comes, you have some experience of diving so then you are just learning on how to dive in cold water vs both learning to dive and learning in Cold water?
plus you can also start on advanced ocean or ideally sport diver.

just a thought

 

[BlueTrin]

Have you thought about completing the Ocean diver through a BSAC Center? yeah you pay for it, (just like a padi course), but its a lot better than waiting 9months... then you are qualified and can then gain experience through diving with your club.. then when the cold weather comes, you have some experience of diving so then you are just learning on how to dive in cold water vs both learning to dive and learning in Cold water?
plus you can also start on advanced ocean or ideally sport diver.

just a thought

Stoney Cove does one

• BSAC - Dive & Swim Stoney Cove

But you can equally do a PADI OW and ask the equivalence in your bsac club (better to ask them a bit before so they don’t feel offended or something I guess)

 

[aquaticj10]

Stoney Cove does one

• BSAC - Dive & Swim Stoney Cove

But you can equally do a PADI OW and ask the equivalence in your bsac club (better to ask them a bit before so they don’t feel offended or something I guess)

Replying to you + @W1nst0ne , yeah I've considered that and am not really in a rush to get my cert completed if I'm honest (plus I've spent around 300GBP on BSAC fees for this cert already), not going to plan any trips til next summer anyway. Happy to do my checkout dives in cold water I just wondered if cold shock is much of a factor when diving with a drysuit that's all!

 

[W1nst0ne]

Fair enough on your plans re: learning to dive.

Cold water shock not really a major problem in a drysuit assuming you are wearing appropriate layers.. As has been said upthread, its mainly your hands and face/head.. so make sure you get a decent hood and gloves.

For any mask clearance/remove/replace, just take your time, the cold will shock your face initially, but if you take your time and breathe through it, its not that bad.

quick look at my logs have Vobster at about 14 degree's late Oct/early Nov last year (above the thermocline), and around 9 below and I would assume Stoney similar temps. (been a while since I dived there)