5mm Wetsuit temperature ranges

[Lucas Cordina]

Hey people!

So I'm relatively new to diving and I'm still buying equipment, a dry suit is currently out of my budget (still need to get a reg and wing), so I'm trying to get as many seasons as I can with my 5mm wetsuit.

Temperatures here (Malta) range from 15C/59F to 26C/78.8F, so which temperature ranges would my wetsuit be able to keep me warm in? (or rather, non-hypothermic)

I'm grateful for any answers or personal experiences shared!

 

[mala]

should be ok from june till november(around 19 to 24 ).

august is really shorty weather for shallow dives.
the thermoclines decend in the summer and rise in the winter so expect the water to be much colder at depth.

 

[Lucas Cordina]

should be ok from june till november(around 19 to 24 ).

august is really shorty weather for shallow dives.
the thermoclines decend in the summer and rise in the winter so expect the water to be much colder at depth.

Awesome, thanks for the info!

I'm just glad it won't confine me to diving just during Summer!
Thanks again and happy diving!

 

[mattpatton]

Hey there! We dive here in North Carolina and get a wide range of diving water temps throughout the year. Usually in August our surface temps rise to their highest temps around 80-84, and in the winter down to as low as 43 degrees.

Your tolerance to the cold and amount of energy used during the dive will play a big factor. If diving with a good quality 5mm wetsuit, you should be good down to the mid 60s for water temps without a heater. If you are doing a lot of video work or camera work and are not swimming much during your dives, you're going to be a lot colder once water gets below 65. Below 65, you'll probably need a thicker suit, another layer (hooded vest underneath), or you could add some battery support to keep you really warm.

It all depends on your cold tolerance, as you know. My wife gets much colder much sooner than I do while diving. It looks like, though, with your water temps, you should be good for the majority of the year. Stay Warm!

 

[Insta-Gator]

I use a 5mm for fresh water diving. Coldest thus far was 49 F but I thought I would die, so we ascended above the thermocline. Upper 50's for me are ok with a 5mm, hood and gloves. 60's or higher are better. Upper 70's or higher are ok in a 3mm. Personal preference will vary.

 

[ajduplessis]

15C/59F temp water is cold for me, drysuit or at least semi dry. It all depends on how you tolerate cold. Your problem is budget, thus you really only have one option: wetsuit with good quality hoodie and gloves.

 

[mainedvr]

I'v gone as low as 40degrees in my pinnical 5mm moreno its a great suit and while I would only do one dive of about an hour, my biggest issue is the ambient temp when I surface thats where it gets really cold dive wet IMO.

 

[Lucas Cordina]

Thanks for the advice people! Really appreciate it, I can tolerate the cold pretty well, so from what I'm gathering from your replies is that I can dive in most of the months with what I currently own

That said, I started stashing away some money for a drysuit just for those really cold dives (and that way, I won't feel the cold when I get out of the water, which I'd expect to be terrible with a wetsuit)

Thanks people

 

[Shftrdog]

You should be fine but I would recomend getting a 5/3 hooded vest and gloves for when it gets down into the 59F. That way you want layer it under the 5MM when it is cold and as it gets warmer you can just wear the 5MM and then when it is close to 80 you can wear just the hooded vest.

 

[Lucas Cordina]

You should be fine but I would recomend getting a 5/3 hooded vest and gloves for when it gets down into the 59F. That way you want layer it under the 5MM when it is cold and as it gets warmer you can just wear the 5MM and then when it is close to 80 you can wear just the hooded vest.

That's actually a great suggestion! I'll give it a look-see, thanks