7mm suit in 80 degree water

[plumcrazy]

I get cold very easily... i'm wondering if there is anyone else who prefers an unusually thick wetsuit for the temp...[/QUOTE]

I think that says it all. I can relate. I have NEVER been "too hot" while diving. I have however, been many times on the other end of the temperature equation

 

[Tortuga68]

Does anyone here wear or knows someone who wears a 7mm suit in 80 degree water? I wore a 7mm in 73 degree water last month and it was perfect, I get cold very easily

What depths do you dive, how long are your dives and how many dives a day do you plan to do? Do you wear gloves, booties or a hood?

I would suggest you try some layering instead of a 7mm.... eg full length rash suit plus 2.5mm hooded vest plus maybe a 5mm over the top. You'll be more comfortable (less restrictive) and require less weight

Have you thought about diving dry?

73F to 80F might not seem like a big difference, but it is significant. I really think you're going to be too warm in a 7mm at 80F

 

[Farty]

Based on the original question, it almost sounds like that you own 7mm suite and plan to go to warm water. Am I correct?

If you don't own it now, then Tortuga68 has excellent point about layers, you can also use dry suite and put whatever you need under.

I have 7mm/8mm aqualung and man I got crazy hot in 70F water (I tried it once), remember being hot means being uncomfortable and that can start a lot of problems ...

 

[The Kraken]

Wear what YOU need to keep YOU warm.

Doesn't make a hill of beans as to what someone else is diving in on the same dive.

It's YOUR body.

Bravado is not a trademark of a good diver.

the K

 

[Harold Meyer]

Big thing here would be how they feel DURING and AFTER the dive---fatique--warm/hot feeling--feeling over heated--tired then 7mm would be overkill--if nothing then wear it at your comfort

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

I routinely use a full 5mm in 80 degrees . I would not hesitate to use a 7mm .

 

[jbb]

I get cold very easily... i'm wondering if there is anyone else who prefers an unusually thick wetsuit for the temp...

I can comfortably wear a full 5mm with hood in the temps you describe. I don't wear the suit during surface interval as it is too uncomfortable (wet) and can make you feel colder due to water evaporation. It also depends as others have said if you have the suit already and to a degree how many dives it has as they all compress and provide less warmth as you rack up the dives. At one time I was at the end of the life of my 5mm - zipper broke and I was loaned a 5mm shorty that at the end of the dive was quite evidently more bouyant than my old full suit.

 

[riverdiver]

Makes my ball's sweat thinking about it. I'm a cold water diver I dive my 7mm starting at 50* and at 70* when the water is warmed up for the summer I am in just a 5mm and still warm. Getting to cold on a dive will wreck the dive, and you can work yourself to keep warm. But when you get to hot in the water their is nothing you can do and you start feeling sick.

 

[k374]

great, I am going to try the 7mm in 80F water, I know cooling off during the SI is going to be tricky though...

 

[sdiver68]

At the end of my Roatan trip which I just got back from with 3 then 4 dives per day including night dives and back-to-back dives in 77 degree water, I wore a merino-lined 5mm with beanie hood and dive skin. I started the week wearing 3mm, then 3mm with skin, then 3mm/skin/beanie, then 5mm/skin/beanie.

You can always flush water and/or open up your suit. At least I did and was fine. The biggest difference in addition to repetitive dives to me was topside weather. Sun warms the body up, clouds or night not so much :cool2: