Am I nuts wearing a dry suit in 72 degree water

[NuttyGambler]

OK I now have all my own gear including a drysuit which I dove about 10 days ago in 39 degree water of Lake Superior.

Tonight I am gonna dive one of the local lakes and the temps are around 80 at the surface and around 72 below the therocline. Last time I was the only one wearing a drysuit and felt like everyone thought I was nuts. (Well I was wearing too much underwear, but wanted to get my bouancy closer for the Lake Superior dive trip)

I don't own a true full wetsuit. Have various shorties, vests, and long johns. I'm sure I would be plenty warm with a watercraft style long john and a short sleave 5m vest over the top.

I don't dive that often anyway, and think it is wise to keep up with the practice on the drysuit, but then again maybe the wear and tear on it is not worthwhile. Tropics will be a shorty or vest, I just love the freedom they give.

Anyways, I guess I am just looking to see if most people switch back and forth or just go dry with only shorts and a Tshirt underneath. Thanks.

 

[Spectre]

Originally posted by NuttyGambler
Anyways, I guess I am just looking to see if most people switch back and forth or just go dry with only shorts and a Tshirt underneath.

I believe Paul168341's comment was "After paying that much for an exposure suit, you wear it on every dive, wether you want to or not!".

 

[jonnythan]

3mm + 5mm for 72 degress?!

I wear a 3mm farmer john in 65 degrees, and it feels quite nice. Try just wearing a farmer john and some gloves in that water, you might like it

My dive buddies use their drysuits for the cold water around here, but for Hudson diving they switch back to a light wetsuit. It's not always bad to get wet!

Use whatever you like, but I can't imagine I'd ever use a drysuit in water that warm.. I just ordered one, so I'll get to test that theory soon

 

[MikeFerrara]

I dive a drysuit almost exclusively. A shell suit provides no insulation so you can very the undergarments to be comfortable in any temperature. The buoyancy characteristics of a dry suit are fare superior. If you are trimmed correctly at one depth you are trimmed correctly at all depths. This is not true for a wet suit (because of suit compression. For the same reason, a wet suit keeps you warmest at the surface where you often don't need it. A dry suit provides the same thermal protection at all depths. If it is cold enough for me to need a suit it will be a dry suit.

 

[SubMariner]

NG, how keenly you feel the cold and at what temp is a very personal thing. Don't let other people tell you what to wear or when... let your own knowledge of your temperature tolerance be your guide.

For example, we only own two suits: a DUI 350TLS trilam and a full 1/8" wetsuit. That's it! These two cover the range of diving we do: tropics, springs, lakes, Gulf of Mexico -- year round.

The wetsuit we use for anything 80F and above; the drysuit for anything below. Remember to gauge exposure protection by the temp where you will be diving, not at the surface.

When diving dry you have the ability to vary the layering under the suit as well as the undergarment materials. That is actually the key. The other thing to remember is in warmer waters, to help avoid suit pinch, you may want to go with a thin long sleeved t-shirt and thin leggings rather than a short-sleeved T-shirts & shorts.

To summarize, in the water temps you described both Pearce & I would stick with the drysuits.

DRYSUITS RULE!

~SubMariner~

 

[NuttyGambler]

That is kind of my thoughts as well. That in fresh water I would be using the drysuit, and when in tropical saltwater be using a wetsuit. 80 degrees does seem to be the magic number between really nice and could be warmer.

I'm not understanding the suit pinch with the short sleaved Tshirt and shorts. I am new to the drysuit but have never felt anything like a pinch or squeeze everyone talks about. I have felt that I should give the suit a shot of air to make it feel better but nothing uncomfortable or painfull. Are you saying that by having short sleeves, that where that line is that is a problem, or just the fact that you do not have something between yourself and the trilam? Maybe just how the drysuit wrinkles up it can catch your skin? A true pinch like you did to each other when in grade school. BTW: SubMariner have the same drysuit really like it.

I do need to get a full wetsuit. Mostly to just help with the jellyfish. BUT, I do hate getting hot on a rocking boat, instantly fighting not to feed the fish. I know when I'm on a boat, I look at people with full suits on thinking they look so uncomfortable.

Again thanks everyone.

 

[BEACHBUM885]

Even if it is a light Lycra skin I will always wear a full suit. They are more comfortable than they look. And they look great on everyone. I wore a full 3mm in Mexico 98 degrees F water temp 75 degrees F, and the divemasters even thought I was insane but since I am thinner than the average man (5' 11" and 169 lbs) it was necessary.

During the dive I unzipped the suit a little and whoa nelly I got cold. The other divers one of which was taking part in his first saltwater dive were wearing shorts and t-shirts. Luckily for them the jellyfish and fire coral weren't biting that day but when the stingray came up to me to say "hi", the tail brushed up against my leg. You can always leave the suit off in the boat then suit up before getting in the water.

 

[SubMariner]

Are you saying that by having short sleeves, that where that line is that is a problem, or just the fact that you do not have something between yourself and the trilam? Maybe just how the drysuit wrinkles up it can catch your skin?

Exactly. When I drove the 1/4" neoprene drysuit, "pinch" was never an issue: that suit was so bulky there was no way short of being at some incredible depth where neoprene compression would be a problem. (Actually, if I was that deep, getting pinched by a suit would definitely be the LEAST of my problems!) So if the weather & water were co-operating, I would be quite comfy with t-shirt & shorts under that suit.

However, trilams are a different story. Even "I Never Get Cold" Pearce wears thin long sleeved t-shirt and bike leggings under his DUI because the material is so flexible that even if you don't experience true "suit squeeze", you can still wind up with "pinch" in the crooks of your elbows or backs of your knees.

The other factor is sweat: although the water is cold enough to warrant the drysuit, you can work up a sweat in it. And need something to wick off that sweat & keep you comfy.

As for a full wetsuit being a problem in warmer conditions, as you pointed out exposure protection against accidental cuts/scrapes/etc. is usually the deciding factor. How thick the exposure protection is up to you; just as long as everything is covered when you jump in.

So, to keep cool on the boat, get all your equipment assembled, and put on all your exposure protection EXCEPT only bring it up to waist high. (That's the point where I usualy wind up tying the arms around my waist.) That way you can stay cool/comfortable AND be ready to finish gearing up fairly quickly.

BTW, the arm-tying thing works with the DUIs too.

Take care, eh?!

~SubMariner~

 

[Spectre]

Originally posted by SubMariner
As for a full wetsuit being a problem in warmer conditions, as you pointed out exposure protection against accidental cuts/scrapes/etc. is usually the deciding factor. How thick the exposure protection is up to you; just as long as everything is covered when you jump in.

Exactly my philosophy. I forgot my 3 mm down on Cape Cod one weekend, and ended up in my farmer john in the 75 degree water. Didn't get cold, but my arms took a beating.

I remembered my 3 mm the next weekend, and it was down to 72 degrees. I was fine for the first dive, but about half way through my second dive [2 hours or so under for the day] I definately started wishing I had my hood with me...

Might not mean much to most people, but those that know me are probably shocked right now at the thought that I actually get cold!

 

[buff]

I would have laughed at diving dry in 72 degrees of water in the not too distant past.

Dove in 72 degree water in North Carolina. I wore a 5/3 wetsuit and on the second dive with a little deco hang time I was s-h-a-k-i-n-g from cold. My dive buddy was smiling and always toasty in his shell dry suit.