Bonaire - Exposure Suit Recommendation?

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ocpaul

Contributor
Messages
150
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Location
Canton, Ohio
# of dives
200 - 499
I am heading for Bonaire :crafty: at the end of May. Wondering about exposure suit recommendations based on actual experiences there. My first thought was just to use a skin and maybe a hood for 3 / 4 dives per day, mostly shore but some boat.

Thanks for your help!
 
ocpaul:
I am heading for Bonaire :crafty: at the end of May. Wondering about exposure suit recommendations based on actual experiences there. My first thought was just to use a skin and maybe a hood for 3 / 4 dives per day, mostly shore but some boat.
Only you can prevent forest fires, and only you know the answer to your question.

All that you can be told is that the water temp should be getting fairly warm, 80-84 degrees more than likely.

What this means to you is something that you will learn over time. If you dive enough years, it will change as you age, but for now- keep records and make observations in your log book.

How you, your own body, reacts to that only you can know.

I'm okay at 5x a day in that with a polarfleece. My dive buddy needs a 3/5, and might wish she had brought her 5/7, but she is decidedly exothermic. A beanie hood is always easy to pack and add or delete as you wish- and delivers immediate and obvious impact in terms of body heat loss/retention.

Repetitive dives, combined with circulation, muscle condition, % body fat, air consumption rates, exertion and comfort levels all play a part.

What I or anyone else wears is mere jibberish. No one here knows any of the above descriptors as they apply to you.

Only you can tell. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Take all of your exposure gear, or be ready to rent some. You can always decide to not wear something, it's hard to use it on any give day if it's back in your closet.

Personal eperience will be your best source.
 
Right On Roatan Man!

I dive almost every Spring/Summer/Fall weekend here in sunny South Florida and wear, without shame, a 5 mil gold core jumpsuit up to 83-degree water and then a 3 beyond that while my boat-mates are in a bathing suit and tee-shirt, a shorty or a skin.

Ain't no telling where you're going to end up, though it's good to add a layer or two to your calculations if you're going to be diving repetitively (as on vacation). I was diving in St. Vincent in 84-degree water with my 5-mil and was a bit embarrassed until I noticed the divemasters wearing 7's!

Don't let anyone tell you what you "should" be wearing. Of course, it's nice to wear less rubber and, thus, less weight, but nothing ruins a dive for me like being cold. Well worth it to me to pack a bit more lead and not even think about the cold.

Regards,
 
ditto on what he said. I am going in mid may and I am bringing my 3 mil just in case. I probabally wont need it but its there in case
 

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