Bought a wetsuit, now not sure if correct one

[Wena]

Hi All

My son has decided to take up scuba diving and will be doing his OW and OWA soon.
In his exuberance he went and bought a wetsuit.

A, XCel Men's 8/7/6/5mm Polar Quad-Density Hooded to be precise.

My worry is Cape Town's water can get to 7 degrees cent (44.6 deg Far), will this suit be warm enough.

I cannot find any info on temp rating.I have emailed xcel themselves, a few days ago, but they have not come back to me.

Thanks

Wena

 

[KD8NPB]

A drysuit would be most ideal in that water temperature.

His chest-entry semi-dry hooded wetsuit will be the best possible wetsuit for those temperatures though! He will want to bring a jug of boiling hot water to the dive site if possible to purge his gloves, boots, and chest with before entering and after exiting the water.

 

[Vegan Shark]

Cold tolerance varies between individuals. Just like on a cold day you might see someone walking around comfortably in a T-shirt, while others are bundled in sweatshirts. Big guys generally have higher cold tolerance, and there are even some crazy people that go ice-diving in 7mm wetsuits.

I think most people would find 44 degrees to be chilly in anything but a drysuit, though. The XCel is a warm suit, and OW certification dives are generally pretty short, so he can probably tough it out, but it won't be fun. If he doesn't want to get a drysuit, I would suggest getting a 5mm layer to go underneath that wetsuit. That will make it substantially warmer. I've tried a variety of layers, and really love the Fourth Element semi-john.

Fourth Element Proteus Men's 5/4mm Short-John Wetsuit

 

[SanDiegoSidemount]

Hi All

My son has decided to take up scuba diving and will be doing his OW and OWA soon.
In his exuberance he went and bought a wetsuit.

A, XCel Men's 8/7/6/5mm Polar Quad-Density Hooded to be precise.

My worry is Cape Town's water can get to 7 degrees cent (44.6 deg Far), will this suit be warm enough.

I cannot find any info on temp rating.I have emailed xcel themselves, a few days ago, but they have not come back to me.

I dive this same wetsuit: it's about as warm of a suit as you're going to find, and is a good choice for a beginning diver in cold water. I find myself feeling chilled below about 55F. However, as VeganShark noted, everyone's tolerance for cold is different.

If your son keeps diving in cold water, he'll eventually want a drysuit, but there's plenty of time for that down the road if he enjoys the sport enough. As a beginner, a drysuit adds a lot of extra complications.

Some scuba training programs (notably ones in Canada) will start their students right off in a drysuit, however this seems to be the exception.

 

[drbill]

I've done a few dives in that temperature rage in a 7/5mm wetsuit. They were barely tolerable and I'm pretty tolerant of cold... temps here rarely fall below 50 F (which I'm "fine" in). Of course my wetsuits are old and don't offer the thermal protection a new one would, and that suit may be fine initially. A dry suit would probably be a better choice, but personally I wouldn't suggest one prior to basic training.

 

[randini]

I'm not sure where you get the 7degC figure from - that seems awfully low for your latitude. I was always under the impression that SA sea surface temperatures tend to be like 13-15 in winter on the west coast (maybe getting to 11 below the thermocline). I dive colder than that (10-12) in winter with a lesser suit that what your kid got (I use a 7mm jumpsuit w/a 5mm hooded vest). Single dives work out fine, but I do get a bit chilled after following dives, but nothing that a thermos of tea and a jacket during surface intervals can't fix. If I'm right about your temps, I'm sure your kid will be fine.

 

[Wena]

Hi
Thanks to all for the replies.
On further investigation it looks like the water temp is between 10c (50f) and 18c (64f).

Maybe a 2mm shorty top?

Thanks
Wena

 

[KD8NPB]

Hi
Thanks to all for the replies.
On further investigation it looks like the water temp is between 10c (50f) and 18c (64f).

Maybe a 2mm shorty top?

Thanks
Wena

In those temps, that 8/7/6/5 should be fine by itself.

If he wants to up his body temp, bring hot water! It's cheap, easy, and is guaranteed to increase comfort.

 

[Skittl1321]

In those temps, that 8/7/6/5 should be fine by itself.

I agree. My checkout dives were in 60 degree water (55 below the thermocline). The women were in 7 mm but the men were in 3mm. No one wore hoods or gloves, though I think gloves might have been nice.

 

[freewillie]

For me upper 50's is okay for a 7 mm but once it gets to about 54 or lower it is downright chilly. I've added a 3 mm vest for warmth but in all honesty it doesn't help much. Temps in the 58 or higher range a 7 mm is just fine for me.