Can I use normal clothing for undergarments for single cold dive?

[Zef]

Wear a tuxedo under that drysuit, the jacket and pants are usually wool and silk...both good insulators, even when wet. And, you will look totally James Bond snazzy when you peel off your drysuit to reveal that tux at the end of the dive.

-Z

 

[justinthedeeps]

Anybody still doing wool vests etc?

Insulation rating (and lead needed to sink) is: thickness while under compression

Some fleece is so ploofy that it hardly rates at all.

 

[MB NZ]

I think that would be fine too.

 

[lowwall]

Wear a tuxedo under that drysuit, the jacket and pants are usually wool and silk...both good insulators, even when wet. And, you will look totally James Bond snazzy when you peel off your drysuit to reveal that tux at the end of the dive.

-Z

Beat me to it. Goldfinger pre-title scene. Tuxedo reveal at 2:31.



This was inspired by Peter Tazalaar's real life tuxedo under (swimming) drysuit mission to aid the Dutch Resistance in WWII.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/peter-tazelaar-the-ww2-spy.html

 

[broncobowsher]

Mythbusters did it as well.

 

[PISCES WOODWORKS]

Almost all of my diving is in the mexican caves, and I wear a drysuit with 4th element Xerotherm base layer which is fine for 3+ hr dives in 24C water.

I spend my summers in winnipeg, and there's a lake where all the diving happens. Honestly it sounds awful, cold, low viz, nothing to see. But I figure I live there I should try diving it at least once.

I don't plan to do any other cold water diving, and don't want to purchase thicker undergarments for just one dive. It's about 15C, and I expect the dive to be 40-60 mins.

Can I just wear my xerotherm base layer, and toss a fleece and sweatpants over top of it for the one dive? is that reasonable?

that will work fine and you can add or remove as needd.. diving a drysuit with jeans and a T-shirt someone mentioned feels lousy and bouyancy off