Carribbean wetsuit recommendations - get cold easily

[LindaS82]

I'm a fairly new diver and headed to Cozumel this December where I understand the water temp could be 77-80. I'm a small female, 110 lbs and I get cold extremely easily. To give you an idea, I was in key largo this summer and had to wear a 3mm shorty over a 3mm farmer John to stay warm in 82 degree water. I had on only the shorty at first and my instructor made me add the farmer jane since i started shaking and my lips turned blue. I wore the same arrangement in 86 degree water thr following month, the 3mm with 3 mm , and was never hot. I did try only the 3mm shorty in 86 and could do it, although I was a little cold on the second dive. This is with topside sunny 85 weather.

Someone recommended a 5 mm jumpsuit for Cozumel and said I would be plenty warm, but I'm nervous it won't be enough. Should I get a 7 mm instead? Or will the 5mm jumpsuit in 77 be okay if I did alright in 3mm shorty w/ 3mm farmer Jane in 82. I would like to avoid the 7mm if possible due to weight but warmth is most important.

 

[spectrum]

I would go with the 5mm full suit and bring a 3mm hooded chicken vest to augment it. The vest will really close off the neck opening while adding a little on your torso. Equally helpful will be having a warm head.

Pete

 

[al248005]

I would think a 5mm would be enough. Also like Spectrum said you may want to look into a hooded vest to seal the neck off. Now some 5mm suits come with glideskin seals around the neck. I have one on my Pinnacle suit and hardly any water enters into the suit. You may want to look into that if you don't want to go with the hooded vest option.

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

I would go with the 5mm full suit and bring a 3mm hooded chicken vest to augment it. The vest will really close off the neck opening while adding a little on your torso. Equally helpful will be having a warm head.

Pete

I'm cold natured also, I won't wear anything under a full 3 mil, in 80/75 degree I need a 5/4 mill, and a 2/3 mill hooded vest. don't do anything colder than that. you should be okay, maybe try with the hood first.

 

[spectrum]

LindaS82

A few other thoughts...

As a new diver you don't have a lot of data points in terms of dives. If you are cold in general then it's probably what it is. However if you are a fellow hardy New Englander but found yourself getting cold in 82 degree water the fit (or quality) of the suit may also be part of the problem. When we went to Bonaire I started out in a 3mm full suit that has a reasonably good fit but I was getting chilled in ~80 water. After a few days I tried a 2mm shorty I had packed that a nice light compression fit and I was comfortable for the rest of the week. As always fit, fit and fit.

If you think the suit was good and decide you just need more then so be it. Along with the suit change be sure to roll it down and towel off ASAP to minimize your overall heat loss. A wet suit on a breezy boat will pull thermal energy out of you fast regardless of sunlight and temperature. The loss of thermal energy can be a cumulative thing and you will not fully recover with a good night's rest. Give your body every advantage throughout the day to prevent the onset of silent hypothermia. This is usually experienced as fatigue late in the week and an indifference to doing anything that may further tire you, like diving.

Pete

 

[HowardE]

I'm a fairly new diver and headed to Cozumel this December where I understand the water temp could be 77-80. I'm a small female, 110 lbs and I get cold extremely easily. To give you an idea, I was in key largo this summer and had to wear a 3mm shorty over a 3mm farmer John to stay warm in 82 degree water. I had on only the shorty at first and my instructor made me add the farmer jane since i started shaking and my lips turned blue. I wore the same arrangement in 86 degree water thr following month, the 3mm with 3 mm , and was never hot. I did try only the 3mm shorty in 86 and could do it, although I was a little cold on the second dive. This is with topside sunny 85 weather.

Someone recommended a 5 mm jumpsuit for Cozumel and said I would be plenty warm, but I'm nervous it won't be enough. Should I get a 7 mm instead? Or will the 5mm jumpsuit in 77 be okay if I did alright in 3mm shorty w/ 3mm farmer Jane in 82. I would like to avoid the 7mm if possible due to weight but warmth is most important.

I was just there (Cozumel), and diving a 5mm full suit with a little beanie (hothead) and was quite comfortable. I dive a lot, and get cold easily. IMO, you can always let water in and cool off if you're too warm... But if you're too cold, then you're just cold, and that's miserable.

The only time I was ever too warm was hard hat diving in 85 degree water. I was sweating. But you can't sweat on regular scuba.

 

[RTee]

While I am comfortable wearing a 3mm full length and do 4 dives a day in Cozumel, such a combination was not adequate for my GF for doing only two dives. Since then, she acquired a full length 5mm and is much more comfortable. That is now her standard Carribean thermal protection config.

Another thing that might help your comfort topside is to remove or undo as much wetsuit as you can during the surface interval and put on warm clothes to keep you warm or warm you up. Sometime you are better off just undoing the top part of your wetsuit and just be in swimsuit then keeping your wetsuit all done up.

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Agreed, nothing less then a full 5mm suit and bring a hood or a hooded vest, being cold is no fun. I would look at the Henderson Aqua Lock 5mm With the seals on the suit and how they do the stitching, it's probably the warmest most comfortable 5mm on the market today.

 

[Akimbo]

Wetsuit fit is as, or more important, than thickness and layers. The idea is to have as thin a layer between you and the suit as possible that does not circulate water. Females have a much harder time finding wetsuits, or anything else for that matter, that fit perfectly.

Simply adding suit material has negative effects in the form of higher buoyancy, lead required to counterbalance it, buoyancy changes as the suit compresses, and the physical difficulty of donning and doffing.

So, how well did the suits you were using fit? Did you notice water movement (pumping) in the suit as you changed body positions? Do you notice any places where the suit pulls away from your skin as you move (like under arms)? Are there places where the suit leaves significant volumes of water (along your spine, cleavage, and arm pits)?

If so, you need to spend more time finding rental suits that fit better. Once you do, it will give you a better idea how much material you need to wear and perhaps justify getting a custom suit.

Generally, a full suit with minimal zippers allows less to circulate. The idea is to minimize the linear distance water can enter or exit the suit.

 

[LindaS82]

Thanks everyone, this is all very helpful. I think I will try a 5 mm with hooded vest underneath. The suits I've worn in the past did seem to fit pretty tightly, so I think I need the hood. Trying to stay warm on the boat in between dives is something I need to do a better job of for sure.