Cayman in August: Do I need a wetsuit?

[Cave Diver]

SubMariner once bubbled...
First of all, no matter HOW warm the water is, it is NEVER 98.6F (blood temp). So even the "naturally insulated" people will get cold.

I think SubMariner said it best. Even at 85 degrees, the water is still 10 degrees colder than your body temperature and water conducts heat away 20 times faster than air does.

You need to look at your dive planning. If you are planning long dives, or multiple dives in a day (especially night dives) it will be hard for your body to maintain core temperature.

I spent two weeks there during early September and all of my dives were done in a 3 mil shorty and was perfectly comfortable.

A lot of other people we saw wore no protection whatsoever and seemed fine, but I can tell you that doing 3-5 dives a day, by the time we got in the water for our night dives I was feeling a little chilled.

My recommendation would be to bring some form of light exposure protection. If you get too warm, you can always do without it on the next dive, but you will still have it available if you start to get chilled.

 

[Davey Jonesen]

First of all, no matter HOW warm the water is, it is NEVER 98.6F (blood temp). So even the "naturally insulated" people will get cold.


~SubMariner~

This is not true. When it is 98.6 degrees air temperature outside an individual will over heat. In 98.6 degree water, it will happen even faster. A diver does not have to wait until the water temperature is near 98.6 degrees to be fine without a wetsuit. A "naturally insulated" diver would over heat very quickly with even minimal effort. A lot of hot tubs are not much warmer than this so imagine trying to scuba in a giant hot tub. The body is designed to have heat removed and diving in 98.6 degree water doesn't allow this to happen. However, since water is extremely more dense than water, the ocean will remove heat much more rapidly than air and therefore you need thermal protection at a higher ambient temperature than if you were on the beach as opposed to in the water.


During my recent trip to Roatan, water temperature was in the low 80's and I dove all week without a wetsuit. On two dives I was cool, but never uncomfortably cool or anywhere near the point of shivering. On all other dives I was fine. I also consider myself a "naturally UNinsulated" diver.

 

[Roombaguy]

talk about thread resurrection! LOL


Post 11: May 9th, 2003, 12:33 AM
Post 12: December 14th, 2010, 01:49 AM

 

[trim2gofast]

I agree. I dove my first few dives in Cayman without a wetsuit until I ascended through a school of jellies. I have sensitive skin, so I prefer the protection.

 

[Davey Jonesen]

talk about thread resurrection! LOL


Post 11: May 9th, 2003, 12:33 AM
Post 12: December 14th, 2010, 01:49 AM

Yea, I found the thread through the search function and never paid attention to the date.

 

[Carnell04]

Is 3mm full suit enough right now in jan? Shorty 3mm possible? Do I even bring the 3mm shorty?

 

[Insta-Gator]

How about a 5mm jacket? (top of jacket / john) Is 5mm too much in June when doing 3 or 4 dives a day? I would think the full length zipper would be helpful for the SI.

 

[Drum]

I use a 3mm shorty at this time of year. Just a pair of shorts in the summer. But as has been said if you're doing more than a couple of dives in a day you may still want something in summer, but it's very warm in August.

 

[dixiedan]

Not for me...last I recall it's around 83 Thats pretty warm for a suit.

 

[Scubamike16]

I was in Grand Cayman in July 2010 and did 22 Dives including a night dive in just a swimsuit and was never cold. It just depends on your comfort level. Anything over 81F I just wear a swimsuit. I plan on going back and diving the USS Kittiwake several times. Does anyone know if they have two tank dives on the Kittiwake?