Cenotes and Suits

[brizzolatti]

Hi y'all. Woo hoo!! I'm off to Mexico next April. As well as the Carribean, I hope to do a couple of cenotes dive. From what I have read so far, temperatures will be 75 degrees in cenotes and 80 or so in ocean. And on this board, most of you recommend a 3mm full wetsuit or a skin for the ocean at that time of year. Would that be ok for cenotes, too? I have a 3mm shortie and a drysuit but nothing in between. I have found the shortie fine in tropical waters though have got a bit cold towards the end of a 2 tank boat dive. Thanks for any advice.

 

[sealkie]

you will get cold in the cenotes - I used a 7mm in MArch this year - I don`t really feel the cold but by the end of the second dive I was starting to get chilled - a 3 mm would be uncomfortable

 

[d33ps1x]

Wet - 5/4 mm
Shell - Tuxedo
Neoprene drysuit - Commando

 

[donacheson]

sealkie once bubbled...
you will get cold in the cenotes - I used a 7mm in MArch this year - I don`t really feel the cold but by the end of the second dive I was starting to get chilled - a 3 mm would be uncomfortable

On the other hand, just a few weeks ago I was perfectly comfortable in a polartec shortie for 40-50 minute cenote cavern dives.

Like tastes, there's no accounting for people's tolerance of cold. <G>

 

[Otter]

I dove the ocean in a Seaquest 5mm / 3mm (chest 5mm, everything else 3mm) and was comfortable in the Cenotes as well. Others I was diving with were in 3mm both places and were fine.

YMMV

 

[Diver Lori]

I'm heading to Akumal in two weeks for my 3rd year in a row....counting the days!

Anyway.....I wear a 7mm jumpsuit in the cenotes. Last year I had a cap-type hood and got a bit chilled. This year I am taking my hooded vest too.

 

[GoBlue!]

After about 45 minutes in a 3mm neoprene, I was starting to get a bit chilled. Awesome diving, though. Can't wait to go back.

Jim

 

[Charlie99]

I did some 45 minute dives in Dos Ojos in a 3/2 full and a beanie cap and was very comfortable. Since the average depth is only 15' or so the wetsuit isn't compressed much.

Charlie

 

[boydski]

I just returned from 10 days of Cenote diving in Akumal ( trip report ), and was fine in a 3 mm Full Suit. The only days I started to get cold was our open water skills work in the Cenote where we were in for more than an hour, and really weren't moving around much ( i.e. waiting on other students ). We added a Hooded Vest and were toasty warm, but removed the vest when we went into the Cenotes as we were too warm when we were moving.

You might consider adding a hooded vest to your 3mm shorty, and I bet you'll be just fine. As Charlie mentioned, the cenotes are pretty shallow, and when you do descend below about 35', you run into the salt water ( Halocline ), which is VERY warm.

Have a great trip!

 

[cyklon_300]

in a 3mm shorty. I wasn't overly uncomfortable.

The hike thru the jungle to Temple of Doom in full gear made the shorty a good choice...