Cold Water Diving for Beginners

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myself

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Hey guys. I got certified over winter (diving in a pool and hot springs), and I want to get diving this spring hopefully as soon as possible. Our local lake has finally melted off and the water temp is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I have an adequate exposure suit based on times that I tried it out in water similar in temperature to what the lake is now. My regulator is also a cold water rig (Sherwood SR 2). I was just wondering what problems I would run into in this scenario.
 
Hey guys. I got certified over winter (diving in a pool and hot springs), and I want to get diving this spring hopefully as soon as possible. Our local lake has finally melted off and the water temp is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I have an adequate exposure suit based on times that I tried it out in water similar in temperature to what the lake is now. My regulator is also a cold water rig (Sherwood SR 2). I was just wondering what problems I would run into in this scenario.

What is your “adequate exposure” protection? 7mm, semi dry, or drysuit?

Make sure to have warm beverages. If you’re diving wet, have warm water to pour into your suit.
 
Warm beverages and hot food. I bring stoves especially in the winter time.
 
Dry suit with a p-valve/she-p. When cold, you will pee more often. I like a K-01 hood. Supposedly YRVA hoods are comparable/even better, but I haven't tried them.
 
I've done 2 dives in a day in my 7 mil farmer john wetsuit in maybe 43F water, but I pick a very warm day in May. Otherwise 2 dives in that temp. water won't work for me. I'll do one 20 min. dive in waters in the 30s in mid winter. Figure out what you'll be doing after the dive (or between them) to get warm.
 
Dry suit with a p-valve/she-p. When cold, you will pee more often. I like a K-01 hood. Supposedly YRVA hoods are comparable/even better, but I haven't tried them.
I was looking into a semi dry for the NJ ocean waters because I know I'll have to pee while down. I grew up with no wetsuits or rash guards in the Keys diving. So I'm new to wetsuit/dry/semi dry. The semi intrigues me.
 
I was looking into a semi dry for the NJ ocean waters because I know I'll have to pee while down. I grew up with no wetsuits or rash guards in the Keys diving. So I'm new to wetsuit/dry/semi dry. The semi intrigues me.

If you plan on diving a lot locally, just cough up the cash for a drysuit. If you have to pee, that’s what a condom cath & p-valve are for. The guys have it a lot easier than the gals. Look up the She-P if you don’t believe me.
 
If you plan on diving a lot locally, just cough up the cash for a drysuit. If you have to pee, that’s what a condom cath & p-valve are for. The guys have it a lot easier than the gals. Look up the She-P if you don’t believe me.
It's not the money, it's the flexibility. I think I'm going to rent some suits first and see what's up.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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