Cold water diving

[TheHobster]

...I dive 75 in a 3mm. :11:

funny, when I lived in SoCal I would regularly body surf in 68 degree water in a speedo only - but when I dove it was a 7mm and hood

now at 75 degrees, I am on the borderline of a 3mm and DS with light clothing

I dove San Clemente Island one time in November someone said it was 61 degrees, and this old Navy guy was wearing a 3mm shorty - it's all what you are used to I guess - for some folks mild hypothermia makes them feel alive - did the Barefoot Man do a song about that??

 

[Warren_L]

Just curious after my dives today. Have you ever dove in water that was so cold it actually hurt? I decided to leave my gloves in the car today, since the surface was about 56. Well, after crossing the second thermocline the water was so cold that my hands and lips hurt. After a few minutes they went numb, and I went back up. I never got the actual temp reading.

So, has ^you^ ever dove in water that was actually painful?

Comrade

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones, but I've never gotten an icecream headache from cold water diving. In fact, I have no idea what they're like. However, I find the first things to get cold after a while on a cold water dive are my hands and feet. I generally have no problems with exposed areas on my face as I do tend to minimize that with a decent fitting hood.

 

[String]

Generally here you get the brain freeze pain on descent. Without gloves im in pain in about 60 seconds, with 5mm 3 finger mitts it takes 40-50 mins.

Its normal.

 

[TSandM]

Last winter, when the water temperatures dropped into the mid-forties, I had several dives where I got out of the water with my hands in so much pain that I literally ran to the restroom with tears streaming down my face to put them under some warm water. That's why I have dry gloves.

 

[Thalassamania]

In the Arctic and Antarctic we routinly dive in water that almost -2^oC, that's as cold as water gets, and yes anything that's exposed gets uncomfortable till it numbs.

 

[ClevelandDiver]

My hands are always the limiting factor on cold water dives.

Most of my dives are in water 40 - 55 degrees, so it is rare that I dive without a thick hood and gloves. As long as the water temp is at least 45, the cold is very manageable down to 130 feet.

That said, I dove in 36 degree water a couple of days ago with a max depth of 130 feet. The combined compression of my 5mil gloves and frigid temperatures made my hands so cold they felt like they were burning.

I have tried a few different dry glove set ups, but none have worked that well for me.

My face usually goes numb quite quickly and does not brother me after the numbness sets in. Feet and core are comfortable thanks to my drysuit undergarments.

 

[ghostrunner007]

Went Ice Diving this winter the water at 70' was 1 C, I stayed warm due to I was wearing weasel undergarments as well as weasel boots. I stayed in the water for 45 minutes one time though and my hands were frozen, got to get the blue gloves.
Never had an ice cream headache yet.

 

[jon m]

no gloves at 56F? that's too cold! batten down the hatches, you'll be o-k

 

[Warren_L]

My hands are always the limiting factor on cold water dives.

Most of my dives in water 40 - 55 degrees, so it is rare that I dive without a thick hood and gloves. As long as the water temp is at least 45, the cold is very manageable down to 130 feet.

That said, I dove in 36 degree water a couple of days ago with a max depth of 130 feet. The combined compression of my 5mil gloves and frigid temperatures made my hands so cold they felt like they were burning.

I have tried a few different dry glove set ups, but none have worked that well for me.

My face usually goes numb quite quickly and does not brother me after the numbness sets in. Feet and core are comfortable thanks to my drysuit undergarments.

That's pretty well the same with me. It's the hands and feet that tend to get cold quickest. Dry gloves should improve your warmth, but do make sure that you can equalize them if diving deep. Without equalization, they compress and lose quite a bit of thermal protection, not to mention being somewhat uncomfortable. I once dove without equalization to 200 ft and I can tell you that my blue smurf gloves with the inner liner was like skin.

 

[Joe-Diver]

I don't have alot of experience diving in very cold water. I've been in 48 degree water once before with 7mm/hood/gloves...and I found out what "chilled to the bone" really feels like. That was enough to keep me out of cold water.

Concerning some of the comments in extremely frigid water, that exposed extremities hurt until they're numb, then don't hurt anymore....Is there any kind of actual physical damage that can be done to exposed skin areas that go numb in very cold water?