Cold water & wet suit

[rick00001967]

everyone has different opinions on cold water diving.

clearly a drysuit is the best option but many people where i live have gone cold water diving with one piece 7mm wet suits. they even ice dive. you will never see me doing that again. lol

i personally do not know anyone who dives a two piece suit anymore. i did when i first started diving. it was the worst purchase i ever made. but thats just my opinion. modern suits are much better now.

we have a bunch of divers here that got into using semi dry's. they liked them. i believe the thickest i have seen is 8mm? couple that with a well fitted 7 to 10mm hood, good boots with possibly merino wool socks inside, and maybe some three finger gloves that seal properly at the wrist, and many could tolerate quite intolerable conditions.

thin merino wool tops and bottoms can also be worn under the suit for added warmth.

just a suggestion in case the op had never considered one

 

[jadairiii]

the key to warmth in a wet suit is to avoid water flow in and out of the suit. And your neck area is where the majority of the water comes in. Why attached hood suits will often be warmer. At a minimum a hooded vest over top of whatever suit you used, that will seal off the neck area.

 

[Elegant_Nudibranch]

Open cell is they key. You can dive a 5 mil open cell down to 50°. Anything less and I'd add hot water flushes pre dive.

Why is open cell the key? Pls explain

 

[Elegant_Nudibranch]

everyone has different opinions on cold water diving.

clearly a drysuit is the best option but many people where i live have gone cold water diving with one piece 7mm wet suits. they even ice dive. you will never see me doing that again. lol

i personally do not know anyone who dives a two piece suit anymore. i did when i first started diving. it was the worst purchase i ever made. but thats just my opinion. modern suits are much better now.

we have a bunch of divers here that got into using semi dry's. they liked them. i believe the thickest i have seen is 8mm? couple that with a well fitted 7 to 10mm hood, good boots with possibly merino wool socks inside, and maybe some three finger gloves that seal properly at the wrist, and many could tolerate quite intolerable conditions.

thin merino wool tops and bottoms can also be worn under the suit for added warmth.

just a suggestion in case the op had never considered one

I didn’t think of using merino wool! Was thinking of getting a sharkskin top to layer under my 7/8mm semifry for added warmth but will try the merino wool first, have a shirt for skiing

 

[CuzzA]

Why is open cell the key? Pls explain

Unlike a closed cell scuba wetsuit, an open cell wetsuit prevents/limits water from entering the suit. The term open cell refers to the fact the rubber cells are opened and create a suction cup to the skin. This is why you have to use suit lube or conditioner to put one on.

Semi dry suits use a similar principal but using open cell rubber at the neck, wrists and ankles to limit water transfer. However, they often require significantly more bulk in neoprene to achieve the same thermal benefits of a thinner open cell suit.

An open cell suit is as warm as a dry suit without undergarments. They are worn mostly by surfers, spearfishermen and free divers in cold water.

 

[grantmac]

Drysuit is the answer in BC.

But if you must a 7mm plus hooded vest can be a decent option for shorter dives no deeper than 20-25m.

 

[rjack321]

Around here it's a 2 piece 7mm farmer john bottom with a jacket top. 7mm booties, 7mm hood or 3mm vest with attached 7mm hood, lastly 5mm gloves. A full suit only has at most 8mm over your core and is ok-ish in the heat of the summer. 14mm+ on your core is more typical.

 

[Bigbella]

I moved to a one-piece 7 mm BARE wetsuit with a 7mm hood and 5 mm gloves and rock-boots, after O'Neill discontinued their old dive suit line.

Provided that I am actively swimming, I have been quite comfortable in 7-8˚C water, during Winters in Northern California -- though really prefer a drysuit if I am engaged in something like photography and doing little else . . .

 

[KenE]

I dive a semi-dry 7mm down to mid 40s without an issue. Can't seem to justify changing to a drysuit when I just don't get cold and the cost is minimal compared to a dry suit. 7mm hood and boots, 5mm gloves. The semi-dry is not dry in any sense of the word, but it does minimize flushing, but the first fill can take getting used to, but once that water warms I don't feel the water temp except on my face around mask. I have tried a farmer john and it was too bulky in the midsection and since I already have a large midsection, it only made it worse.

 

[34109411]

everyone has different opinions on cold water diving.

clearly a drysuit is the best option but many people where i live have gone cold water diving with one piece 7mm wet suits. they even ice dive. you will never see me doing that again. lol

i personally do not know anyone who dives a two piece suit anymore. i did when i first started diving. it was the worst purchase i ever made. but thats just my opinion. modern suits are much better now.

we have a bunch of divers here that got into using semi dry's. they liked them. i believe the thickest i have seen is 8mm? couple that with a well fitted 7 to 10mm hood, good boots with possibly merino wool socks inside, and maybe some three finger gloves that seal properly at the wrist, and many could tolerate quite intolerable conditions.

thin merino wool tops and bottoms can also be worn under the suit for added warmth.

just a suggestion in case the op had never considered one

not sure how merino sock inside a wet boot could help to gain warmth. For sure merino is a great product on land. Not so sure if it provide any benefit under water.