Cold water & wet suit

[TrimixToo]

As a teenager diving in Maine, I'd dive in the winter using a 3mm hooded vest under a 7mm farmer john with a 7mm hood, 3-finger gloves, and 7mm boots. I'd pre-fill the suit with warm water (we lived on the beach and I always did shore entries). After about 30 minutes my feet would get cold. Fast forward to today: I am far less cold-tolerant and could not possibly tolerate diving in those water temperatures in a et suit. (A few times, the surface temperature was a slushy 28F. It warmed to 45-50F at 50-60 feet.)

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I read some if these responses from people who dive down into the 40's in a wetsuit, then laugh my ass off when someone pops up in some other thread and says if the water goes below 78 degrees they need a drysuit.

 

[Wallowa]

I read some if these responses from people who dive down into the 40's in a wetsuit, then laugh my ass off when someone pops up in some other thread and says if the water goes below 78 degrees they need a drysuit.

Yes...true, but remember some may actually NEED not the warmth but nowadays the alure of the newest and most 'advanced' gear is promoted during instruction and in a constant barrage of advertisement....'basic gear' is frowned on as obsolete....the more you buy and add on the better and safer diver you will be; that pitch sells. Nothing is so simple it can't be complicated.

Trimix John [#71],

I know you know and you were talking pre-dive so this is not speaking to that.... but hot showers/baths post dive can induce DCS if tissues are carrying a high load of inert gas...same with pouring hot water down our wetsuits post dive....different but related is that with true hypothermia and core temps low..... heating limbs post dive can cause 'after drop' in core temps and can be result in cardiac irregularity...core temps prior, during and post dive induce a lot of variables into a "no bubble" dive [if that even exists].

We also dumped hot water down our wet suits pre-dive under extreme topside conditions;.....actually best wisdom is that no water in wet suit [semi-dry?] gives more thermal retention than when water is between diver's skin and neoprene....water is a great conductor of therms....but that hot water in suit pre-dive sure feels good!....kind of like peeing in the wet suit, feels good but ultimately still a loss of heat...

 

[grantmac]

I read some if these responses from people who dive down into the 40's in a wetsuit, then laugh my ass off when someone pops up in some other thread and says if the water goes below 78 degrees they need a drysuit.

In my experience the better you dive the colder you are. People who flail around for a simple NDL dive don't need as much warmth as people diving to a much higher level.

 

[Thunder Struck]

I read some if these responses from people who dive down into the 40's in a wetsuit, then laugh my ass off when someone pops up in some other thread and says if the water goes below 78 degrees they need a drysuit.

In my 20's I had no problem diving SoCal channel islands in a 5mm farmer john/jacket setup on a three-tank boat. Now, past 50, I find myself annoyingly cold and starting to shiver halfway through my third dive in a 7mm full suit. My teenage kid, on the other hand, the cold doesn't phase her. The last time I hit Catalina from Casino Point I brought the dry suit and was so much more comfortable that I enjoyed the dive more. Takes a fair bit more lead and running with a weight harness, and there's more to pack, but the added comfort in the dive is more than worth it.

The P-valve on the drysuit is also the next best thing since the regulator. No more smelly wetsuits or the discomfort of trying to hold back the tide. I could piss right before a dive and five minutes in I'd swear I just drank a gallon of water.

 

[34109411]

As a teenager diving in Maine, I'd dive in the winter using a 3mm hooded vest under a 7mm farmer john with a 7mm hood, 3-finger gloves, and 7mm boots. I'd pre-fill the suit with warm water (we lived on the beach and I always did shore entries). After about 30 minutes my feet would get cold. Fast forward to today: I am far less cold-tolerant and could not possibly tolerate diving in those water temperatures in a et suit. (A few times, the surface temperature was a slushy 28F. It warmed to 45-50F at 50-60 feet.)

you should consider a dry suit.

 

[TrimixToo]

you should consider a dry suit.

LOL!

The OP was specifically asking about diving wet, and what worked for cold water.

As it happens, I own three dry suits already, and no wet suits.

 

[RWBanes]

This is what I've been diving over the winter. Fortunately, it doesn't get too terribly cold here in NW Arkansas.

Temps (F)
65-70: 5mm, 5mm hood, 7mm boots, 3mm gloves
55-65: 7mm, 5mm hood, 7mm boots with neoprene socks, 5mm gloves
45-55: Double up on 5mm*, 5mm hood, 7mm boots with neoprene socks, 5mm gloves

*5mm Henderson SpecOps w/hood size large and a 5mm Bare Revel size XXL that I still had after dropping weight. Glad I kept it.

 

[TMHeimer]

I read some if these responses from people who dive down into the 40's in a wetsuit, then laugh my ass off when someone pops up in some other thread and says if the water goes below 78 degrees they need a drysuit.

Yes. IMO it may have a little to do with age, but 95% to do with what local climate your body is accustomed to. I've been on both ends of that (like 100+ degrees to -40F).

 

[myself]

I would say that this depends on your cold tolerance, to some extent. I have been diving in some really cold water (40 degrees F and less) in my Bare 5mm with a 7mm hood, and 5mm boots and gloves. I actually didn't experience any discomfort due to the cold until I got out of the water and went to change into dry clothes, at which point the breeze and cold air really made it cold. One time we were using 7mm semi dry suits in water that was in the 30s, and they were efficient enough that we were letting in little spurts of water through the neck because it was too warm. This may be because I grew up in a cold climate and am a bit more used to it. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially if it means avoiding hypothermia.