Combatting 50 degrees of frigid cold water...

[mikeguerrero]

I need some help on deciding to augment my current suit and your opinions are welcomed.

Sunday I dove in Monterey with 4 repetitve dives in 50 degrees of cold water. Each dive started off well, averaging about 40 minutes each. However, after about 30 minutes into each dive my hands mostly, then my feet and then my arms and legs started to get cold.

My torso stayed very nice and warm as did my face and head. I want added protection to my arms/legs and my mainly my hands.

My current glove is only 4mm Kevlar with merino linning by Pinnacles. They make a 5mm glove with merino that is a lot more thicker than my current glove. Will 1mm make any significant improvement over my current glove?

As for my arms and legs, Pinnacles suggested I purchase their .5 mm jumpsuit that will give me added protection all over my body. I'm not conserned about any extra weight I might need, I'm wanting results to my current exposure suit.

Drysuits are right now not an option but thanks. As January approaches my dives are going to get colder into the 45 degrees of pain.

I currently have the heated torso, hooded vest and an ME7 full suit all which have the merino.

It's my arms and legs that could use the extra padding, not to mention my sensitive hands.

Thanks,

MG

 

[evil_xander]

Whatever you do, after 30 minutes dive in such temperatures, when diving wet, you will get cold/start to get cold. Especially for repeated dives.

So, if you squeeze 30 minutes being comfortable from your existing setup, consider yourself taking the current setup to the max and getting your moneys worth.

Take also in the consideration that blood will be drawn to the main organs as the exposure in cold water prolongs, to keep the vitals going. Less blood = less warmth in the extremities. Can't beat mother nature.

Having said all that, I have no idea what to do further before going dry with your current setup, looks like you have pretty much all options covered. For hands you can go with thicker gloves and less overall feeling, but arms and legs, beats me, I don't believe layering something underneath will help.

 

[Notso_Ken]

I need some help on deciding to augment my current suit and your opinions are welcomed.

Sunday I dove in Monterey with 4 repetitve dives in 50 degrees of cold water. Each dive started off well, averaging about 40 minutes each. However, after about 30 minutes into each dive my hands mostly, then my feet and then my arms and legs started to get cold.

My torso stayed very nice and warm as did my face and head. I want added protection to my arms/legs and my mainly my hands.

My current glove is only 4mm Kevlar with merino linning by Pinnacles. They make a 5mm glove with merino that is a lot more thicker than my current glove. Will 1mm make any significant improvement over my current glove?

As for my arms and legs, Pinnacles suggested I purchase their .5 mm jumpsuit that will give me added protection all over my body. I'm not conserned about any extra weight I might need, I'm wanting results to my current exposure suit.

Drysuits are right now not an option but thanks. As January approaches my dives are going to get colder into the 45 degrees of pain.

I currently have the heated torso, hooded vest and an ME7 full suit all which have the merino.

It's my arms and legs that could use the extra padding, not to mention my sensitive hands.

Thanks,

MG

I dive in a 2 piece 7mm suit, and have dove down to 36* water for up to 45-50 minutes. I have 7mm booties that go with the basic suit, and 5mm gloves that do a pretty good job, altho I will admit my hands can get quite cold in the 45 or below water. The rest of me stay warm enough to do multiple dives, tho.

Ken

 

[dave4868]

Evil_xander's got it about right, I think.

I'd add that constriction is a big factor also.

Excessively tight suit, gloves and boots can reduce blood flow and make the extremities get colder quicker.

You may find that some thicker mitts with a good wrist seal to be warmer than gloves.

4mm gloves seem a little thin for that water temp, although I know nothing about the Merino lining.

I used to use 7mm neoprene gauntlet 3-finger mitts that had cinch straps. Under those, I wore some homemade 6mm neoprene wrist bands to spread the pressure of the cinch straps and keep the wrists warmer.

As far as the boots go, if what you have seems a bit too tight, you could get some a little bigger and wear a neoprene sock inside.

I don't know what to suggest about the legs. Maybe the 0.5mm jumpsuit will help, unless it increases the constriction. Maybe keeping your feet warmer will keep the legs warmer longer.

To reduce possible constriction, consider loosening your shoulder straps, in case they were slowing blood flow to the arms.

Sometimes swimming attitude makes a difference if you're keeping extremities bent much of the time. Bending the extremities reduces blood flow.

It might help to fin without bending at the knee so much. Avoid bending the arms whenever possible. Don't hold your gauges so much or so close. Loosen your grip on objects you might be carrying.

I assume you've done many of the usual things to conserve or even increase core heat before and between dives. That makes a big difference for me, even diving dry.

Do you pour hot water into your suit before each dive? That helps. So does using a wind break, like a clear plastic poncho during the surface interval.

Some of these things might sound bizarre, but since you're trying to tweak the limits of wetsuit diving, they might be worth considering.

Good luck! I feel your chill! I hate to be cold!

Dave C

 

[amitsi]

Get those dry gloves they are sweet and a semi-dry is warm enough if u find one comfortable enough for you

 

[chipwd]

Frigid 50 degree water??????

That's not bad to dive in up this way. As a matter of fact whenever you get down to depth you're always looking at water temps in the 50's or lower. The big problem is the surface interval.

If it's a warm and dry day then you'll usually be fine for consecutive dives. It it's not then you have to take steps to counteract the cold.

The wind is usually your worst enemy especially when diving wet. We set up pop-up awnings with side walls to give us a wind-free place to do the SI. We also will have portable propane heaters set up to help take the chill out. If you can't do this then definitely get some wind-free warm area to spend some time in, even it's it just your truck or car.

Hot choc or other hot drinks are better than cold drinks. A thermos wil do the trick!
Sometimes we will spark up a portable grill and eat some hot dogs or burgers, too.

If a longer SI is needed we will even change out of the wetsuit into dry clothing. Spectrum's trick of "charging" the wet suit with hot water poured into it before re-donning makes a big difference. Even for a fairly short SI, I will pull the top off my wetsuit and put on a nice dry, thick sweatshirt and a jacket over it if needed. I also will wear some nice warm gloves to keep my hands warm.

You cannot let your body temp stay low or get even lower. That will make consecutive dives miserable and even dangerous.

Sometimes our little collection of pop-ups and grills resemble a gypsy camp but it works!

 

[chipwd]

...and don't forget to wear a hat during your SI. So much body heat is lost through your head and a nice warm hat makes a big difference!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Mike,

Water here in San Diego is not quite as cold as in Northern CA, but at depth (60+ fsw) this time of year it will be in the low to mid-50s. I remember when I used my 7mm on some of those cold dives. About 35min into the dive, I would begin sucking down my air because I was uncomfortably cold.

Some friends have purchased the Pinnacle Aquatics semi-dry wetsuits. They have remarked that the suits are much warmer than any other 7mm suit that they've tried. If you must dive wet, perhaps that would be the way to go. I'm sure that the Pinnacle folks tried to "upsell" you on the Polar 7/5mm or Extreme 8/6mm.

Nevertheless, for the price of those semi-dry wetsuits ($500+), I would just get a decent used drysuit. They are more affordable than you might think. Check out Divetank.com. They routinely sell their used rental suits for < $500. Just wear some fleece or a sweatsuit underneath. LeisurePro also has some good package deals.

Pinnacle Aquatics sells an affordable rear-entry drysuit called the Freedom. Recently I saw it being offered at a local tent sale for a discounted price of $700.

I wish I had gotten my drysuit much earlier. I had heard that I would have to spend $2,000+ to get a decent one. That certainly wasn't true. I now have a Bare Nex-Gen Pro. I can't say enough good things about it. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[ohmdiver]

The above posters have covered all the bases, but I want to address your reg, is your reg a cold water set up? My concern is a free flow through the 1st stage as the water gets colder. (I had this happen once to me)

 

[BORG]

Where did you get your BARE Nex-Gen? I am thinking of getting a package deal with everything from Leisure Pro or Divetank(maybe, maybe not). Do you use dry gloves with the suit? Pros and cons of the Nex-Gen?
THANKS!