core warmer

[GrendelGrl]

I'm thinking of getting a Henderson Hyperstretch 7mil along with a Gold Core core warmer for the cooler months here in Massachusetts. I want to be able to start going out in 45F. The Henderson website says to layer the core warmer on top of the wetsuit, but the LDS claims that it is warmer to put the core warmer beneath, because it is a dryer substance and will keep that core area fairly dry. The claim is also that the Henderson hyperstretch is so stretchy that it doesn't matter if I layer a 3mil core warmer beneath it.

Anyone have comments on the under/over issue?

Thanks,
Natalie

 

[Waterlover]

Save your money and get a drysuit you'll be warmer and can dive all year around. It won't cost that much more if your buying the wetsuit and core warmer now.

 

[Amanda]

I know this is a bit off-topic, but I would like to know if anyone knows a good site to be able to convert °Farheneit into °Celsius... Cause all this talk about dry suits etc is not clear to me unless I can convert...

Thanks !!

 

[SubMariner]

Save up for a drysuit. Going wet in the temps you describe is NOT the way to go.

So says a gal from The Great White North!

~SubMariner~

 

[victoriawtx]

For Amanda, and if anyone else is interested, here's the link:

http://www.angelfire.com/80s/punkstar/temp.html

And I agree that it might be a good investment to get a drysuit for your location.

 

[Amanda]

victoriawtx once bubbled...
For Amanda, and if anyone else is interested, here's the link:

http://www.angelfire.com/80s/punkstar/temp.html

Thanks for the site. I actually dive from 60°F in my wetsuit... (two times 5,5mm)

 

[divemistress]

has anyone tried one? opinions?

i hate the idea of the hassle involved with a dry suit. my brain doesn't have enough ram to hold all that new information

tia!

dm

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Drysuits are not at all complicated.

Try this:

Go to any dive shop stocking drysuits. Try on one of the thin shell suits (not neoprene), over a pair of sweats or a polarfleece layer. One example is a DUI 350. Walk around the store. Reach up over your head and stretch, or bend way over in it.

Then try doing the exact same body movements in a full wetsuit and core warmer.

See which one offers you a better range of movement and more overall comfort. (Taking off fins? Climbing back into the boat?)

Plus, drysuits are significantly warmer in water at the temperature you describe.

No one has much fun when they are cold.

Drysuits are more expensive, true. But not much more than a custom Henderson with core warmer. A Viking drysuit I recently retired, moreover, had served me well for over 14 years. Do the math.

You will be warmer and much more comfortable, throughout a wider range of diving, for many years. At least give a drysuit some consideration. You'll be glad you did.

Doc

 

[FreeFloat]

Amanda once bubbled...
I know this is a bit off-topic, but I would like to know if anyone knows a good site to be able to convert °Farheneit into °Celsius... Cause all this talk about dry suits etc is not clear to me unless I can convert...

Thanks !!

Try http://www.rpi.edu/~bacchi/converter.html

 

[SubMariner]

Semi-dry equates to "being a little bit pregnant". Either you are or you aren't. Same with diving: either you're wet or you're dry. There's really no such thing as "semi dry". It's basically a marketing gimmic.

Many people who dive in colder or temperate climates routinely learn to dive from day one in a dry suit. And never dive wet where they live. It just makes sense.

Typical gear up is no more bothersome than gearing up to dive wet in 5-7mm. In fact, it is often easier because you are just pulling on "clothing" rather than trying to wriggle into thick neoprene.

Plus there is the range of motion. Being in that much neoprene reminds me of how Frankenstein's monster moves: stiff, with little (if any) flexibility. Not so in the right drysuit!

And of course the benefits of diving dry when it comes to being warm & comfy are wonderful. My max bottomtime in Canada in 1/4" neoprene was 25 minutes. However, in my drysuit I was down on one wreck for over an hour.

Not to mention once you get OUT of the suit. You are warm, dry, and comfy. Can you say that about changing out of a wetsuit after diving in cold water?

~SubMariner~