Diving without a wetsuit?

[Scott L]

Awesome, thanks guys, I ended up not getting to dive on sat. *(see my most recent post) and just got done diving today. the surface temp was 82 and I averaged 45+ ft both dives today. My 3mm pinnacle merino came in yesterday afternoon so I used it today and boy was it nice. I didn't get hot and didn't even feel the bottom temp which was at 74. It was perfect, while some others used a light pullover or skin-suit and they were cold by the end of the day. I used a alum. bp and a steel 100. I had awesome neutral buoyancy all day. thanks again for your suggestions.

That was a great wet suit selection. They are very popular in these parts with many divers reporting they no longer need to utilize their 5mm suits during the colder months...

 

[Hoomi]

So far, I still haven't made a dive with my wetsuit. The water we've dived in has always been in the 80s, and we've been comfortable in just our rashguards.

 

[mksmith713]

UnderArmor or some other type of rash guard should be fine.
I dive a 1/2 mm and that's only for protection from jellies and such.
Warmth isn't an issue.

60' on your 1st OW dive is a bit much.
I didn't get to do 60' until my last dive.

 

[lmurtha1]

Yes, my first dive was not at 60' but 56' at the bottom, I averaged around 45 ft. I was using an al80 on 1st dive and it only lasted me 27 min at 45 ft. I think I def need to get my breathing more under control. The tanks were only filled to 2700 for some reason, and I surfaced with a touch over 400. Is that a lot of air consumption?? I really tried to take long and deep controlled breaths, and didn't use much to figure out my buoyancy. I wasn't over exerting myself though, just slow frog kicks. Any thoughts?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Yes, my first dive was not at 60' but 56' at the bottom, I averaged around 45 ft. I was using an al80 on 1st dive and it only lasted me 27 min at 45 ft. I think I def need to get my breathing more under control. The tanks were only filled to 2700 for some reason, and I surfaced with a touch over 400. Is that a lot of air consumption?? I really tried to take long and deep controlled breaths, and didn't use much to figure out my buoyancy. I wasn't over exerting myself though, just slow frog kicks. Any thoughts?

We've all been there. Your air consumption will drop/improve as you gain experience. The more you dive, the more relaxed you'll become in the water. You'll get a sense for what makes you move more efficiently through the water - kick style/technique, horizontal trim, streamlined setup, etc. Your breathing cadence will normalize. At some point, breathing off of a reg underwater will feel "natural." You may also revise your diving style. By this, I mean that you might realize that to see more...you need to stay put in one area. It's very common to see novice divers zipping around all over the reef. From what I can tell, they use up more air and actually see less. Experienced divers spend a lot of time just hovering.

With more experience, your buoyancy control will improve to the point that you won't be adding-dumping-adding-dumping-adding-dumping air to your BCD all the time. For a given depth, you'll have a better feel for adding the proper amount of air to your BC the first time around. The secret to doing this is adding air in small bursts.

You're a beginner. Don't sweat the higher-than-normal air consumption. Focus on mastering the basic OW skills and being a good buddy. If you need more air, get a bigger tank. Bear in mind that you are a big guy with large lungs so, even after you gain lots of experience, your air consumption will naturally be higher than that of the average diver.

As you near 50 dives, you'll find that your gas consumption has improved significantly. Trust me on this.

Have fun out there...