Do I need an exposure suit?

[Butchbs1985]

I will be diving Grand Bahama on November 30th while on a cruise. I'm from the Midwest so I don't even think of diving around here without some sort of suit but have never dove in warmer waters.

Do I need an exposure suit to dive here? Even if I don't need one, would anything be advisable? I have a handful of other questions posted in the Bahamas forum but figured this may be more appropriate here. Thanks in advance!

 

[driftwood]

Probably not, but exposure suits protect you from more things than just getting cold. My wife was wearing a shorty on Bonaire and got badly stung by a sea wasp. Even something as thin as pantyhose would have protected her.

 

[BabyDuck]

personally, i'd wear my 5mil, but that's because it's what i have.

my guess on temps is upper 70s - feel free to do a bit of research & see if my guess is off - but most people need thermal protection at that temp.

 

[SubMariner]

I will be diving Grand Bahama on November 30th while on a cruise. I'm from the Midwest so I don't even think of diving around here without some sort of suit but have never dove in warmer waters.

Do I need an exposure suit to dive here? Even if I don't need one, would anything be advisable? I have a handful of other questions posted in the Bahamas forum but figured this may be more appropriate here. Thanks in advance!

The level of exposure protection you'll need depends on your own personal thermometer as to what is "cold" as well as how many dives you'll be doing per day (or in total).

Most times a full suit is recommended to protect you from accidental scrapes or encounters with critters that while not dangerous, will hurt, like thimble jellies or sea wasps. The thickness of the material is again dependent on your personal comfort level in water that probably will be in the high 70s range at that time of the year. So it can be anything from a lycra dive skin to 3 mm of neoprene.

DO NOT take exposure protection that you use locally: 5-7mm is way too much for Caribbean diving. Get yourself something appropriate in the $$ range you can afford.

Enjoy your vacation,

 

[parzdiver]

For just a couple dives off a cruise ship, I'd just take a 1mm skin, but if you tend to get cold, go with the 3mm full suit. Both offer protection against incidental stings or scrapes and should dry quickly enough in your very small cabin.

 

[Butchbs1985]

Thanks for the responses, I'll run by my LDS before I leave and probably pick up a 3mm. If I'm too warm, I'll just unzip it then. Or... Perhaps it's an excuse the Wife will like for buying a dry suit!!