Drysuit diver in Monterey, how you guys manage the temperature swing

[Belmont]

just curious, does argon make that big of a difference?

Cut down on your undergarment and dive w/ an argon bottle?

Argon will not compensate for thinner undergarment. It is a heavier gas than air and much more than helium. It moves heat more slowly and makes a difference when a diver breathes trimix on deep dives. However the different with air is not sufficient to compensate for less insulation.

What is a good choice for 50F water and doesn't break the bank?

I found that underwear made of polypropylene sold for construction workers or sailors will work as well and cost less. There is always a bigger markup taken on specialty items sold for activities such as scuba, mountain climbing and hiking.

I do very well with Helly Hansen underwear.

 

[Guy Alcala]

What is a good choice for 50F water and doesn't break the bank?

For a wicking layer you can just go to REI and buy their house brand, if they fit you. I use LS medium weight tops, either a crew neck or Zip-T. The Zip-T's more versatile in hot weather, the crew neck less likely to get caught in my neck seal and let water in. Figure ~$35-$40 for one.

As far as not breaking the bank, it kind of depends how big your bank is. As to undergarments, whatever fleece (top and bottom) you have around will likely do for starters for recreational dives; you don't have to worry about doing deco with a flooded suit. I've used thrift store fleece vests to provide some more torso insulation when necessary, over a single layer fleece one-piece dive suit that I got for $40 because it was an off-size that happened to fit me. A buddy used his caving fleece suit at first; other people just add a layer of wool or synthetic sweaters if they've got room.

The next step beyond fleece is usually something that includes some Thinsulate or Primaloft insuation. Hollis seems to be the price leader at the moment with their AUG200, which you can get mail order for ~ $185. Prices go up from there into the $300-500 range.

You can often find used undergarments for sale, on SB, Dive Matrix, Craig's list or eBay. If you don't need a custom suit, that can work out well. Women typically need more insulation than men, and tend to want the warmest suit they can find to be comfortable locally. They'll be costly unless you get them used, or get a great deal on sale. Some of us are waiting with semi-bated breath for the next generation beyond Thinsulate and the like, aerogels. But those will be astronomically priced when they first hit the market.

Guy

 

[diveguy1]

I almost fainted once due to overheating. It was about 60 degrees out and raining, but after I zipped in my entry was delayed, I had a trip or two back to the car, etc. and after getting very uncomfortable the entire world started spinning. I won't be doing that again!

I'll have to echo the advice of many other posters here - hook up all your gear first, plan the dive, coordinate with your buddy, then zip in just before entering the water. If there's a delay and the entry area allows it, walking or dipping in then coming back out sometimes work (but not on a boat dive or tough entry conditions).

I have hooked up my inflator hose to the suit before fully gearing up, put a bunch of air into the suit and quickly vented it out through my neck seal to cool off a bit, and it works somewhat. But of course we hate wasting air on that kind of thing before a dive!