Also... a hood is going to help your wife retain a lot of heat!
Drysuit diving in Tropical
- Thread starter Herrick
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Standard for a GUE cave class in Mx is Drysuit. I am of the opinion that there is drysuit diving or board-shorts diving. I do not do wetsuit diving.
Bring your dry suit. It is an extra buoyancy device in the cave. For open water diving after, bring shorts and a rash-guard. If you're warm, that works. If you're cold, you have the dry suit.
Save the money and have fun.
Bring your dry suit. It is an extra buoyancy device in the cave. For open water diving after, bring shorts and a rash-guard. If you're warm, that works. If you're cold, you have the dry suit.
Save the money and have fun.
A 5mm is the most versatile warm water suit. You can always pull the neck seal to cool off.
I don't pay any attention the muppets who say a 5mm is too much you need a 3mm. Horsecrap, pure horsecrap unless they know you, your body, your physiology, and your tolerance for cold.
It's why I hate with a passion the goddamn tables in OW course books that have those recommended thicknesses. Complete BS.
Everyone's tolerance to cold is different. Had I taken a 3 mil to Bonaire I'd have been miserable by the middle of the week. Core temp loss is cumulative and you can get hypothermic in 80 degree water. Especially when you can't surface for up to a couple of hours like in a cave class to get warm.
My GF took her drysuit to Turks and Caicos on an Ex Ven liveaboard trip. She did get some chuckles when she pulled it out. By Wednesday some of those same "I only need a 3mm" a$$holes were sitting there blue and shivering while she was perfectly comfortable.
Take the drysuit even if you don't want to buy a new wetsuit you may not use that often. With the right undergarments you'll be fine and may get more out of the class because getting cold won't be a concern.
I don't pay any attention the muppets who say a 5mm is too much you need a 3mm. Horsecrap, pure horsecrap unless they know you, your body, your physiology, and your tolerance for cold.
It's why I hate with a passion the goddamn tables in OW course books that have those recommended thicknesses. Complete BS.
Everyone's tolerance to cold is different. Had I taken a 3 mil to Bonaire I'd have been miserable by the middle of the week. Core temp loss is cumulative and you can get hypothermic in 80 degree water. Especially when you can't surface for up to a couple of hours like in a cave class to get warm.
My GF took her drysuit to Turks and Caicos on an Ex Ven liveaboard trip. She did get some chuckles when she pulled it out. By Wednesday some of those same "I only need a 3mm" a$$holes were sitting there blue and shivering while she was perfectly comfortable.
Take the drysuit even if you don't want to buy a new wetsuit you may not use that often. With the right undergarments you'll be fine and may get more out of the class because getting cold won't be a concern.
In the upper temps you list i use a 1 mil on rash guard, at the lower listed I add a second 1 mil.
Rest assured you will see other cave divers in drysuits in Mexico. As @Imla said, there's a school of thought that a drysuit is not just thermal protection but also a way to provide redundant buoyancy if your wing fails. What you wear underneath depends, of course, on how long your dives will be. I have done a couple of Mexico trips where my cave dives were "only" around 1 hour because I was not Full Cave certified. I wore lightweight fleece from REI, and that was about right to keep me comfortable. For cave dives in the 2-hour range or more, I have been told an undergarment approaching 200g/m2 would not be out of place, though exactly how much is comfortable varies by individual, as you know. (I have not done such dives yet.) I have also used a drysuit with just a thin baselayer in the Red Sea, and it was fine. If you like your drysuit, use it for your cave course. For cave diving in Mexico, while wetsuits may be more common, a drysuit will not be out of place, especially later in your training when you are doing longer dives. If you visit Florida to cave dive, where water temps are about 70-72F (21-22C) you will find most people wearing drysuits.
For tropical diving I think you will be very uncomfortable in a drysuit, even a 5mm wetsuit may be too much unless you are diving in areas with sudden cold upcurrents like in Tonga.
The past three trips to PNG I've just used a 3mm long steamer suit, rear zip.
I did bring a hood and Sharkskin T shirt for Kavieng (some pinnacle dives faced deep ocean trenches) just in case, but never needed them.
Water temp was 26C-28C like a warm bath!
Some guys on the trip used a one piece lycra suit to protect against marine stingers or coral scrapes, others used a shorty 3mm wetsuit.
The rest just dived in board shorts and T shirts and suffered from coral scrapes and stings on upper arms and lower legs that by the end of the week were painfully inflamed and starting to become infected.
While this may also point to poor extremity awareness or buoyancy control, it's particularly an issue if entering WWII wrecks festooned with stinging hydroids or jagged bits of rusty metal.
A long 3mm steamer suit is fairly cheap insurance for the tropics IMO...
The past three trips to PNG I've just used a 3mm long steamer suit, rear zip.
I did bring a hood and Sharkskin T shirt for Kavieng (some pinnacle dives faced deep ocean trenches) just in case, but never needed them.
Water temp was 26C-28C like a warm bath!
Some guys on the trip used a one piece lycra suit to protect against marine stingers or coral scrapes, others used a shorty 3mm wetsuit.
The rest just dived in board shorts and T shirts and suffered from coral scrapes and stings on upper arms and lower legs that by the end of the week were painfully inflamed and starting to become infected.
While this may also point to poor extremity awareness or buoyancy control, it's particularly an issue if entering WWII wrecks festooned with stinging hydroids or jagged bits of rusty metal.
A long 3mm steamer suit is fairly cheap insurance for the tropics IMO...
Damselfish
Contributor
So my experience is mostly in South Florida (Keys, Broward, Palm Beach County), which is sub tropical as opposed to tropical but it still applies. I never wear anything less than 3mm, even the middle of summer with 86f sea temp, when Florida is tropical for all intents and purposes. When sea temps start to cool in October in to the low 80's I add a hood (beanie hood with chin strap). When it gets a little cooler I use the full hood that covers the neck and keep the 3mm as long as I can stand it. Usually until right about now (did my last 3mil with hood 4 days ago), I switch to a 5mm with a beanie hood with chin strap. When it gets into the mid 70's I will start to use the full hood with the 5mm. All of this is for shore diving, 2-3 hours at a time for one dive. If i am going on a charter usually a four hour trip with 2 one hour dives, then starting in October the same thing, except, now I bring a second 3mm. Strip off the wet wetsuit after the first dive, and put on the dry wetsuit for the second dive. Same goes for the 5mm from about Dec to Mid Apr, then back to three mil in reverse order.
I have a drysuit, its twenty years old, I was thinner back then, the drysuit does not fit anymore. But would use it instead of the 5mm. I realize taking to wetsuits on a trip might not be practical but it is well worth to keep your core temp up.
What people seem to forget is keeping warm between dives is just as important as keeping warm during the dive. If you are in a wet wetsuit on a breezy day, the wetsuit becomes a heat sink with your body supplying the heat. Also consider one these diving overcoats that you can wear over a wetsuit to keep the breeze from causing evaporation off the suit.
Granted most of the Caribbean is warmer than Florida during the winter, but I have been Puerto Rico, St. Croix,, St. Thomas, The Bahamas, and St Lucia during the winter, I find the air temp not sufficient enough to keep a diver warm between dives.
To reiterate:
Add a hood for more thermal protection.
Consider using multiple wetsuits for multiple dives. (Get dry between dives).
Don't be shy about using a drysuit in the tropics (go with lighter under garments).
Consider a diving overcoat.
PS: All other things being equal, the warmer diver consumes less air than the colder diver, sometimes significantly.
I have a drysuit, its twenty years old, I was thinner back then, the drysuit does not fit anymore. But would use it instead of the 5mm. I realize taking to wetsuits on a trip might not be practical but it is well worth to keep your core temp up.
What people seem to forget is keeping warm between dives is just as important as keeping warm during the dive. If you are in a wet wetsuit on a breezy day, the wetsuit becomes a heat sink with your body supplying the heat. Also consider one these diving overcoats that you can wear over a wetsuit to keep the breeze from causing evaporation off the suit.
Granted most of the Caribbean is warmer than Florida during the winter, but I have been Puerto Rico, St. Croix,, St. Thomas, The Bahamas, and St Lucia during the winter, I find the air temp not sufficient enough to keep a diver warm between dives.
To reiterate:
Add a hood for more thermal protection.
Consider using multiple wetsuits for multiple dives. (Get dry between dives).
Don't be shy about using a drysuit in the tropics (go with lighter under garments).
Consider a diving overcoat.
PS: All other things being equal, the warmer diver consumes less air than the colder diver, sometimes significantly.
Sounds to me like paying attention to the "muppets" is exactly all you are doing.. Anyway, sorry if my earlier post upset you. My personal opinion however remains unchanged in that I sincerely believe that the majority of folks would feel that a 5mm wetsuit is overkill for 80 degree tropical water... But...... I do completely agree with you that not everyone has the same thermal tolerances and that a 5mm may be a good choice for some folks. I just returned from French Poly where the water temp was right at about 79 - 80F and I was very happy and perfectly warm on 60 min plus dives wearing only a swimsuit and a long sleeve rash guard.
The crystal clear majority of folks diving in Bonaire are diving 3mm and are going to be just fine doing multiple dives per day in a 3mm....or less.... in 80F water. Not trying to cause trouble but that's just a fact.
Wow again..... Now the folks who choose to dive 3mm are A$$HOLES! Kinda harsh there brother! .......... But glad to hear that your GF was happy and warm in her drysuit. Totally agree with you...to each their own.
The other consideration on this subject is that a 5mm full wetsuit really can take up an awful lot of space in that travel luggage.
I think that in a case like the OP states where a person may be traveling to Coz to do both the rec ocean dives and the cenote cave diving, that a 5mm may be a great option. I really liked reading about Marie's choice to take the 5mm route for her cave work adventure... and think it was a good choice.
Finally...... peeing in a drysuit is not an option for me...... and a good piss during a warm water dive is totally liberating!
Cheers!
Florida cave diver, and an amputee. I don't dive wet anymore, my "water" prosthetic just can't handle salt water.
Yes it sucks up suiting up in the summer, particularly for Florida caves 90 degrees on the surface, 72 degrees with deco means rather thick undergarments (base plus 4E Arctics). You basically suit up and immediately hit the water. It gets pretty hot otherwise.
Salt water diving isn't as bad as it usually means a boat. I'll do the grouper divers in August/September (80 degree water) in just my base layers (4E J2s or Merino 250gr). It isn't too bad. The boat that I normally use has a freshwater hose, I'll spray my head to cool off if we are delayed. But I am pretty comfortable. And I have a set of 4E Xerotherms in case we get a cold water upwelling.
But I am also Florida man, so while I do complain about hot weather a lot, and I mean a lot. I am pretty acclimated to our hot weather, and have what I need to mitigate it.
Yes it sucks up suiting up in the summer, particularly for Florida caves 90 degrees on the surface, 72 degrees with deco means rather thick undergarments (base plus 4E Arctics). You basically suit up and immediately hit the water. It gets pretty hot otherwise.
Salt water diving isn't as bad as it usually means a boat. I'll do the grouper divers in August/September (80 degree water) in just my base layers (4E J2s or Merino 250gr). It isn't too bad. The boat that I normally use has a freshwater hose, I'll spray my head to cool off if we are delayed. But I am pretty comfortable. And I have a set of 4E Xerotherms in case we get a cold water upwelling.
But I am also Florida man, so while I do complain about hot weather a lot, and I mean a lot. I am pretty acclimated to our hot weather, and have what I need to mitigate it.
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