Drysuit In Warm Water Questions

[Rick Inman]

Well, we're off to The Big Island, HI in a couple o' weeks. I'm renting a set of doubles (al80's) from Dive TEK and will do a bunch of shore dives and one tech charter.

I have never dived with doubles in warm water. I own a 3/2 wetsuit, but am thinking to just bring my drysuit and dive it. My reasoning is that I'm used to my drysuit, and the doubles with a 3/2 won't be balanced, and I'll be stuck with no backup inflation (except SMB's).

Thoughts?

Oh, and those who dive/have-dived dry in warm waters, what do you wear under the drysuit?

 

[LAJim]

Rick:

You probably saw my FL thread - I've decided to dive wet in a 3 mm full suit and use Al 80 doubles. I got convinced (phone calls as much as ScubaBoard) that my TLS-350 would be too hot for the surface intervals and unless I was diving double 130s - overkill.

Jim

 

[limeyx]

Rick:

You probably saw my FL thread - I've decided to dive wet in a 3 mm full suit and use Al 80 doubles. I got convinced (phone calls as much as ScubaBoard) that my TLS-350 would be too hot for the surface intervals and unless I was diving double 130s - overkill.

Jim

Good luck with the 3mm. I dove HI last year in 79F in a 3MM (admittedly it wasnt the greatest fitting 3MM) and I was cold.

I would dive at least a 5MM.

Just got back from diving 77F in Mexico and dove dry -- very very comfortable.

I hate diving wet.

 

[LAJim]

I made 24 dives one week in Roatan earlier this year with a bottom temperature of 82 F on every dive. Wore a 2/1 shortie and a lycra sun suit and never got cold for a moment. My wife who gets cold much easier than me wore only her bathing suit and lycra.

Jim

 

[Rick Inman]

Just got back from diving 77F in Mexico and dove dry -- very very comfortable.

I hate diving wet.

What did you wear under it?

 

[Rick Inman]

Rick:

You probably saw my FL thread -

I didn't, Jim. But I'm headed there now.

 

[Bismark]

Spent christmas in Kona on the Aggressor. Dove a 3mm and was chilled most of the time. Instruments said 79 degrees but It was on my wrist and I think a bit on the "hot" side. My wife dove a 5mm and she was okay. It wasn't unbearable or anything, but I was definitely chilled on the last dive of the day. I wore a hood for a few of the dives and that made it just about right. I don't get cold too easy (live and dive in PNW) but I was definitely chilled without the hood. It seems that 78-79 degrees is about my 3mm limit for multiple dives. Just came back from Belize where the water was 80-81. Perfect in the 3mm.

Enjoy the lava.....

 

[LAJim]

I carry a 5/3 hooded vest whenever I travel to the warm and wet as a possible add on.

Jim

 

[Ben_ca]

What did you wear under it?

You go commando :11:

 

[Rick Inman]

You go commando :11:

Suit Squeeze!!!!!! Augh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!