Ever "too cold" in the Caribbean?

[aprils0909]

I am thinking of a Christmas dive this year to surprise my husband. Is that a waste of cash or is it actually warm enough (meaning comfortable) to dive that late in the year? I hate to spend a fortune to get down to the resort and see that I paid for food, booze, and a room... and a fantasy of a dive.

 

[Doc]

Comfort and cold is a relative thing.

Will it be as warm as it will be when you finally relocate and get to the Philippines? Depends on the time of year you dive the Philippines.

The Caribbean starts at Cuba and sweeps South to Venezuala, then West to Central America and up to Cozumel. SCUBABoard forums differ slightly.

It can be a little bit nippy, but the further S or W that you go, the better off you'll be. It's the end of Hurricane/tropical storm seaon, so the sea may be a bit unsettled.

"Herself" (my dive buddy) wears a 7 mil during December in the warm Maldives. Everybody is a little different. Does she go and do every dive? Sure.

Will you? Everybody is different.

 

[RICHinNC]

all of my trips have been in the aug..sep...oct time frame. the worse i have worn suit wise was a 3mm suit.

but RM has a point....if you get cold easily....you will need more....if you dont....you dont.....

where were you planning on going>? that would help a lot.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

You can comfortably dive at Christmas time in the Carib. You may need a 5mm or a 7mm depending if you get cold easily. I'd wear a 3mm. In Coz, you're looking at high 70s water temps at the lowest. That's pretty diveable in my book

 

[TheRedHead]

The northern Bahamas are the coldest in the winter and places like Bonaire are balmy year round. You can't really lose diving Bonaire.

 

[laurendell]

Just came back from Turks and Caicos where the water was 76-78 on every dive and I wore a full 3mm. I noticed I was getting slighly chilly towards the end of the dives, but nothing that made me want a thicker suit or ruined the dive. It obviously depends on the diver, there was a guy on the boat who dove in just a skin and everyone renting a wetsuit used 3mm long sleeve shortys (thats all they rent) - I didn't hear anyone complaining about being paricularly cold. Without a wetsuit at all, or just a skin, I would have definitely been freezing ( I am a wuss ). If you're looking to just dive in a bathing suit or skin, then probably a lot of places in the caribbean will be too cold. If you're ok wearing a wetsuit, then I would think you'd be ok most places. I think it gets to the low 70's in the Bahamas so you might need/want a 5mm there.

 

[rje634]

I am thinking of a Christmas dive this year to surprise my husband. Is that a waste of cash or is it actually warm enough (meaning comfortable) to dive that late in the year? I hate to spend a fortune to get down to the resort and see that I paid for food, booze, and a room... and a fantasy of a dive.

We were in Cozumel the first week of December and the water temps were around 78 degrees. Quite comfortable with a full 3mm.

 

[all4scuba05]

dove Costa Maya in January...77 degrees...was shivering after first boat dive...and that was with full 3mm suit...wore 5mm shorty over the 3mm for second dive an hour later...don't think I recovered from first dive though because was still feeling cold during second dive...I get cold easily...do you?

 

[Captain CaveMan]

Just got back from Coz. water temp was 80deg F. I skin dived on the sunny days but one day it rained and the air and water temp dropped so i put on a 3mm and I was really comfortable.

I go to Coz every year durring the winter since I work out side all year the nice 87deg weather is hot and makes the perfict 3mm diving.

 

[scubamickey]

In 78 degree water in December I wore a 3mm shorty.Air temp was in the 80s. I get cold on land easy. For repetitive, multiday dives I'd wear a full 3/2 mm. That's what I'll be wearing in Hawaii come the end of March. Mostly because if it starts to rain or the wind picks up I'll get cold after I'm wet.