Exposure Protection for Monterey

[bbianchi]

Mike Congrats! You will love the CLX450.

As far as exposure protection for Monterey, the more the better. As Mike mentioned on our dives this weekend it was 54, which is warm from what I have seen. However if you do plan to dive in Carmel (deeper waters), or off of a boat I would have to assume that finding 54F waters is going to be a lot more difficult. You also have to consider the effects of pressure at depth on the neoprene. If you are going to buy anything and plan to use it many places I would suggest a 7mil (non-farmer john's style) wetsuit with a 7mm hooded vest. This way in cold places you can use the hooded vest, and in warmer places like SoCal you can ditch the hooded vest.

The most important thing you can do is maintain your core body temperature, even if you can handle the colder temperatures mentally.

 

[Hinalo]

What they said. I've been very comfortable in my 7mm Elast Merino jumpsuit everywhere in California, even on the southern Channel Islands in 65˚ - 70˚ though in warmer water like that I sometimes ditch the hooded vest. It just never hurts to be warm, and the weighting difference isn't that much from the 5mm which I also use in various warmer places (not california).

 

[beachlawyer]

This does help...I am wondering if I could rent a larger vest to go over the 5mm Merino wool Pinnacle and hood to be able to do 2 or 3 dives in Monterey and then use this suit in Catalina or So Cal? I understand that even if I don't feel cold, I can still be getting mildy hypothermic, but instead of trading my new 5mm for a 7mm merino wetsuit, I wonder if I could rent a hooded vest or jacket to go over it and get by in Monterey and then have the 5 mm for colder diving in my quarry and repetitive diving on a liveaboard etc. I will call the shop and see if they could rent me a jacket or vest to go over the 5mm and see if that is a possibility. I just feel the 7mm will be too constricting and warm for the various uses I want it for. I really appreciate all of the responses from everyone. Thank you.:blinking:

 

[Ben_ca]

I've seen 1 person dive with a 5 mil around here.... I think he lasted 20 mins and was too cold to do another dive...

Just my .02 cents

 

[bbianchi]

This does help...I am wondering if I could rent a larger vest to go over the 5mm Merino wool Pinnacle and hood to be able to do 2 or 3 dives in Monterey and then use this suit in Catalina or So Cal? I understand that even if I don't feel cold, I can still be getting mildy hypothermic, but instead of trading my new 5mm for a 7mm merino wetsuit, I wonder if I could rent a hooded vest or jacket to go over it and get by in Monterey and then have the 5 mm for colder diving in my quarry and repetitive diving on a liveaboard etc. I will call the shop and see if they could rent me a jacket or vest to go over the 5mm and see if that is a possibility. I just feel the 7mm will be too constricting and warm for the various uses I want it for. I really appreciate all of the responses from everyone. Thank you.:blinking:

Most rentals around here are farmer john style so you would have to call around first for sure. That being that I think the general consensus is a 5mil is too cold for Monterey, get the 7 and even then you wont be too hot in places like Catalina.

 

[Gombessa]

On my last trip to the Channel Islands, all of us in 7mm farmer johns and 7/8/9 wetsuits still got chilled after every dive; we swamped the hot chocolate every time. And the water there was in the high 50s.

For monterey, if you want to do more than one dive a day, it's definitely to your advantage to get the most thermal protection you can find and not simply look for something that "might possibly be enough."

 

[beachlawyer]

Ok....I think when I go back to charlotte tom, I am switching the 5mm to a 7mm and also get a 5 or 7mm core warmer to go with a 7mm hood...sounds like this will allow me to do diving in the places i want and not get cold...Thank you very much for the input! I am thinking of doing a Channel Island liveaboard next July so the consensus seems to be 7mm..Thanks again..

 

[Hinalo]

With the 7mm merino jumpsuit and a 7/3mm hooded vest you would have pretty good exposure protection for California. that rig, with 4mm gloves and 7mm booties has worked for me in 46˚f water for repetitive dives here on the NCoast and Monterey. Also, that same rig was comfortable and not too warm last July in the southern Channel Islands in water almost 70˚f.

I think you're making a good choice.