Exposure Suit

[Bobby Berenson]

My wife and I are thinking about going to Raja next year. She was telling me that she has read that a 7 mm wetsuit is a need for there. We live in Seattle where divers use a 7mm suit or drysuit. I told my wife that I would bring my drysuit because it is easier to pack than a thick wetsuit. Has anyone brought a drysuit to dive in Raja?

 

[altaskier]

I haven't been to Raja Ampat (1 degree south), but I've been to Palau (7 degrees north), Anilao, Philippines (13 degrees north), and the Great Barrier Reef (15 degrees south). In all cases I was was happy in a full 3 mm wet suit. For the 5th dive of the day (night dive), sometimes a neoprene hat can be nice. If you get cold easily and are doing 5 dives per day, maybe even a 5 mm would be OK, but a 7 mm sounds like way too much to me.

 

[Bobby Berenson]

Thanks for the reply. I have always used a 3 mm full length suit and a hood anyway. I have been to North Sulawesi, Solomon Islands, and Fiji and been fine with what I wear. I am an avid cold water diver anyway and my wife refuses to dive in cold water.