Full wet suit or hooded vest?

[watboy]

I'm debating getting a full wetsuit or a hooded vest. I dive warm tropical waters, when the water is 30C, I'm in a T and board shorts. I found that at 27C that it I would start to chill towards the end of the dive, so i got myself a rip curl 0.5mil "titanium" lined top. They claim its the same as a 2mm. I found this works for most of my diving (i tend to be on the more cold tolerant than my peers). However, after lots of diving I can start to chill as well. I'm going on a liveaboard in a few weeks and i'm concerned that 4 dives a day, and with night dives that I may start to get a little chilled. So I'm debating between getting a hooded vest to put under my rip curl top, or getting a full body 3mm (should i go 5?). Any thoughts? Looking at a Scubapro everflex. Though, i will miss the freedom to pee in board shorts, I drink a couple of liters a day when i dive. How much lead will a 3mm (i'm 5'6" on the stout side) require?

 

[scubaflier]

Get the 3mm Scubapro everflex it's always eaiser to cool off than to get warm.
hey just pee in the suit just don't do it first thing in the morning or the last thing at night.
clean it with dawn it works on everything.
be warm dive comfortable you'll enjoy in alot better

 

[msg]

How much weight needed? You will need enough to allow you to sink when there is no air in your bcd and you exhale.
You should elaborate on your own weight, but I doubt you would need more than 10 to 15#

 

[sdiver68]

I had the exact same questions leading up to my 3+ dives per day trip with expected water temps of 26C. Almost without exception, the answer was 3mm full suit. A couple even suggested a 5mm or a hood with the 3mm would not be excessive. Versus a shorty or less, don't forget about an abrasion and sting barrier!

 

[watboy]

i'm about.. oh my, 80kg, but its muscle i tellz ya! But with my BP/W, an AL80 and diving in shorts and a T, I use 1.6kg of lead, and I'm slightly over weight with that. I put 1 800 gram bricks in each of my side weight pockets to balance it out, but I can dive with just 1 800gram brick until I hit about 60 bar. So trying to figure out how much bouyancy a 3m medium-large full body wetsuit has.

 

[tmp]

My wife and I are considering a liveaboard in Sept/Oct - and I was wondering the same..... I dive a 3MM pretty much exclusively (tropics) and so dos she; however, even after 2 dives she has a tendancy to become alittle chilled towards the end of the dive. Same concern, with 4-5 dives a day would she not be better off with a 5MM full suit , as opposed to her 3MM with a Hooded Vest for the later dives??

My though process was If she dove the 3MM in the am, then the 5MM in the aft/Night dives wouldnt it keep her warmer??

Any help....thoughts......shes not a big fan of wearing the hoods (although i think it would help her)....

 

[Kevrumbo]

Get both and layer as needed.

I use a 1mm full suit with a 2mm hooded vest for tech deco diving in SE Asia/Micronesia, with water temp around 27deg C. I'm 167cm/70kg.

 

[j yaeger]

i've never been"too warm" diving
i have been "too cold"
the comfort is sometimes worth the extra lead you need
when getting back in your cold wet suit,preheat it with some warm water if possible
bring your core temp back up
keep hydarated
have fun
yaeg

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

Thermal Protection is always a good discussion! When we first start diving I find that most divers are working off of adrenaline and they are constantly swimming. After several dive trips you start realizing that if you swim in the back of the pack that you see just as much if not more. Because you are just hanging out to the back we start slowing down, thus we are kicking less, thus we are controlling our buoyancy more, thus we are having better air consumption, thus we are doing nothing short of an hour dive which is all good. Now you are having so much fun that you start doing 3 - 5 dives a day or you start doing Photography or Videography and thus you have the only downside ....getting cold, even in 84 degree water! I hate getting cold and would much rather be warm. If you are someone who is on the cold side of things then I would go with a 5mm. If you find that you are too warm then you can dive with the zipper down which will let more water travel in and out of the suit thus cooling you down. We are seeing a big switch of divers going to 5mm suits. Now let's remember to keep this in prospective, if you are 6' tall and 260lbs you may not be getting as cold as someone who is 5' 7" and 155lbs.
I always recommend a full suit over a shorty (warmer, protection against cuts or abrasions). If you are on the Heavy side then that fullsuit maybe a Henderson Microprene suit. If you are of bigger built & a warmer person then that fullsuit is a 3mm. For smaller build or cold people then it is a no brainer 5mm. I would also always recommend a light weight hood (Forth Element Thermocline Hood) or a cap. We loose the majority of or heat through our head so a hood is enough to take the edge off.

 

[BettyRubble]

I resisted the hooded vest for a long time cuz I HATE wearing a hood at all. But I finally bought when while diving the St. Lawrence river and I LOVE it.

No water down the back, much warmer, and the hood is actually more comfortable then I ever expected. I tend to get cold easily. So I layer the hooded vest with my 3mm when tropic and with my 7mm when local diving.