Ginny Springs and Tampa - wetsuit

[Ayisha]

Hi,

What thickness wetsuit would you recommend for Ginny Springs? What about in the Tampa area? I'll be going in mid-May. I have a full 3 mm and a 2-piece 7mm (for our Great Lakes diving).

Is it possible to pack one wetsuit for both? I read on the Ginny Springs website that the water temp is 72 F all year round. What would the water temp generally be in Tampa in mid-May?

Thanks a lot!

 

[H2Andy]

i dive all the springs in Florida with a 3 mil farmer john and a 3 mil hood and
i do ok, and i am THE warm water wus of all time

i dive off Jax starting in April with the same set-up. i can only imagine that Tampa
waters will be as warm or warmer

so i think you can easily just pack the 3 mil and be ok. i would reccomend a
hood, but like i said, i get cold real easy

 

[simbrooks]

Mid May i think you could get away with the 3mm for both. Not sure quite what the water temps are in Tampa, but it should have had some time to warm up after the cooler winter. Ginnie is always 72F, a 3mm is the minimum i would wear, but it should be sunny enough to warm up on SI's - i dove the springs for the first 6-8 months in a 3mm, then switched up to my 5mm, then to my DS more recently as the getting warm again thing in the winter isnt so fun

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I was diving this weekend at Ginnie with a full 3mm, didn't even bother to get my hood or gloves wet(I use them in the 68ºF panhandle springs though). Every person is different, but I get away just fine with a simple 3mm suit. By May, I'm hoping to be using a 0.5mm in saltwater.

 

[Ayisha]

Thanks guys!

Well, now I'm confused. I'm wondering, since all 3 of you are male, if you find that females usually only need 3 mm as well in Ginny Springs? I'm a petite, slim female. I don't get cold too easily, but I dress warmly to make sure.

I emailed the same questions to Ginny Springs and I asked some leaders at my LDS that have been diving in Ginny Springs and Tampa before.
Ginny Springs said that most people wear a 7 mm wetsuit there. I am assuming it's a one-piece.
My LDS leaders said that they would recommend at least a 5 mm, and if I wore my 2-piece 7 mm, I would not overheat.
You guys, with the most experience with Florida diving, say a 3 mm should be ok.

I expected that if the results were different, they would be the opposite. I figured that people here, who are used to for example, 38 F at depth around here, would be more tolerant of the cold. These guys are even ice divers! But then, they use dry suits... I figured that Florida divers might be less tolerant of the cold... I was wrong...

Very interesting... :06:

 

[scubadobadoo]

IMHO, you will be cold in a 3mil unless you also wear gloves and a hood. I use a dry suit at Ginnie and still get cold after 3 one hour dives. If you are going to do more than two dives at Ginnie per day then consider renting a 7 mil from them and no hood or gloves. Again, as they said above, depends on the topside weather too.

BTW, when I have rented from Ginnie in the past they gave me a two piece 7 mil. It was warm in the summer but after a few dives I was glad I had it. I think the best wet suit for ginnie in the summer would be a one piece 5 mil. My wife and I froze in 3 mils with 6 mil hoods last February because we couldn't warm up between dives enough. Again, JMHO's. Have fun, it really is lovely!

 

[adder70]

I think the biggest issue is where you dive. If you only dive the open water areas, you are limited in depth to about 30 feet. Even the grate in the Ballroom (cavern, but available to OW divers due to safety measures in place) is only at about 55 feet.

If you dive the overhead environments, the depths go up (down?) quickly and you need a thicker suit to maintain thermal resistance at the higher pressure.

I dive my 3mm if diving OW, but when diving in depths of 70 feet and above (below?) I tend to add my 5mm hooded vest and possibly gloves to the mix.