Going To Curacao End Of May What Wetsuit, Full, Shorty, 3mm Etc

[CRAZYBOBC]

Dove Aruba In Early April Had 3 Mm Shorty And Was Fine
Is Curacao The Same, I Wanted To Buy Instead Of Rent But Wanted For All Carrib Locals Is That Possible

 

[O'Malley]

I just returned from Curacao a few weeks ago, dove a full 3mm repetitively and remained warm. Others on the boat dove shorties or swim shorts and seemed fine in water temperatures averaging 79-84 degrees.

 

[herman]

I have dove Bonaire which is very close by in Feb, July and December and never used more than a fleece lined skin (polartec). How much you need depends a lot on you. Aruba is also close by, if a 3mm shortie was enough in Aruba, it will be plenty in Curacao. Aruba is only 60 miles or so from Curacao.

 

[dman]

Dove in Curacao in November in Skins (.5 mil) and was comfortable. My wife dove in Lycra and felt fine! (she said the temp. was OK too.)

 

[CRAZYBOBC]

does full wetsuit make more sense than a shorty
does one really need to worry about protection from sharp coral, or other objects when diving

 

[herman]

It does but a skin along with the shorty gives you the same protection, takes up less suitcase space and can be worn seperately if the shortie is too warm. I always ware a skin of some kind mainly for protection against jellyfish and sunburn.

 

[scubaaaronh]

In bonaire we wore a lycra skin and then a 3mm shorty over it and were more than comfortable, i was actually warm a couple dive and flooded my suit.

 

[Cheryl M.]

Somewhat depends on how you run temperature-wise, but I would think you should be fine in a shorty in Curacao in May. I wore a full 3 ml suit there in January and was very comfortable, and I run cold. Divers were split between shorties and full suits. Water temps in January were 80-82 degrees. In water temps around 78 I add a 3ml shorty on top of the full suit. Works fine, and was a cheaper option than buying a thicker suit.
Have a great trip; I love Curacao!
Cheryl M.

 

[bertschb]

I get cold easily so I wear a 5mm full suit for temps under 81 or so. Over 81 I wear a 3mm full. I dive Henderson Hyperstretch suits which are very comfortable but I don't think they are quite as warm as more traditional wet suits.

 

[Cheryl M.]

Some of the shore dives access routes pass through breaks in the inner reef on Curacao (thinking of the Aquarium beach, specifically), and the surge can push you into the fire coral. A woman I dove with got some nasty welts in a shorty.