Heat exhaustion isn't fun

[JohnN]

I was (trying to) dive in Hood Canal (Washington) on Monday, the weather was hot (at least for us), around 85 oF and there was no shade in the suit-up area. Drysuit of course, with the water in the mid 50's. I'm slow when gearing up and started sweating profusely as soon as I put on my fleece jammies. More sweating and overheating putting on the rest of my gear and when I was ready to get into the water, my field of vision had narrowed and all I could think of is getting in the water to cool off. My face was reported to be very flushed and red

I stepped in too deep to put my fins on and with the little surge (as in very little) I lost contact with the bottom. Without fins, rock boots don't provide any propulsion and I floundered trying to move closer to shore. Fortunately, another diver was gearing in the water and was able to pull me to where I could contact the bottom and extract myself from the water.

I had in the back of my mind a plan "C" which was to dump all the air from my wing and suit and crawl along the bottom. Fortunately (again) I didn't have to go there.

Lessons learned:

• Just like too cold to dive, too warm is a reason to scrub a dive too (at least for me).
• A bottle of cold water to pour over my head while gearing up would have been really useful
• Skip the fleece jammies next time in this type of weather. I'll take being a little cold in the dive in preference to doing this again.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks for sharing. I spent my first decade as a diver in the Midwest. Diving the Great Lakes and inland lakes and quarries when the air temps were in the upper 80s or 90s and humid but the water was in the 40s and 50s, I had similar episodes. I developed a process that worked for me to avoid overheating. If possible I would always get my drysuit fully on and zipped and then get in the water to cool off. This helped immensely! When that wasn't possible paying close attention to timing, gearing efficiency, and having cold water available to pour on my head was a reasonable alternative.

Thank's again for sharing your near miss!

 

[kablooey]

I've had similar experiences.
It sucks,

Some things that work for me:

If your'e going to wear a neoprene hood, get it wet before you put it on. Very wet.
It'll keep you cool long enough for the final steps of gearing up and splash.

If I'm doing a shore dive that requires walking, I wear a soft jungle hat.
Before entering the water I fold it up and stick it in my drysuit pocket.
If I'm wearing a wetsuit I fold it in half and shove it down below the neck seal.
After the dive I just wring it out, and wear it wet for the walk back.
- - - - - -

My buddies and I met up for a shore dive at a seldom dived cove with a long steep trail leading to the water.
Two of our divers showed up with drysuits.
It was a hot day. As we walked down the trail the two drysuit divers were miserable.
At the bottom of the trail they didn't stop to finish gearing up, or buddy check, or anything.
Without a word they walked straight into the water like zombies.

.

 

[kelemvor]

Gearing up sucks when the water is cold but the air is not. Glad you ended up being okay. Things sure can be easier if you've got someone else to help you. On the other hand, you could end up having to wait on a slower friend after you've got your suit on...

Like Jim suggests, do what you can to cool yourself.

 

[RyanT]

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is precisely this reason that I prefer front zip wet suits. When I'm suited up and starting to get overheated, I can just unzip the front, pour water in and vent the heat. I wish more front zip wetsuits were available. Drysuits obviously present their own challenges. Regardless, I'm glad to hear you're OK.

 

[kelemvor]

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is precisely this reason that I prefer front zip wet suits. When I'm suited up and starting to get overheated, I can just unzip the front, pour water in and vent the heat. I wish more front zip wetsuits were available. Regardless, I'm glad to hear you're OK.

Even if you've got a back zip, you can just pour water into the neck of a wetsuit. Not a great idea with John's drysuit.

 

[davehicks]

I'm glad you are ok! Summer Drysuit diving in the PNW can be a sweaty affair. Lots of good advice shared already like dumping water on your hear, wet hood, etc. I'll offer a couple of other items.

Think about your steps you take to get ready to splash. Make an actual checklist step by step. See if you can adjust it to do as many steps as possible before sealing your drysuit. You want to be able to get in the water quickly after suiting up. Your buddies will appreciate this as well if you are slow as you claim.

 

[Degenerate]

I developed a process that worked for me to avoid overheating. If possible I would always get my drysuit fully on and zipped and then get in the water to cool off. This helped immensely! When that wasn't possible paying close attention to timing, gearing efficiency, and having cold water available to pour on my head was a reasonable alternative.

Thank's again for sharing your near miss!

This is the way.
I've done some dives recently with air temps at 30 celsius and above (around 90f I believe) and the trick is to get into the water asap when you got your drysuit zipped up and cool off for a bit.
I haul all of my kit down to the edge of the water before putting on my drysuit, that way I can put all that on in the water after I've cooled off.
Done the way of putting it all on before splashing a couple times and never again, I always get my gear on in the water nowadays (apart from the drysuit).

 

[RyanT]

Even if you've got a back zip, you can just pour water into the neck of a wetsuit. Not a great idea with John's drysuit.

Yes, but leaving it unzipped and then having the ability to zip it up after you splash is a real plus. But indeed, a drysuit is a different discussion!

 

[Graeme Fraser]

I was (trying to) dive in Hood Canal (Washington) on Monday, the weather was hot (at least for us), around 85 oF and there was no shade in the suit-up area. Drysuit of course, with the water in the mid 50's. I'm slow when gearing up and started sweating profusely as soon as I put on my fleece jammies. More sweating and overheating putting on the rest of my gear and when I was ready to get into the water, my field of vision had narrowed and all I could think of is getting in the water to cool off. My face was reported to be very flushed and red

I stepped in too deep to put my fins on and with the little surge (as in very little) I lost contact with the bottom. Without fins, rock boots don't provide any propulsion and I floundered trying to move closer to shore. Fortunately, another diver was gearing in the water and was able to pull me to where I could contact the bottom and extract myself from the water.

I had in the back of my mind a plan "C" which was to dump all the air from my wing and suit and crawl along the bottom. Fortunately (again) I didn't have to go there.

Lessons learned:

• Just like too cold to dive, too warm is a reason to scrub a dive too (at least for me).
• A bottle of cold water to pour over my head while gearing up would have been really useful
• Skip the fleece jammies next time in this type of weather. I'll take being a little cold in the dive in preference to doing this again.

An excellent thread. Thanks for sharing your experience and for highlighting how topside can be just as dangerous as being in the water. Often overlooked.