How cold do you consider cold water?

[Barken]

Anything below 60 is cold water for me. But then again, I dive here in SoCal all the time.
Please don’t slip into the vacation only or warm water wussie crowd! Diving here on the West Coast is truly amazing in its own right.

Where is there to dive in socal in terms of wrecks or just good dives? A site link would be nice :14:

 

[300bar]

Heck anything below 78F is drysuit for me.
So backhome it's drysuit year round.

 

[SteveAD]

Anything outside the hot tub is cold enough that I want some exposure protection. Nothing liquid is too cold to dive, even if we have to cut thru solid to get to the liquid.

 

[Tomeck]

For me, 30°F in... Antarctica.

 

[DepthJunkie]

42 degree water temp, Pa. New Year's eve. Pinnacle cruiser - everybody else was diving farmer johns or dry. After going numb, it wasn't that bad. I think I was colder after getting out. I think next NYE I'll rent a farmer john.

 

[Teamcasa]

Where is there to dive in socal in terms of wrecks or just good dives? A site link would be nice :14:

Where in California are you? This forum has both So and Nor Cal info. California Kelp Divers

I dive Catalina at least once a month. I’m going to San Diego, the Yukon this weekend with the Beach Crabs and to Monterey in September on a meet and greet (other ScubaBoarders). Depending on where you live, joining a local dive club will introduce you more beautiful sites here in California.

You can even explore some of the sites on your computer check out DiveNav

 

[Sparhawk13401]

I dove wet in 48F. When you first hop in it takes a minute to catch your breath.

We were diving in 55 this weekend and I just wore my Johns and gloves- 7MM Henderson Glacier with attached hood. The suit keeps we warm and the bare arms make for a refreshing dive.

 

[ruready7]

I dove in 56 degree water with 5mm Merino lined Pinnacle with hood and gloves and was toasty.

 

[hypertech]

I'm in MN and this was a concern for me as I bought my gear. I've heard everything from, 60 degrees to only when there is ice.

So, my defination for col dis going to be if I can stand it in a wetsuit. I don't have a drysuit, so if its too cold for a wetsuit, I'm going to call it cold.

 

[Colliam7]

I've been looking at gear and such and they say 'best suited for cold water' and such, and got me to thinking, how cold is 'cold' water? Since it is a relative term, it varies by opinion.

I suspect what we, as divers, feel is 'cold' relates to our individual perception of comfort, and is therefore subjective. I also suspect that what manufacturers define as 'cold' relates to whatever temperature allows them to demonstrate a level of performance in their gear that meets their marketing needs, and is therefore also subjective. When I think of 'cold' in the context of gear performance I think of water temps less than 50F. But, the cold that worries me more, especially with regard to regulator performance, are temperatures less than 40F.