How cold will you dive wet?

[Sirius Diver]

I dove wet (Henderson 7/5mm 1 piece) on 24 Feb in Lake Simcoe, Ontario during an ice course. It was a balmy -1C / 30F according to my Suunto Cobra. Air temp was at least -10C and the surface time was brutal. I was comfortable for about 20 mins. I will be getting a drysuit for next winter though....

 

[PerroneFord]

You guys are insane.... If there aren't girls in bikinis on the beach, I'm diving dry. And even if they ARE out there in bikinis, I'm probably still diving dry.

I should throw my wetsuit away.

 

[Tigerman]

You guys are insane.... If there aren't girls in bikinis on the beach, I'm diving dry. And even if they ARE out there in bikinis, I'm probably still diving dry.

I should throw my wetsuit away.

With the probablility of seeing women in bikinis at my dive spots, thatd mean id probably have like 0 dives logged with a wetsuit, even if the air temps where 25c all year around
(Yeah, middle of nowhere here)

 

[paddler3d]

Unitl I can afford a dry suit, I dive an 8mm wool lined semi-dry down to 35 degrees. The problem I run into is cold hands and feet. Pinnacle makes the wool lined boots and gloves, so I may end up giving them a whirl.

The poll for for wet or dry...no option for the semi-dry or semi-wet.

 

[CompuDude]

Unitl I can afford a dry suit, I dive an 8mm wool lined semi-dry down to 35 degrees. The problem I run into is cold hands and feet. Pinnacle makes the wool lined boots and gloves, so I may end up giving them a whirl.

The poll for for wet or dry...no option for the semi-dry or semi-wet.

Semi-dry is wet. Don't kid yourself.

 

[tatonkadive]

But seriously, when was the last time you surfaced and said to your buddy "Great dive, but would have been better if I was cold!"

I don't know if I've ever said that per se, but there have been a plenty of dives where I have surfaced and said "Geez, I was too hot down there" (in a 2mm shorty in 75+ water, making 2-4 dives a day including deep dives... or even in my 7mm + 5mm hoody in SoCal).

I have to admit I'm tempted to try dry in California winter waters, but if I can stay warm without putting on (or even toting) all of that gear and not deal with what certainly looks to me like more hassle in the water, I'm happy to stay wet!

But if it works for you... you go boyyy!!! ...and you can teach me how to use that dern contraption when winter comes!

 

[Tigerman]

Dry might SEEM like more hassle, but it sure aint..
When water is getting "less than tropical" and you start wearing more than a shorty (thats like.. "always" here, more or less) its infact much easier. I take on a suit that dont feel like a body-condom, dive it almost as if it WAS a body-condom (with the possibility to inflate it) and step out of it nice and dry when I come back up.. Wetsuits is such a hassle to doff

 

[ichigolin]

Hmm, you "extreme wetsuit divers" are either insane, exaggerating, or both... sub 40 wet and comfy? Insane.

Maybe I'm just a wimp. I'm in the 60s category. Go dry and never go back. Wet and cold sucks.

-Nick

been as low as 38F wet w/most of the dive in the low 40s. 30-40 minutes at a time in a full 7mm w/5mm hood, 5mm gloves, and 3mm booties. the 3mm tropical booties were a mistake. i now have 6.5mm high tops for cold water. aside from my feet, the really bad part was my face freezing. nothing like uber brain freeze, but that goes away after 3-4 minutes when your face is numb.

i have since learned how to dive a dry-suit, which is awesome in cold water. but, i'm still not sure i want to buy one... the one i like is very expensive.

 

[Pinky's Brain]

If you like diving in cold water but don’t like feeling as though your face has frost bite.

There are 2 very simple things you can do to help prevent it;

The first is put a nice coat of Vaseline or some sort of animal fat.

The second is a lot less messy, get a neoprene bug mask from your local motorcycle shop and cut a hole for your moth peace

This works well for both wet and dry diving.

 

[rookers]

No colder than 65 or so. Of course, the answer probably depends on whether or not one owns a drysuit. My answer prior to owning would probably have been at least 10 degrees colder.