How Is Puget Sound Diving In The Winter?

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I just posted something about taking my dry suit class in this area, and how cold it was, but how it was worth it anyway. Check out Dan GreenspanÃÔ Blog Dry Suit Diving from Admiralty Beach

Interesting. I'm surprised it seemed that cold in a drysuit, I figured dry suits would be nice and toasty (I understand it depends what you wear under them, but still). Ironically for me, the only part of me that feels incredibly cold around 45 degrees is when I first hop in the water, my forehead (although I get used to it after a couple of minutes), which a drysuit wouldn't protect anyways

 

[TSandM]

That's why everybody says that where a dry suit makes a big difference is on multiple dive days. The ability to get out of everything wet and warm up is key to doing more than one dive in our cold water and cold air temperatures.

 

[ferretchen]

Interesting. I'm surprised it seemed that cold in a drysuit, I figured dry suits would be nice and toasty (I understand it depends what you wear under them, but still). Ironically for me, the only part of me that feels incredibly cold around 45 degrees is when I first hop in the water, my forehead (although I get used to it after a couple of minutes), which a drysuit wouldn't protect anyways

My core body temperature was great the whole time, it was just my feet and hands that had it bad. There was a bubble of air in my tight-fitting wet suit hood that prevented me from getting totally soaked - my hair was only kind of damp afterwards, and my head pretty warm. My feet were mostly dry, but for some reason, dry suit underwear seems to ignore the feet, having only heel loops. I was wearing multiple pairs of fleece socks, but I guess TS&M is right - you need the special stuff for the best performance.

I'm thinking that the worn-out rental gear was less than efficient, my socks were the wrong type, and in general, the gear and my inexperience made it less comfortable than it could have been. If I lived on Whibey, chances are that I'd be able to tune it up to "mostly comfortable."

 

[Dean810]

Interesting. I'm surprised it seemed that cold in a drysuit, I figured dry suits would be nice and toasty (I understand it depends what you wear under them, but still). Ironically for me, the only part of me that feels incredibly cold around 45 degrees is when I first hop in the water, my forehead (although I get used to it after a couple of minutes), which a drysuit wouldn't protect anyways

I personally would like to eliminate the word "toasty" from the English language. It is usually used by people to give themselves bragging rights. I will never dive wet in cold water, but that being said, I have been cold in 50 degree water, as well as 40 and 34 degree water. The last time I was "toasty" was in 75 degree water, and I was simply uncomfortable! Everybody will lose core body temperature when they dive. A dry suit will just slow that process down and help with the recovery during the surface interval. Once you lose body heat, it is hard to build it back up again. Many wetsuit divers often find it impossible to do it in time for the next dive. I'm glad I don't have to use the tricks wetsuit divers use, but a warm fire or heater to huddle around between dives is always welcome!

If you are happy with your wetsuit on cold water dives, more power to you! You just saved yourself a bunch of money! But I'll never go back.

 

[lamont]

did 130 minutes in 50F water today, with 60-70 minutes of that on the trigger (which is uber cold since you're not moving your muscles and you've got cold water streaming over you).

what was odd was that i got really hot after i got out from moving gear around, then when i got home and cooled off my torso was still cold...

it'd be interesting to get one of those temperature probes that you swallow and measure body temperature before, during and after a dive like this...

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I personally would like to eliminate the word "toasty" from the English language. It is usually used by people to give themselves bragging rights.

Well ya, I meant that relative to a wetsuit. Of course, unless you have a built in battery powered heater in the suit: eventually you're going to lose heat: at least in theory, no matter how much you put on.

If you are happy with your wetsuit on cold water dives, more power to you! You just saved yourself a bunch of money! But I'll never go back.

At least in the summer, I was happy with it. After trying a drysuit or diving in the winter, I may change my tune, but with only experiencing the one I have no real complaints (well except putting on a wetsuit that hasn't completely dried yet is less than fun).

 

[Mattleycrue76]

Has anyone ever used those large heatpads that you wrap around your lower back? I've used them for snowboarding and they've done a pretty good job of keeping me ....well toasty

There's probably something similar that could be used in dry gloves or boots

 

[MarkH]

I read an article years ago by a diving doctor that said that external heating devices (thermal pads and hot water) actually sped up heat loss from your core. The temporary, localized heat from jugs of hot water or pads tricks your body into sending blood back to the extremities and surface areas of your body where it loses heat to this cold tissue and then circulates back to your core, removing heat from here as well. Now if you could have a permanent supply of hot water like commercial divers, then your surface tissues would stay warm the whole time. I used to use one of those chemical heat packs with one of those metal "snap disks" that would activate the reaction. It was good for about 1/2-hour in a wetsuit, but I honestly didn't feel much of a difference so I stopped using it. I also used a wetsuit for my first couple of years diving in Vancouver. In the winter, the surface water was often around 0 degrees (C) and at the end of a dive I almost dreaded surfacing into this layer. I found that by far the best way to stay reasonably warm was to use a wetsuit jacket with an attached hood that prevented water from gushing down the back of my neck. These used to be common decades ago, but they're almost nonexistent now. Maybe the manufacturers want you to be cold enough to upgrade to one of their drysuits. When I found one of these old wetsuits at a thrift store or garage sale, I'd grab it up quick. My favorite was a thin (around 5mm) vest with attached hood. I'd wear my wetsuit jacket over that and then I'd wear a normal-thickness large hood over the thin hood. Of course 5-finger gloves were out. I still only wear 3-finger mits.

 

[ChevaYEA]

I logged nearly 150 dives in a wetsuit before going dry (too cheap!) so it is doable. The hot jugs of water were a life saver on multiple dives, We even brought along one of those shop propane heaters and would fire it up in the parking lots. That helped too.

One day my feet froze to the ground thanks to the frozen dew on the pavement while I was changing. That was it, i bought a drysuit the next day

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

It must be sooo much easier to just get a darn drysuit than to get it going with all those heat pads and heating gadgets! By golly, wet suit diving in the cold is just so 70'ish... I am sure Puget Sound is awsome in the winter! Likely much better than in the summer, with better viz too. -But in a dry suit!!