Is there to much protection

[Lukiedukie]

I am curious as I will soon be buying my 1st wet suit and I wondered if it was possible to overheat in a wet suit while under water? I was thinking of getting a 3mm full wet suit. a light weight hood and some gloves. I will be diving mostly in rock quarries in Texas. At first I will be getting wet for the first time when the water is around 70 degrees above the thermocline I believe. I have asked my instructor about it but all he said was yes you can over heat but all you need to do is jump in the water or get hosed off. So I do not think he fully heard or understood my question. NAy help would be great thanks.

 

[H2Andy]

well... there *is* the possibility of overheating in a wetsuit, under water, however
remote... but in 70 degree water with a 3mil and a hood, i don't think this is
going to happen.

i dive in 70-72 degree water, with a 3 mil farmer john and a 3 mil hood, and i am
always cold.

however, i have seen divers in shorts and t-shirts diving in the same waters...
comfortably... so...

anyway... i guess it depends on how much "insulation" your body naturally has
and how sensitive you are to cold or how prone you are to overheating

i am kind of skinny and a cold wus, so... 3 mil in 70 degree water was "cold" for me

 

[radinator]

Sometimes I feel quite warm in my wetsuit here in SoCal, and open the neck of my wetsuit to let in a...bracing...burst of cold water. Sometimes it's not entirely due to temperature, as I hate the "snug" aspect of wetsuits and start to get claustrophobic in them. Filling the suit with water "inflates" it a bit, and keeps the suit off of my chest.


Badk tot he original question, you can overheat in a wetsuit.

 

[ChrisA]

I am curious as I will soon be buying my 1st wet suit and I wondered if it was possible to overheat in a wet suit while under water? I was thinking of getting a 3mm full wet suit. a light weight hood and some gloves. I will be diving mostly in rock quarries in Texas.

I was diving today in 59F water. I was a bit warm in my 7mm suit with the hooded vest under it. So I grabbed the neck and sretched it out to let it some cold water. Do that a few times and you can chill down whenever needed. So my short answer is "Yes but it's an easy problem to solve."

 

[jfoutz]

3mm. in 70 degree water? BRRRRRRRRR. That's drysuit diving for me.

 

[Firefyter]

Lukie, I dove CSSP all last year wearing a 7mm full suit and a hood or beanie. Trust me, you won't get too hot there underwater. I have a 3mm, but I only use it when I'm going somewhere a lot warmer than where we're diving. At the bottom of CSSP it's 56° or 57° year round due to the springs. A lot of people dive it in the summer wearing 3mm, but I'd rather stay warm and be able to dive all day. If you do dive with a 3mm, I would at least get a beanie, if not a full hood. They will both slow down heat loss, and with the piranha perch there, you're gonna need something to protect your ears...lol.
I look forward to meeting you and getting to dive with you this year. I didn't make the gathering back in Feb., but I've had the pleasure of diving with most of those folks that were there. Looking forward to meeting you and ALL the new swampers.