Keys in August - What kind of wetsuit do I need?

[rgerman95]

My two sons and I have a trip scheduled next summer to Islamorada in the Florida Keys to do a week of diving.

We recently got certified (6/02) and have a total of nine dives under our weightbelt.

We did four dives this summer in Myrtle Beach which made true believers out of all three of us.

We are starting to buy some equipment; I need some advice on what weight wetsuit I'd need for the Keys in August. Some people I have talked to have suggested 1.0mm, others 3.0mm or 3/2mm; still others have suggested only a skin. So now, I'm totally confused and would like some advice.

I don't have a lot of experience with different suits at this point. We did our certifcation dives in a very cold quary wearing a 6.5mm two-piece suit; we used either 5.0mm shortys or 3.0mm jumpsuits in Myrtle. I'm about 5'10" and weigh 165#; I think I'm average in regards to the hot/cold thing that so many people talk about.

Anybody with a suggestion would be gratefully appreciated -especially those who have personal experience diving in the waters of the Keys.

I think I'm going to get 3.0mm shortys for the two boys, as this is what they want, but need some advice about what to get for myself.


Thanks.
Rich

 

[WreckWriter]

3mm shorty should be fine for shallow diving in the Keys just about any time of year except dead of winter when you'll want a full 3mm. You missed August though.....

Tom

 

[sactomags]

I, too, got certified in cool waters (53 in Monterey and Lake Tahoe, CA), and do dive in Florida every chance we're there. I've used a .5 mil when the water was 78, and a 3 mil when it was a cooler 71, and just a t-shirt for a shallow (20 foot) shore dive off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea that lasted an hour. Consider if any of the dives are deeper -- some wrecks are -- and you may want a 1 or 3 mm full suit (I don't use shortys).

My husband has used his .5 and 1 mil exclusively for all our Florida dives. He has a hooded vest that he puts on for those days when we are doing multiple dives.

Enjoy!
Margaret

 

[flyingsherpa]

http://www.scubaboard.com/t14585/s.html

 

[flyingsherpa]

you can see my lengthy trip report here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/t14585/s.html

i wore a 5/3 which was definitely overkill in the 85F water off key largo. i didn't overheat, but i'm sure i could have gotten away with much less. my suit has a front zipper so i can always unzip a little if i do get too hot. my two friends decided to not wear their suits and they were both cold on our second dive of the day.

i think the 5/3 was a good compromise because i was also able to use it the 72F springs for up to an hour (and i chill veeerrryy easily).

maybe half the people on our keys boat had skins on, the other half 3 mil fulls and a few shorties. i don't remember anyone saying they were cold (except my friends who wore no suit), but of course most of them were too busy donating their breakfasts to the fish to talk much (we had rough seas that day).

chris

 

[SM Diver]

Swimming trunks, t-shirt optional.

Sometimes I'll use my .5 skin, but never my 3/2. I'm not cold natured, though.

 

[Bob3]

We've been spending 8 hrs/day or better in the water in August, that 85° bathwater calls for a .5mm (½ mm) or at most a 3mm if you're used to walking around with a sweatshirt in 90°+ air temps.

 

[100days-a-year]

I spend every August in the Keys for years.For most the absolute most importantant thing to remember is protection from hydroids,jellies,nicks from lobsters or fish and the fact that a 3mil suit ,if worn for more than a coupla minutes in the sun is very uncomfortable.I wear a skin for everything but deeeep dives where there is a possibility of a thermocline.

 

[Walter]

Personally, when diving the Keys, I start wearing a 1/8" wet suit in November and continue to wear it until sometime in May when I revert back to just the swim suit.

 

[raviepoo]

Maybe just a skin for protection from abrasions and sunburn.