My buddy gets cold

[Kestrell]

Okay, I am really intching to get back in the water, but my buddy (wife) gets cold easily, even in her full 7mm gear. I really don't feel like waiting until late May to start diving so I'm looking for some recommendations, other than a dry suit, to keep my buddy warm.


Is getting a 1mm suit for her to wear under her 7mm a good alternative?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[KidK9]

Drink about 2 liters of water on your drive to the dive site...I call it "preheating the oven".

 

[JimC]

You'll want more extra rubber than 1mm.

Back when I dove wet in 40F water I would wear a 3mm under a 7mm under a 5mm hooded vest with 7mm booties, 7mm gauntlet crab claws and a 3mm beeany and didn't go much deeper than 30 feet.

Then I got smart and got a dry suit. The warm water thing did make it feel nicer getting into the water but I found it actualy made the dive colder after 10 minutes or so. It openes up pores and brings blood up to the surface of the skin, since the body thinks its to warm all the sudden.

 

[moneysavr]

Okay, I am really intching to get back in the water, but my buddy (wife) gets cold easily, even in her full 7mm gear. I really don't feel like waiting until late May to start diving so I'm looking for some recommendations, other than a dry suit, to keep my buddy warm.


Is getting a 1mm suit for her to wear under her 7mm a good alternative?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Hey,
I did get a Microprene 1mm and with my 7mm farmer it did the job on keeping the water from moving out,yes as the other poster said too much rubber will not help-and you need so much lead,The Henderson 1mm was a great purchase!
But water that is less than 42-45=BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRr! time to dive dry,
brad

 

[Ber Rabbit]

What kind of gloves is she wearing? I've found that when my hands are cold my body perceives the cold differently than when they are warm. Try either a 3-finger mitt or a semi-dry glove (I think Bob3 may sell some). I wear a pair of expedition weight thermal (polartec or some other technical fabric) underwear under my wetsuit with a skin over them to help the wetsuit go on easily. That seems to help some and the fabric keeps you fairly warm on the surface even when its wet. Take along a tent and a tent heater so you have somewhere warm to hang out between dives you don't want it too warm but keeping the wind and the chill off during the surface interval can do wonders for the comfort of the second dive. Does she have a regular hood or a hooded vest? I would go with a vest and get one that covers as much of her face as possible without it pressing against her regulator (that gets uncomfortable).

Hope this helps!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[kazinvan]

Why the objection to a drysuit? I think once you start diving dry in 40 degree water you will not go back.

 

[Kestrell]

Why the objection to a drysuit? I think once you start diving dry in 40 degree water you will not go back.

Didn't mean to sound negative about drysuits.

We are both still too new to want drysuits at this point in our development as divers; maybe next year or the year after that. They are definitely in the plan, but not right now. Besides we're still paying off the gear we have.

So far I've been in the high 40's with just my 7mm Hyperstretch (hood, boots and gloves too) and been fine, I'm just looking for a way to keep the missus warm until we get drysuits.

 

[Goose75]

Didn't mean to sound negative about drysuits.

We are both still too new to want drysuits at this point in our development as divers; maybe next year or the year after that. They are definitely in the plan, but not right now. Besides we're still paying off the gear we have.

So far I've been in the high 40's with just my 7mm Hyperstretch (hood, boots and gloves too) and been fine, I'm just looking for a way to keep the missus warm until we get drysuits.

I understand the cost issue, but I wouldn't worry about being too new. My 8th dive was my first dry suit dive. It was a bit intimidating and confusing at first but by the 4th dry dive, it became natural.

My wife still dives wet and she gets cold easily. We found getting a seperate hood that fit very well was crucial. The attached ones tended to be tight in some places and loose in others.

The other thing is to keep the dives short. Do you have a hot shower for her afterwards? If not, bring warm water in old milk jugs. Getting her warm in between dives is going to be a big item if you are doing multiple dives. Also bring some hot soup or other fluids. Get out of the wind. If none of this helps, go dry or wait for better temperatures. Better to be safe.

Hope that helps.

 

[MSilvia]

bring warm water in old milk jugs.

That works really well. If you can pre-warm the suit prior to diving into cold water, it won't seem so bad. Of course, a second dive might be a lot to ask... after getting out of it in cold air, getting back in can seem pretty unappealing.

 

[bcsean]

I got my drysuit right out of OW and never looked back. It was actually one of my first purchases, because I figured being warm was fairly important to enjoying the sport. If you're getting cold, and you alreayd own a suit, thicker hood, better gloves, and better boots make a big difference. Are you wearing a 1 piece 7mm? Up here we dive with 2 piece 7mm, so your core has 14mm of neoprene. Maybe a vest over top is going to help?