My OW is going to be cold
- Thread starter senseiern
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spooky1
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That is cold water, but the air temps will help a lot.
First, don't do as your friend suggests. As soon as you get cold water in the suit, you'll start the process of chilling.
Suit up as late as possible
This seems obvious, but I've seen divers staging gear while wearing suits. Get your rig together and stage it as close to the entry as possible, then suit up.
Pace yourself
You won't be going anywhere until the slowest member of your group is ready, so keep an eye on that person and don't get too far ahead of them. It's miserable to stand around in heat while wearing a wetsuit and the natural reaction is to get in the water, but that's the last thing you want to do if you want to have a comfortable training dive. Dressing up to your waist is a good compromise and allows you to finish in just a few minutes, while not overheating.
Get a hooded vest
The hooded vest will reduce water flow down the neck, will help the fit of the wetsuit and will add extra insulation around the torso.... all good things.
Pre-charge the suit with warm water
When I do checkouts in cold water, I like to have a supply of hot water the students can use to fill their suits just prior to entry. Turkey fryers work great for this. Most rental suits will have significant air pockets due to poor fit. These spaces will fill with water and that water will initially be cold. Filling them with warm water will ease the shock and slow the incursion of cold water into the suit.
Acclimate
Once in the water, take off your mask and submerge your face. Now, take five full breaths through reg or snorkel. This will not be pleasant, but will acclimate you to the cold water and make mask flooding/removal much more tolerable. It also slows your metabolism, which will slow your heart and breathing rate.
Get warm during your SI
Get that suit off or at least down to your waist and dry off. Drink warm, decaffeinated beverages and stay out of the wind or cold.
Don't be a puss
Just don't.
If your instructor manages things well, you should have a great time, with minimal suffering. On the other hand, if he takes you out in groups of greater than four, doesn't give you adequate SI time to warm up, has you do skills on your knees or some of the students are not really ready for checkouts, there could be a lot of time kneeling ion the bottom and waiting for other to complete their skills.
You might freeze your ass off.
First, don't do as your friend suggests. As soon as you get cold water in the suit, you'll start the process of chilling.
Suit up as late as possible
This seems obvious, but I've seen divers staging gear while wearing suits. Get your rig together and stage it as close to the entry as possible, then suit up.
Pace yourself
You won't be going anywhere until the slowest member of your group is ready, so keep an eye on that person and don't get too far ahead of them. It's miserable to stand around in heat while wearing a wetsuit and the natural reaction is to get in the water, but that's the last thing you want to do if you want to have a comfortable training dive. Dressing up to your waist is a good compromise and allows you to finish in just a few minutes, while not overheating.
Get a hooded vest
The hooded vest will reduce water flow down the neck, will help the fit of the wetsuit and will add extra insulation around the torso.... all good things.
Pre-charge the suit with warm water
When I do checkouts in cold water, I like to have a supply of hot water the students can use to fill their suits just prior to entry. Turkey fryers work great for this. Most rental suits will have significant air pockets due to poor fit. These spaces will fill with water and that water will initially be cold. Filling them with warm water will ease the shock and slow the incursion of cold water into the suit.
Acclimate
Once in the water, take off your mask and submerge your face. Now, take five full breaths through reg or snorkel. This will not be pleasant, but will acclimate you to the cold water and make mask flooding/removal much more tolerable. It also slows your metabolism, which will slow your heart and breathing rate.
Get warm during your SI
Get that suit off or at least down to your waist and dry off. Drink warm, decaffeinated beverages and stay out of the wind or cold.
Don't be a puss
Just don't.
If your instructor manages things well, you should have a great time, with minimal suffering. On the other hand, if he takes you out in groups of greater than four, doesn't give you adequate SI time to warm up, has you do skills on your knees or some of the students are not really ready for checkouts, there could be a lot of time kneeling ion the bottom and waiting for other to complete their skills.
You might freeze your ass off.
A2thaK
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How much experience do you feel you gained on dives lasting 20 minutes? Properly kitted, you would have gotten a lot more out of the dives.
Unfortunately, students are typically some of the least qualified to rate their experience or instructor's expertise. Unless you've seen various courses and instructors, you have no basis for comparison. You may say he's the greatest, but if he's putting students in 3mil shorties and cranking out 20 minute checkout dives, I'm going to disagree.
seseiern, you've gotten some fantastic advice, especially *dave*'s post. All I want to add is that, if you DO get cold, let your instructor know. Feeling chilly is one thing, but frank shivering should get you out of the water. I know this because I DIDN'T insist on getting out when I was shivering, and ended up getting hypothermic, because I wanted to do what was required of me.
If you take the precautions that are listed above, you should be fine. But if there are delays or you spend a lot of time waiting underwater, you could get cold, and you need to know that it's important not to try to tough it out past the point of shivering.
My biggest principle in diving in our cold water is not to lose any "thermal units" before the dive starts -- stay warm on the surface and don't get in the water any earlier than you have to.
If you take the precautions that are listed above, you should be fine. But if there are delays or you spend a lot of time waiting underwater, you could get cold, and you need to know that it's important not to try to tough it out past the point of shivering.
My biggest principle in diving in our cold water is not to lose any "thermal units" before the dive starts -- stay warm on the surface and don't get in the water any earlier than you have to.
A2thaK
Contributor
Sorry, that was sarcastic. My other thread I was talking about how the instructor/owner of the shop would not allow me to use my own equipment (which I recently purchased off of scubatoys) my first day in the pool. So, I have NOT been happy at all with this instructor. Full review, summary is to be typed up right after this post.
fnfalman
Contributor
I did my checkouts in 49F. Wasn't terrible.
I'd echo Dave's advice about the water on the mask. I was advised to get water on my face before we descended so I wouldn't be as shocked when I removed my mask at depth. When I dunked my face in the water (maskless) at the surface I definitely took a fast breath in. It was much easier at the bottom. I'm not sure if it actually helps, but I usually dunk my face before each dive just in case my mask gets kicked off and I need quick reactions to try to catch it.
I'd echo Dave's advice about the water on the mask. I was advised to get water on my face before we descended so I wouldn't be as shocked when I removed my mask at depth. When I dunked my face in the water (maskless) at the surface I definitely took a fast breath in. It was much easier at the bottom. I'm not sure if it actually helps, but I usually dunk my face before each dive just in case my mask gets kicked off and I need quick reactions to try to catch it.
OP
senseiern
Contributor
The boots i have, that I bought with my fins are 5mm. In case the suit they provide doesn't come with boots, are 5mm going to be effective to keep my feet protected?
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