Nervous about being too cold!

[cmneus]

Hey, I'm going on my first dive in Lake Michigan in a few weeks and I'm very nervous that I will be too cold. I've only been in the Caribbean, so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm only 105 lbs and get cold easily, I'm worried about being uncomfortable and ruining the dive for the rest of the group as well as hypothermia. I'm also worried that my fingers will be totally numb....am I overreacting...is it not as bad as I am imagining?
Any comments/advice/experience would be appreciated!

 

[KD8NPB]

The lake is about 50F bottom temperature right now.

Farmer john style wetsuits add core warmth due to the overlap, but the extra gaps cause your warmed water to flush out. A better idea is a 5mm hooded vest inside a 7mm one-piece wetsuit.

For gloves, prime them with lukewarm water before you put them on. Get some with velcro straps. You'll have to cinch them about 3 times for your descent downward. Keep your fingers moving. For added warmth, you could use three-finger gloves, but they seriously compromise your dexterity.

Usually the worst part I have acclimating to cold water is the exposed gaps on my face. I might purchase an oldschool Cressi fullface for ice diving this winter.

(​For added warmth in the middle of your dive, pee.)

 

[BabyDuck]

send a pm to lynne, tsandm, if she doesn't pop on to the thread. she's got lots of experience keeping warm! what suit do you have? a 7 that fits well might be your best bet wet, but really, this might be the time to start diving dry. can you add a drysuit class to these dives?

 

[grf88]

Here is a response I gave to someone looking for advise about diving in the Great Lakes, Maybe it will be of some help.

"Yes! Save yourself now. Breathing Nitrogen under pressure is highly addictive and can promote irrational behaviour in those who are exposed. You are likely to find yourself loading an ever increasing amount of gear into your vehicle to get up at some ungodly hour to travel hundreds of kilometers to arrive at a charter where you will have to transfer this every increasing quantity of gear to a boat. After catching your breath and then suffering from motion sickness during the boat ride to the dive site you will have to struggle into thick rubber suits or heavy underwear and drysuit to the point where you are suffering from heat prostration. You will then find yourself descending into blackness and cold to spend maybe 30 minutes before starting to exhibit symptoms of hypothermia. After about 1-1/2 hours you will find yourself repeating these actions before again suffering from motion sickness on your return boat ride. On arrival at the dock you will have to transfer all this now sodden equipment back to your vehicle. At this point you may return home exhausted or find some shelter for the night to repeat the entire process the next day. On the return to work the following Monday you will wax poetic at what a fantastic weekend you had and your co-workers will look at you with a glazed stare and make sure that in future they give you a wide berth. The energy expended for the maybe 120 minutes of diving that you enjoyed is totally disproportionate as compared to any other recreational activity that you could think of.

Again I urge you to save yourself before it is too late. Have you thought about golf."

I regularly dive the Great Lakes and with the proper exposure protection you will have no problems

 

[beaverdivers]

Yes, I agree with BabyDuck. A drysuit with a proper under-garment is your best solution. 5 - 7 mm hood and gloves or mitts or better yet dry gloves are a must.

 

[TSandM]

cmneus, I feel your pain . . . 50 degree water is going to be cold. We put our students into 7 mm Farmer John wetsuits, full hoods and wet gloves for those temperatures, and some of the women still get cold. The first dive usually isn't too bad, especially if people keep moving, but the surface interval is hard, and the second dive is pretty short.

I have never been in water that cold in a wetsuit. I got certified dry, and have never done a wet dive in Puget Sound (at least on purpose). With a dry suit and a good undergarment (and hood and gloves) it is quite possible to dive in 50 degree water for a solid hour and get out only mildly cold, just kind of ready-for-a-warm-drink cold.

 

[AH_Matt]

Cmneus,

As I was saying in another thread, I also got certified in the Caribbean but have a dozen dives in Lake Huron. I was using 7mm shortie with a 7mm farmer john, 1mm diveskin, and hood and gloves. I was warm on every dive, even having to flowthrough a few times. I admit that my head got a big nippy when we hit 40 degrees on a deep dive, but it wasn't too bad. Of course, your milage may vary and I run hot. I am even thinking about just using a long sleeve tshirt the next time I dive dry since I was baking in the thermofleece last week.

Eat good (not junk) food and alert your DM and dive buddy to your concern. Also, consider changing out to warm clothes during the SI. Or just hop in and out of the wetsuit, that always warms me up.

Cheers, and good luck!
Matt

 

[rhwestfall]

We had a boat full (14) of divers on Erie Sunday doing a two tank charter. Hard bottom was 130 & 117 on the two sites. Temp was 71 on the surface and 48/50 when you passed the thermocline at 60-70'. It is what it is. Dives can and will be limited if you are not in a DS. Its okay. Dive teams should be also based on what exposure folks are wearing. My partner was in a 7mm 1 pc over a LavaCore. Nope, it was too much for him, but mostly on dive #2. NDL's also drove the limits, so no big deal...

A warm thermos of water helps some. I used to do that before I went dry.

 

[Bandaid6]

Hey there, you are absolutely justified in your concerns. Please make sure to express your concerns to the DM or staff present. Take a thermos of hot water with you and pour it into the suit before the 2nd dive. During surface interval keep the wetsuit on, tuck hood and gloves inside the suit to keep them warm and wear a windbreaker over the suit. I do not like shorties with attached hoods because they don't fit the head properly. U lose 40% of body heat from your head. So add a warm hat to the list of gear to wear between dives. It's easier to stay warm than get warm so plan for that and you'll be alot happier.

 

[cmneus]

Thank you everyone!!!!