Question Newbie: Worried about water temperature

[acdc20]

Hello!

Newbie here with a question about water temps and staying warm. Did a discovery dive in Hawaii last summer- that's what got us hooked! It was super fun. Planning to go get certified in the Florida Keys in May. My biggest concern right now is staying warm enough in the water for how long we'll be out there. In Hawaii, we did 2 dives that were each almost an hour long (no deeper than 30 ft), and by the end of each I was definitely cold, even with wetsuit and booties. Average water temp in the Keys says 80 in May, but I'm curious about how you know what the temp will be 40-60 ft down? Will whatever wetsuit the dive shop provides be enough or I'm wondering if I should look at getting my own. Would love to hear some feedback, I feel miserable when I get cold and I don't want that to get in the way of this adventure!

 

[TMHeimer]

You'll get a lot of opinions on temperature, but of course everyone differs on what is cold. The only way I know of to find out what temperatures MAY be at depth is to ask locally, ask re time of year, etc.
I'm pretty sure most will say get your own wetsuit. I've even seen divers in the FL panhandle in drysuits in winter. I have found that my 7 mil farmer john wetsuit suits me fine for most diving. Not too hot or cold. But, since we moved to Southern Canada (Nova Scotia) from Northern Manitoba back in 2005 (the year I got certified here) I have noticed my cold tolerance becoming gradually less over the years.
So there is no right answer as to you avoiding cold other than trial and error. Perhaps renting various thicknesses of suits and checking how each feels at the same temperature. No pat anser.

 

[Guille G]

An option can be to take whatever is the standard rental wetsuit they give out, and ask for an extra shorty that you can add on top for extra warmth. If it turns out you need the additional shorty, then you’ll know you should get a thicker suit next time.

Hoods and hooded vests also help quite a bit.

 

[acdc20]

Love those ideas, especially with experimenting with layers and renting different thicknesses if needed.

 

[Esprise Me]

Layers work great with rental suits (which unfortunately aren't always available in your choice of thickness). Hoods make a huge difference, not only in keeping your head and neck warm, but in minimizing the water flushing into your suit collar. If you find you're almost but not quite comfortable, you might try one of the neutrally-buoyant fleece under-layers like Lavacore. It's the warmth equivalent of an extra ~2mm of neoprene without the need for the extra ~4lbs. of additional lead.

When you're ready to buy, there's no shame in wearing a thicker wetsuit than everyone else. I bring my 7mm to warm-water locations and I've never regretted it. In fact, there usually comes a point in the trip when the folks in dive skins or 3mm and even 5mm suits are looking at me with envy. You might assume that, with more dive experience, you'll eventually become more cold-tolerant, but I find the opposite is more often the case. As you develop your buoyancy and finning technique, you'll be moving around less, which means your air will last longer but you'll need more exposure protection. So just think of it as an investment in long-term comfort.

 

[rick00001967]

i cannot imagine needing more than a 5mm in florida. as stated above, a hood is always a great add on and is easy to carry when travelling. some divers just don't like them because they are not used to them.
buying your own is the best idea. i say this because the fit of a suit is the most important thing.
if you get a thicker suit thinking it will be warmer, but it does not fit properly (loose), then it is useless.
now you know why divers have so much gear. haha depending where you are diving you may need a full 3mm, a full 5 or 7mm, a hood, drysuit, etc etc.
i currently have 3 wet suits and 3 dry suits. lol

 

[CT-Rich]

A 5mm is probably the only thing you need if you are never going out of South Fl and only want to start with one suit. Hood and gloves extend the temperature range some. The down side of layering is fit is everything. A suit that fits well and has few zippers will probably keep you warmer than a hodgepodge set of layers. If you are average build /weight, rent of few different styles until you find what you like. Just try not to think about the person before you and shower well afterwards….

 

[Ana]

The coastline of Florida is over 1300 miles, so one size does not fit all.

As far as thermal protection on the Keys for a newbie, layers would allow one to learn what works for whatever temperature. It is true that fit is very important, but unless you rent different suits to try on each dive the learning curve may take longer than needed.

Keep an eye on the temperature and ask others about their readings. Computers may be great monitoring time, depth and NDL's but they seem to be all over the place with temperatures.
After you know how you felt at certain temperature, wearing however many layers, for x minutes, then you can start figuring out what works for YOUR needs.

 

[Belzelbub]

Average water temp in the Keys says 80 in May, but I'm curious about how you know what the temp will be 40-60 ft down?

Prior to the trip a call to the dive shop should be able to give you the answer to temperature at depth. You can probably call right now to get an idea. I don't usually hit the Keys in May, but do dive in the Gulf in May. Temps were in the 70s at depth (71 - 78).

Will whatever wetsuit the dive shop provides be enough or I'm wondering if I should look at getting my own. Would love to hear some feedback, I feel miserable when I get cold and I don't want that to get in the way of this adventure!

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get your own. Shop wetsuits often get lots of use and abuse, so might not be in the best shape for thermal protection. As far as thickness goes, I'm betting most people would be using 3mm at most at that time, but everybody is different. Another option might be to get a neoprene vest and use the shop wetsuit. That should provide a bit more warmth around your torso, which is most important.

 

[Damselfish]

Sometimes you can find better ideas of temps at depth on websites of local ops, as they understand all the info about surface temps on the web is not always helpful. Hawaii waters are not necessarily as warm as you’d hope.

I don’t see your location, but what you are acclimated to also plays a big part. I’ve dove in the keys in a T-shirt when locals on the boat in heavy suits were saying it was getting too late in the season and cold for them. But I live/certified in New England. I’ve seen divemasters in the Carribean in 5 or 7mm when folks from up north are wearing 3 or 1, or a rashguard and board shorts.

Having layers to work with is never a bad idea. And having at least your own thin suit like lavacore or similar, or even a diveskin, will be something you can always use, and layer under a rental suit until you figure things out.