Question Newbie: Worried about water temperature

[TMHeimer]

Same is true of heat tolerance. It boggles my mind that anyone could get hot underwater, no matter how thick their wetsuit, but lots of folks swear it's true. I could probably wear my 7mm in a hot tub.

Interesting point I didn't think of. We could go round and round on this. I could say it depends on your starting point. My step daughter as a kid wanted out of northern Manitoba-- maybe to Florida. I guess she settled on Nova Scotia. It's all relative.

 

[TMHeimer]

Same is true of heat tolerance. It boggles my mind that anyone could get hot underwater, no matter how thick their wetsuit, but lots of folks swear it's true. I could probably wear my 7mm in a hot tub.

I've heard that too. I can maybe see someone too hot in a drysuit in Cracao. I can't say I've been ever "hot" underwater in my 7 mil wetsuit. While gearing up is another story indeed.

 

[dmaziuk]

Great post. This is a clear example of how cold tolerance varies immensely. If I were in a swimsuit in the temps @Bierstadt prefers I would be hypothermic in 10 minutes!

I'd be OOG in 10 minutes trying to keep myself from going hypothermic. In 80-82 degree water I don't feel much difference between a new 3/2 full suit and an old stretched 2/1 shorty. I wear the full suit for the first couple of days, but it's for UV protection. Once I get a little tan on me, I ditch it.

The other side of it losing core temperature on a multi-day trip. I may dive in 80-degree water in board shorts and a tee and then sleep under all available blankets in 82-degree air.

 

[acdc20]

Yeah, living on the west coast, I have some cold tolerance (30s-40s F during the winter). I know when I head home up north for Christmas break I build up my cold tolerance with the snowy climate (0-20F in the winter). I didn't realize climate had some affect too!
Knowing me, I would have been happy to wear a shorty wetsuit snorkeling in Hawaii last July. (I got cold after an hour in the water).

Love the idea about hoods, vests and Lavacore. I'll be looking into maybe getting or renting a few extra layers. Especially with doing multiple dives in a day, I'll want to be able to add layers near the end.

 

[lavieafond]

I find that dive ops (especially in warm water locales) tend to rent out the minimal wetsuit for the conditions.

For example - in 80-82 degree water, they'll usually rent out shorties, but I need a 3mm full-length to be comfortable

In 78-80 degree water (Hawaii in the summer/fall), they'll rent out 3mms, but I need a 5mm to avoid getting cold with repetitive hour-long dives.

The worst I experienced was the area around Padang Bai and Nusa Penida (Bali) where cold upwelling means temps at depth are often in the low 70s or even upper 60s. I went with a highly regarded top dive op there that only rented out shorties and tattered 3mm suits with ripped seals and holes. Those temps are really 5mm or even 7mm territory.

My point is that if you are someone like me who gets cold in a 3mm suit when the water is 79-80 degrees, you are going to want to learn your own temperature tolerances and invest in your own wetsuits so that you will always have a suit that will keep you warm for the conditions where you are diving.

I learned that lesson after experiencing 69F water in Bali while wearing a busted-up 3mm rental suit. Never again!

Fast forward to the next year, Winter in Cozumel, diving with Aldora. Water temps 80 degrees. Dives often 70-90 minutes due to their large tanks. I got some laughs on the boat for bringing my 5mm suit. But at the end of the 2nd 80-minute dive of each day, I was the only diver not complaining about freezing their butt off.

This is helpful! Love your Aldora comment. We dive with them too - and I had a new 3/2 wetsuit these last visits (December 21 and March 22), had 81F water the entire time and I wished I had a vest to add to it. So this comment helps answer the question I was just googling about. Should I get a 7mm for 70-75 degree water in Socorro two weeks from now? Or stick with a 5mm and a Bare jacket under layer? Actually I still don't know. My husband suggests not spending money on a 7mm but I've had way too many dives (Hawaii, Bahamas) where I'm freezing with a 5mm and a vest. I have a 7mm Bare arriving in the mail today (returnable) so we'll see how it all clicks when I try it on.

 

[Doc Harry]

Why the Florida Keys?
Florida is expensive, the hotels and infrastructure are old and run down, the ocean is rough, the diving is fair, and the people are not very pleasant.

You will have a better and cheaper vacation if you go anywhere but Florida. I used to make several trips every year to FL and the keys. Now I just go to Cozumel instead. The diving in Coz is better, cheaper, and the people are infinitely nicer.

 

[mjrascoe]

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!

It’s definitely a personal preference thing, some people just run cold, and if you have low body fat you tend to get colder. I was diving in Hawaii wearing a shorty back in jan and it was OK for me, I also was just diving yesterday at Hayama beach in Japan with a 7mm suit with gloves abs booties, no hood. Thought I was going to freeze my @ss off in the 60f water but it was surprisingly manageable with a 7mm. That being said I’m a good 30lbs overweight right now, so I got that going for me

I think the shop in the keys should have a full 5mm suit which should be just fine for you. Maybe give them a call and see what they have? It might be a good idea to invest in gloves, booties and a hood/cap if your own so you know that you’re always covered on that front and not at the mercy of the shop.

 

[Dtaine]

As others have noted temperature tolerance varies a lot by person. I’ve been on a dive where my partner got cold and we had to call it. I was wearing a wetsuit, him a swim shirt and trunks. Was that the only factor? Oh absolutely not. We had also overshot the boat (that part was my fault!) and so we were in the water longer than we should’ve been (this was in Florida).

Thing is though, I owned my wetsuit & all the gear I was in. I was comfortable in my setup. Being comfortable in my own owned suit and gear is something I value a lot. Although I don’t fit into that wetsuit now.